North Arete of Bear Creek Spire 07/20/2019
North Arete of Bear Creek Spire with Jack. 07/20/19.
When I first got wilderness permits to camp at Dade Lake for Bear Creek Spire, I was planning on going with my wife. The idea was to have a fun and relaxing trip to the mountains in addition to our yearly backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail. Shortly after reserving the permits, we found our we were pregnant with our second child! Also, Amber (my wife) had to get knee reconstruction surgery in late February. Left without a definite partner, I kept the permit just in case it she recovered in time. With her last pregnancy, she climbed all 40 weeks including multi-pitch trad adventures so you never know. In early July, we revisited the idea of climbing bear creek spire and she wasn't quite healed up enough for it. Unfortunately, one of my main climbing partners, Paul, had decided to move to Seattle for work and was busy wrapping things up before his move. The Tuesday before (7/16), I asked my friend, Jack Cohen, if he wanted to do a quick car to car ascent while the majority of the weekend, we enjoy hanging out in little lakes valley at camp and he agreed!
We hit the trail a little after 3am and make quick work to Gem lakes where we hesitated before ascending a large snowfield up to Dade lake. Fortunately, our route finding was correct and we made contact with the sun just before we got to the base of the route. It was perfect conditions, mid 70's, bluebird sky, and no one in sight!
I led a short pitch to the base of pitch 1 as well as the sustained 5.7 pitch 1. At first, I was a bit intimated cause normally the grade eases up, but not for this route. Jack led the second taking the 5.7 variation. After I followed the 2nd pitch, I realize my phone isn't in my pocket. Jack thought I was kidding and I hoped I was wrong. I left it on the belay ledge below!!! Idiot!! So we fixed a line and I made a 160 foot rap to grab my phone and then top roped back up the direct variation which I believe went at 5.9. It happened to be fun and quick climbing so we didn't lose too much time and had a great photo op!
To try to make up for time, we simuled the next 300' of easy 5th class up to the crux pitch. I had to look for a 5.8 chimney OW system with a thin 5.10- crack to its right. What I found was a 5.9 (R) chimney OW system with a 5.HARD thin crack next to it. Apparently, it had looked good enough to me. Jack struggled a bit with that next pitch cause he had to make a couple burly 5.9 moves with no pro and kitty-litter quality rock. Go Jack! (Also sorry...)
After that, most of the climbing was ridge scrambling on 4th class with occasional 5th class moves. We simuled the majority of it and make quick work of the beautiful ridge. We both agreed that the rock quality was sub-par but everything else about the route was excellent! Awesome exposure, good gear, straightforward route finding (mostly), and amazing views! We took the 5.8 traverse variation just before the summit which I thought was worth it.
The 5.6R mantle move to the summit proper felt more like 5.2 PG but hey, whatever.. such a cool little summit block! We took turns standing up top and getting pictures and videos for our fams. As we were enjoying our clif bars, Jack spots another climber. Brock Peterson comes running along the traverse with short shorts, no shirt, a tiny little water bottle, a tiny little pack, and claimed to be at the trailhead 2.5 hours before then and summited via NE ridge route! At this point, its 2:30pm so we're 11 hours in and pretty dumbfounded from seeing anybody up there. Later on, Amber said she spotted him running along the trail at 10:30am which doesn't quite add up (come on Brock...).
The descent was pretty straightforward and not nearly as sketchy as most sierra alpine routes. After a short rappel off some slings, we just walked down a large slope to a ridge, glissaded down some steep snow, then hiked back the way we came. I had ran out of water and filled up in a little alpine stream. The little alpine plants found at 11,000 feet are my favorite so it was nice to relax a little bit here before continuing to descend back to the main trail.
Both Jack and I remembered we told Amber we'd back around lunchtime but instead we were anticipating getting back to the TH at around 6pm.. Yikes. She was a little worried about us (that's a first), but all is well. We enjoyed hobo dinners, I set out my things to dry, stared into the fire, hung out with my 3YO daughter, Meadow, and relaxed for the night.
Stats: 5 hour approach, 6 hours climb, 4 hour descent.
Gear: single cams from 0.3 to 3, single set of nuts, 12 slings, 60mm skinny rope, microspikes, hiking poles.
