My cousin Don and I had been in the recent habit of riding our road bikes
together once
a week over the past few months. This week I suggested we might do a short
overnight trip to Yosemite for some hiking/rock climbing/riding as a way to
break up the routine. I wasn't able to sell him on the rock climbing idea, but
he was up for the hiking. Another obligation kept him home in Pleasanton until
after 10a, so it was sometime after that that I picked him up and we headed
across the state for the Sierra Nevada. The late hour wasn't really a problem
since there was plenty of daylight this time of year. We would get our fill of
hiking and scrambling and then some before the sun would set. Because temps
were forecast to be in the low 90s in the Valley, we headed for the high
country for some cross-country hiking around Olmsted Point to tag a number of
easy summits found near the road.
Olmsted Point
I'd always assumed this was simply the popular view spot along SR120 from which
one can view Clouds Rest and Half Dome in all their splendor. Not so, according
to ListsofJohn and Peakbagger.com which both identify a small granite knoll to
the south as Olmsted Point. While I still think I'm right about it, I rarely
pass up an opportunity to pay some obscure point a visit. Barely a ten minute
hike , the is
about the same
elevation but offers a challenging 15-foot summit boulder. There are three ways
one can climb to - a high push-step from the north side standing
on a subsidiary rock, a tougher but more challenging set of moves up the south
side, or the easier from the west side. I chose the
latter, Don declining to join me, content
to take a few photos for me and move on from there.
Peak 8,664ft
A quarter mile to the east is the higher Peak 8,664ft, an elongated granite
dome with 400ft of prominence. This was a slightly more challenging
cross-country scramble and up to
reach the . From the highpoint, one can walk more than a
mile to along the descending ridgeline for
ever-increasing views of Tenaya Canyon framed by Clouds Rest and Half Dome. We
walked maybe a third of
before turning back and returning to the parking lot.
Peak 9,206ft
After grabbing more water from the van, we crossed the highway to the north
side and started up the slabs on the other side. We first climbed some lower
points directly north of Olmsted Point (one of these is
on Peakbagger.com) before dropping to a saddle and climbing to the area
highpoint of Peak 9,206ft. The southern half of this granite dome is fairly
cliffy and difficult to assail, but the approach from the north is easier.
We didn't choose the best route, requiring some steps across some
(good traction, though) before reaching the top around 4:45p. The summit has
good views of Tenaya Lake to , Mt. Hoffmann to
and Clouds Rest to . On our way back we
wandered down the drainage just east of Peak 9,206ft to avoid reclimbing the
other minor highpoints. Along the way we found the remains of
that still showed the handiwork of hand-placed
stonework. An online search later did not turn up any older maps showing this
trail.
Pywiack Dome
Don had had enough of the cross-country hiking by the time we returned though I
still had another hike to some named domes in mind. He decided to try his luck
at fishing in Tenaya Lake while I drove on to a turnout about a mile and third
northeast of the lake for a hike to Pywiack and Dozier Domes. Located only a few
minutes from the road, Pywiack Dome has a number of semi-popular rock climbing
routes that see modest traffic. I could see no one on the
of the dome as I drove past it and would find I'd have the place to myself. I
was looking for the easiest route to the top and approached it from the
northeast after a short but steep climb . Upon
reaching of the east side, I was surprised to find a small
cliff and no easy way up. This was going to be interesting. I tried a first
route that I backed off off after only a minute, not getting more than 10ft off
the ground. I then tried a bit to the left but
starting from the same point. This had me spooked enough to
remove my daypack and toss it up before making an uncomfortable move with a
leg stretched far to the right while pulling up on my left arm without the
satisfaction of a good handhold. After this one class 4 move the rest was no
more than class 3. I hoped I might find an easier way down perhaps on the south
side, but this was dashed when I passed by that I
surmised was
used by the rock climbers as the descent route. Hmmm. I went to the summit,
took a few pics of the to be had and
explored the descent
option to the south. This proved unworkable as all I found were large cliffs
below me. Going back down the way I came, I was happy to work out an
that I had missed on the way up and
didn't require me to remove my pack. I took of the
descent route once I was off before
heading back down. Almost 7p by this time, I had taken longer than I'd planned
and decided to forgo the additional effort to Dozier Dome - that could wait
for another time.
I found Don happily
back at Tenaya Lake. He had managed to catch and
release two modest trout in the hour I was gone, which is about two more fish
than I would have managed. We drove down to Half Dome Village (what used to be
Curry Village until quite recently) and had pizza and beer on the patio amidst
the bustle of people that populate the Valley this time of year. Afterwards we
drove to Housekeeping Camp where we had a reservation for the night. It was the
first time I'd stayed here (about $110/night vs. $140/night for a Half Dome
Village tent cabin) and I can't say I was impressed. The smell of smoke and
noise that permeates the place was actually worse than I would have fared
sleeping in the van. Live and learn...
Continued...