Re: My Visit to The Largest Dome in the Sierra (Tehipite)

Looky, I just love domes... so I had this idea to sleep on top or very close to the
big domes in the Sierra. I spied Balloon Dome on Google Earth last year and already
knew about a couple others that I wanted to get to the top of...
So last weekend hiked and slept atop Tehipite Dome from Rancheria TH.
To make it interesting xcountried up Kettle Ridge to Coyote Pass and then
back to TH. Saw a grand total of 2 people the entire trip.
Most of the hike is in forest so it's understandable that not many travel it.
The trail to Mountain Meadow is fading fast.... looks like I was the
only one on it in many years...
Anyway, if there is any questions ... I can try to help.

A good view of the dome:


Sunset atop the dome:


View to Kettle Dome and ridge:


Had the idea to go up Kettle Dome too... but just didn't have it in me.

More of Tehipite Dome here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/TehipiteDome

And... we went up Balloon Dome a few weeks ago... never posted much on it:
https://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/BalloonDome

Enjoy

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Very nice! Since you are a dome-lover, I figured it was only a matter of time until you did Tehipite... I'm definitely adding it to my ever-growing list... Thanks as always!

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chick-on
Looky, I just love domes... so I had this idea to sleep on top or very close to the
big domes in the Sierra. I spied Balloon Dome on Google Earth last year and already
knew about a couple others that I wanted to get to the top of...
So last weekend hiked and slept atop Tehipite Dome from Rancheria TH.
To make it interesting xcountried up Kettle Ridge to Coyote Pass and then
back to TH. Saw a grand total of 2 people the entire trip.
Most of the hike is in forest so it's understandable that not many travel it.
The trail to Mountain Meadow is fading fast.... looks like I was the
only one on it in many years...

Looks like a fabulous trip. The only time I've been in that neck of the woods was a visit to Squaw Dome and Cattle Mountain on a horse and buggy and mountain bike trip.

But I can't figure out what you mean by the Mountain Meadow trail. I can't find anything with a name like that this side of Colorado....

Mountain Meadow is just west of Kettle Ridge ... west of Coyote Pass...
in the Crown Creek drainage area...
Look at the last map in the Tehipite set and zoom in and you'll see it.

Squaw Dome is in Ansel Adams just off Minarets Rd. Sorry for the confusion...
it was two trips...

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Most awesome!

Thank you for sharing. Reading your trip reports always is like a small vacation (sitting here in the middle of a rainy summer thousands of miles away).

"...we camped in a clump of fir, within 500 yards of the register can."

Sargent, Shirley, "Solomons of the Sierra", Yosemite, Flying Spur Press, 1989, page 39

So is that where you camped out chick-on?

Awesome pictures! Wish I was there right now.

Camped right on top of the Dome.

Here:

(the highest pt. on the right there below Kettle Dome is the "summit" w/ the register)

It's not a huge area up there.... If another party had been up there... I would have left

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As always, thanks for sharing your photos and thoughts about your trek to Tehipite Dome.

By any chance, did your read Bob Burd's Tehipite Dome 2007 trip report before heading there?

(You had linked his trip report to Eagle Peak via El Cap Gully on the Eagle Creek discussion thread.)

Here's a link to Mr. Burd's Tehipite Dome trip report: http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_reports/tehipite_dome_1.html

And here's a link to his photos of his trek to Tehipite Dome: http://www.snwburd.com/bob/trip_photos/tehipite_dome_1/index_t.html

It appears both of you took roughly the same route to the dome. How easy was it to cross Crown Creek near Deer Meadow? Bob Burd mentioned that it wasn't any trouble on this trip in October of 2007, but also mentioned those that had tried to cross it earlier in the summer (in 1995 and 1999) had more difficulty. Also, on average, how many miles did you hike each day.

Again, thanks for this trip report and photos.

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plawrence
By any chance, did your read Bob Burd's Tehipite Dome 2007 trip report before heading there?
How easy was it to cross Crown Creek near Deer Meadow?
Also, on average, how many miles did you hike each day.

Nope. But I did look after I got back though to see if he went up Kettle Dome
and to see which way he went. (his entry said 7 hours in).
I read Secor. He said class 3 and go up to where trail drops into Blue Canyon...
So that's all I needed to know.
Done enough of this schtuff to know he was right (ridges usually have less shrubation)
If you look at Bob's map he shrubbed w/o gaining too much elevation.
The drop from 8600 to the top o the dome is very steep... so with the fire of 2008
MAYBE doing the traverse would have been ok.
So... very different routes... off trail

Crown Creek was non-issue. I never got my feet wet with what seemed like 20 creek crossings.
(always used logs to cross) There is a photo of Crown Creek in the set.

I hiked all the miles each day.
It's about 15 miles to Tehipite Dome from Rancheria TH (I'm glad I went from there instead of the Crown Valley TH)
Second day I was planning to sleep atop Crown Rock (decided that after seeing it from Wet Meadow)...
but I just didn't have enough time after all the xcountry (can almost consider the entire second day xcountry)...
and I was dog tired after all the steep up sandy ridges...
Last day was about 10 miles out and drive home... simple last day after the 2 nut buster days.

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Neat. I've always wanted to do a hike into Tehipite Valley. At a certain point the trail to the dome diverges from the valley trail. Was the portion of the valley trail from Rancheria hard to follow???

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bbb
Neat. I've always wanted to do a hike into Tehipite Valley. At a certain point the trail to the dome diverges from the valley trail. Was the portion of the valley trail from Rancheria hard to follow???

It diverges at Crown Valley right at Cow Camp Meadow...
Up to there... the trail will be incredibly easy to follow...
Not sure how many people come up from Crown Valley TH to actual Crown Valley.
(you could easily walk by many of the trail junctions w/o knowing a jct. existed)
(I nearly started my trek at CV TH but figured creek crossings wouldn't be an issue
at this time of year... so went Ranch)

The area looks like it is heavily abused by horse campers... the trail was
not cleared of trees east of Cabin Creek.. and just this year horses/mules have
roto-tilled new trails around those deadfall.

Pretty sure I answered your question

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chick-on

Pretty sure I answered your question

Yes. Gracias. Just trying to get a fix on how difficult these trail are to follow as there seem to be a lot of junctions.

Sounds like a great trip. Loved the photos!

Nice, thanks.

Where was the nearest water source? The spring shown on the map near where you took off cross-country towards the dome?

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ttilley
Where was the nearest water source? The spring shown on the map near where you took off cross-country towards the dome?

Yes that is the nearest water source that I saw.
I filled up at the creek just west of there though on account I really didn't want to possibly search around for it.
About 3 1/2 litres was enough to get me to the dome, din-din, breffy, and up to Coyote Pass.
You can rely on the spring though. Water was flowing across the trail near it.

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Great shots, as much as I like reading and appreciate your trip reports they do make me seriously jealous.

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ryanmj
Great shots, as much as I like reading and appreciate your trip reports they do make me seriously jealous.

Sorry. In the past I didn't put up everything due to this phenomenom ... I can revert to that...

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chick-on

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ryanmj
Great shots, as much as I like reading and appreciate your trip reports they do make me seriously jealous.

Sorry. In the past I didn't put up everything due to this phenomenom ... I can revert to that...

NOOOOOO

Ahhh! That dome is soo rad looking. Everything looks so.... massive. The Gorge of Despair- what a name.
The photo of Kettle with the cloud is great.

My not so great contribution to the discussion, but gives me something to think about on the way to work.
So, i thank you.