Tree Chute

Many thanks to wherever!

A great route up to the Pohono trail and beyond.

Went up dat-a-way Friday. Although I didn't follow the creekbed entirely at the start, instead
going up the blacker rocks to the west until hitting the face of the cliff... then headed west
into the gully and up.. didn't hike in trees much at all... stayed to west and climbed gullies
with some class 3 movies.
If you like hiking up rock gullies. Give it a go. It's not trivial tough.

The background:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,29318

Parts way up:


Near top:


Spires abound:


More here (a very small amount of what I took):
https://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/TreeChute

Enjoy

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Gorgeous!

Quote
chick-on
Many thanks to wherever!

A great route up to the Pohono trail and beyond.

Went up dat-a-way Friday. Although I didn't follow the creekbed entirely at the start, instead
going up the blacker rocks to the west until hitting the face of the cliff... then headed west
into the gully and up.. didn't hike in trees much at all... stayed to west and climbed gullies
with some class 3 movies.
If you like hiking up rock gullies. Give it a go. It's not trivial tough.

The background:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,29318

Enjoy

Great stuff. If you don't care for class three rock, just stay a bit to the left, in the trees. It's all soft dirt there, once you get past the bend. The main thing, when going uphill for the first time, is to make that right angle bend half-way up. This is where the winter avalanches dump their logs, so it's pretty obvious, but you do have to scramble up a bit at that point. It's easier if you start scrambling just beyond where the side channel comes in from the right. The main gully seems to continue straight ahead and upwards (but goes nowhere). Going downhill, there are no choices and no route finding problems. But you do have to start in the right place. The GPS coordinate of the start is listed in the posting cited above.

I think that Chick-On meant to say that he hiked up on the west side of the creek, then followed the bottom of the cliff eastward until he got to the bend, then stayed just west of edge of the grove in Tree Chute for the rest of the ascent.

We climbed in the gullies almost all the way up. The last portion was class 3. Was going to go over into the
tree but that was just a bad idea due to at the point the attempt was made... it was shrub covered in
lots of snow which just ended up wasting time thrashing around and my hands getting VERY cold.
The gullies are loads of fun... and they afford great views nearly the entire way up.
If you can get into the gully early... that is the way to go... the black rocks can be slick.
I got too exuberant in starting up and started a bit too west... but since you can spy the points...
you should be able to figure out which gully to go up.
Here is the route I took:


Zoom-ish of most interesting part:


If you look at the set you may be able to do the correlation..

Now wanna do the other Chutes... and also play around on these points a bit more.

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OK. That shows it very well. You can see how one could just hike up through the grove, which is not at all bushy inside. However, I've never tried it with snow around, and agree that this could make the steep dirt rather unpleasant to do. If descending, the trees are clearly the faster way to go...

I like how the satellite shows that Tree Chute creek and Taft Chute creek are completely separate all the way down. This is not obvious when you are on foot at the start.

Yeah, we're just little ants out there. Here's another view of the route taken. It shows the scale a bit better
and some of the other gullies.



The 2nd photo in original post was taken at the Blue X.

The rock to the east of the X is also pretty amazing. Another Tower. I'll find that pict. and post it.

Thanks again

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Here's the Tower just east of X:



This stuff just ends up adding to the list o things to do... not subtracting from it...

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Quote
chick-on

This stuff just ends up adding to the list o things to do... not subtracting from it...

But you wouldn't want to have it any other way, would you?

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I am SO doing this by next summer.

I was very close to going up to your Ribbon Theatre... but have had Indian ROCK on the list for much longer...
opted for that instead... best of luck on your endeavor.

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chick-on
I was very close to going up to your Ribbon Theatre... but have had Indian ROCK on the list for much longer...
opted for that instead... best of luck on your endeavor.

Thanks! We'll be in the Valley the weekend before Halloween, and then many more times before NYE.

I'm going to try the amphitheater, but I'm also consider Phantom Valley, which is right near Tree Chute, IIRC.

Ever done that one?