Another great experience in the Sierras!
When I first got wilderness permits to camp at Dade Lake for Bear Creek Spire, I was planning on going with my wife. The idea was to have a fun and relaxing trip to the mountains in addition to our yearly backpacking trip on the John Muir Trail. Shortly after reserving the permits, we found our we were pregnant with our second child! Also, Amber (my wife) had to get knee reconstruction surgery in late February. Left without a definite partner, I kept the permit just in case it she recovered in time. With her last pregnancy, she climbed all 40 weeks including multi-pitch trad adventures so you never know. In early July, we revisited the idea of climbing bear creek spire and she wasn't quite healed up enough for it. Unfortunately, one of my main climbing partners, Paul, had decided to move to Seattle for work and was busy wrapping things up before his move. The Tuesday before (7/16), I asked my friend, Jack Cohen, if he wanted to do a quick car to car ascent while the majority of the weekend, we enjoy hanging out in little lakes valley at camp and he agreed!
We hit the trail a little after 3am and make quick work to Gem lakes where we hesitated before ascending a large snowfield up to Dade lake. Fortunately, our route finding was correct and we made contact with the sun just before we got to the base of the route. It was perfect conditions, mid 70's, bluebird sky, and no one in sight!
I led a short pitch to the base of pitch 1 as well as the sustained 5.7 pitch 1. At first, I was a bit intimated cause normally the grade eases up, but not for this route. Jack led the second taking the 5.7 variation. After I followed the 2nd pitch, I realize my phone isn't in my pocket. Jack thought I was kidding and I hoped I was wrong. I left it on the belay ledge below!!! Idiot!! So we fixed a line and I made a 160 foot rap to grab my phone and then top roped back up the direct variation which I believe went at 5.9. It happened to be fun and quick climbing so we didn't lose too much time and had a great photo op!
To try to make up for time, we simuled the next 300' of easy 5th class up to the crux pitch. I had to look for a 5.8 chimney OW system with a thin 5.10- crack to its right. What I found was a 5.9 (R) chimney OW system with a 5.HARD thin crack next to it. Apparently, it had looked good enough to me. Jack struggled a bit with that next pitch cause he had to make a couple burly 5.9 moves with no pro and kitty-litter quality rock. Go Jack! (Also sorry...)
After that, most of the climbing was ridge scrambling on 4th class with occasional 5th class moves. We simuled the majority of it and make quick work of the beautiful ridge. We both agreed that the rock quality was sub-par but everything else about the route was excellent! Awesome exposure, good gear, straightforward route finding (mostly), and amazing views! We took the 5.8 traverse variation just before the summit which I thought was worth it.
The 5.6R mantle move to the summit proper felt more like 5.2 PG but hey, whatever.. such a cool little summit block! We took turns standing up top and getting pictures and videos for our fams. As we were enjoying our clif bars, Jack spots another climber. Brock Peterson comes running along the traverse with short shorts, no shirt, a tiny little water bottle, a tiny little pack, and claimed to be at the trailhead 2.5 hours before then and summited via NE ridge route! At this point, its 2:30pm so we're 11 hours in and pretty dumbfounded from seeing anybody up there. Later on, Amber said she spotted him running along the trail at 10:30am which doesn't quite add up (come on Brock...).
The descent was pretty straightforward and not nearly as sketchy as most sierra alpine routes. After a short rappel off some slings, we just walked down a large slope to a ridge, glissaded down some steep snow, then hiked back the way we came. I had ran out of water and filled up in a little alpine stream. The little alpine plants found at 11,000 feet are my favorite so it was nice to relax a little bit here before continuing to descend back to the main trail.
Both Jack and I remembered we told Amber we'd back around lunchtime but instead we were anticipating getting back to the TH at around 6pm.. Yikes. She was a little worried about us (that's a first), but all is well. We enjoyed hobo dinners, I set out my things to dry, stared into the fire, hung out with my 3YO daughter, Meadow, and relaxed for the night.
Stats: 5 hour approach, 6 hours climb, 4 hour descent.
Gear: single cams from 0.3 to 3, single set of nuts, 12 slings, 60mm skinny rope, microspikes, hiking poles.
Another great experience in the Sierras!
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