Nope. Phantom Valley and Taft Chute are next.
Have only done to Upper Cath/Top of Bridalveil and Tree Chute. In time... will do the others...
and, if it goes as envisioned, Gunsight and El Cap Gully

Phantom I'm a bit hesitant one due to possibility of shrubbery munching by looking at Sat. view.

Wherever would know tho. For Phantom looks perhaps can stay a bit east and gully it most of way.

Have fun

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Quote
tanngrisnir3

Quote
chick-on
I was very close to going up to your Ribbon Theatre... but have had Indian ROCK on the list for much longer...
opted for that instead... best of luck on your endeavor.

Thanks! We'll be in the Valley the weekend before Halloween, and then many more times before NYE.

I'm going to try the amphitheater, but I'm also consider Phantom Valley, which is right near Tree Chute, IIRC.

Ever done that one?

Phantom Valley is neat, but unlike Tree Chute or Cathedral Spires Gully, that one is usually easier going down. Depending on the brush at the bottom, of course. Some years it doesn't matter, and other years the brush is dense enough to make downhill the preferred direction. So I generally go up one of the other two, and down Phantom Valley. Be warned, that if traversing over from the Spires Gully, there was a manzanita fire there some years ago that left a soot-covered jungle gym, and you want to stay close to the valley rim to avoid it.

Have fun.

Whoa. New goal of mine. The formation of the rock in your second picture is just amazing.

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dqniel
Whoa. New goal of mine. The formation of the rock in your second picture is just amazing.

Well, you haven't seen them from this angle, perhaps. That's Upper and Middle Cathedral Rocks on the left. They may be farther away than you had guessed. El Cap is on the right, and the cliff under Ribbon Falls is in the middle.

Chick-On's photo number two:

Yeah, I've just never seen a picture of them up close. They're very "cube" shaped. Reminded me of Giant's Causeway, only in the sky.

@chick-on...where are you in pic#21...I don't recognize that railing

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ProgMtl
@chick-on...where are you in pic#21...I don't recognize that railing

Union Pt.

That particular photo was talked about here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,46585,47570#msg-47570

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Hope this isn't too off topic. This isn't Tree Chute, but rather Cathedral Gully, but the Spires have been mentioned and I thought this might be of interest.

This is near the top of the gully looking down at the Spires. Both of them are there, but one of them is hiding behind. Three Brothers are in the background, the east part of El Cap behind the trees to the left

I'd say it's right on topic. Very nice.

Here's one of mine:


Cathedral Spires and Bridalveil talked more here (again, thanks to wherever):
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,29312

For either I personally recommend going up the gullies as much as possible... and then down the trail or woods.
Of the two, if just dayhiking, then Upper Cath would get my nod unless you are dead set on seeing no one.

Have fun

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Quote
chick-on
I'd say it's right on topic. Very nice.

Here's one of mine:


Cathedral Spires and Bridalveil talked more here (again, thanks to wherever):
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,29312

For either I personally recommend going up the gullies as much as possible... and then down the trail or woods.
Of the two, if just dayhiking, then Upper Cath would get my nod unless you are dead set on seeing no one.

Have fun

Hey, in your Picassa page of pics, where is that arch formation? At the top of Tree Chute?

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tanngrisnir3
Hey, in your Picassa page of pics, where is that arch formation? At the top of Tree Chute?

It's the arch S of Indian Rock (on the way to North Dome from the Porcupine Creek Trailhead).
Chick-on occasionally goes there to beg treats from the marmots.

Yes. But I don't beg from Marmuts. They only pass out healthy snacks on Halloween. L!

The real Indian Rock is this:


None of the photos in Google Earth show Indian Rock or any of the 3 formations N of The Natural Arch.
The other 3 are all worth exploring. And one of those MAY have an additional arch, although nothing like
the one marked on the maps.

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Quote
chick-on
Yes. But I don't beg from Marmuts. They only pass out healthy snacks on Halloween.

Then who is it that comes around in the Frankenchikin outfit every year?
(Veganly Yours)
The Marmots