Wed, Aug 10, 2022
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Etymology Sunset Peak |
Story | Photos / Slideshow | Map | GPX | Profile |
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Day 6 of the 2022 Sierra Challenge saw us going to Donkey Peak out of
Lake Sabrina. The peak was named by Andy Smatko in his short-lived
guidebook, Mountaineer's Guide to the High Sierra, but picked up
by LoJ and later PB (though the latter has it in a different location). It
is a fairly easy outing, designed as a rest day before the big outing
to The Citadel the following day. We had 21 participants at the TH for
the 6a start - the largest group yet during this year's Challenge. Most
would have little trouble making it to the summit. Of note, we had
Ron Hudson
joining us today. He had last participated in the Challenge in 2012. Now at
77yrs of age, he would be the oldest person to successfully summit a Challenge
Peak. Needless to say, we were all rooting for him.
Once again, I started near the back, only slowly making any progress in
moving up the line as we climbed 1,200ft over three miles to reach
Blue Lake above Lake Sabrina. I was hiking with SeanC, Mike and Andrew
past Blue Lake. Sean found
a good use trail that climbs up towards
Baboon Lakes, conveniently on our way towards Donkey Peak. I lost the
others after 15min or so, choosing to head
cross-country up to the
southwest. I was
nearly at the ridge between the two Donkey Peak
locations when I realized the correct one was to the south. Most folks got this
right, but at least one ended up on the PB version to the north - reporting a
fine summit block. I
corrected my course and arrived atop the class 2-3
Donkey Peak at 8:25a, finding
9 folks already there. Five minutes
later there would be 13 for
a group photo, including
Mike who
had traversed over from the other point.
Kristine Swigart had left a register here in 2019. Ours were the only
other
entries in three years. Non-threatening clouds made for some
nice views looking off most directions. The ridge we stood upon was flanked by
higher summits to
the west,
south and east, with many lakes
visible off the east and west sides. SeanC had designated a couple of other
summits to the south along the ridge as bonus peaks, so most of us headed
off in
that direction after packing up our stuff.
The ridge
was a fun mix of class 2-3 scrambling, taking us about 30min to reach
Pt. 12,138ft. Though it has little prominence, it had a register that
dated
to 1971. The most recognizable entry was that of
RJ Secor and pal in 1973. After an appropriate break, we
continued south to Sunset Peak, another Smatko-named summit another
half mile further. The continuing ridgeline had more
fun class 3 for
the first half, then
easier sandy slopes mixed with granite blocks,
turning to
boulders for the last few hundred feet. Mike easily beat
the rest of us to
the summit, most of us arriving around 10a. There
are at least four different blocks vying for the highpoint. I visited all four
to make measurements, but they were too close to make a definitive call. We
think the cool block
furthest south is the highest, but
the register was located at
the northernmost block. It had
been left in 2012 and was quite busy with 19 pages of entries.
At this point, all the easy bonus peaks in the area were depleted and
folks were ready to head back, save for Chris and JD who were planning to
head to Picture Peak (a very ambitious effort, btw). I decided to head down the
east side of Sunset Peak to visit Sunset Lake. The upper half of that
side of the peak is steep but managable, with much sand and some shelves to
negotiate. The slope gets steeper the lower one goes and there were several
sections where it was unclear if they would go. I was able to work my way
through the cliffs at the bottom at no more than class 3, but not easy. Once
through the cliffs it becomes an easier slope of sand and rock, and I followed
this down to
a small tarn above and west of
Sunset Lake. I
stripped off my clothes and took
a very quick swim, mostly so I could
say I took at least one during the ten days of the Challenge. The water was
quite frigid, and I can't say it was refreshing, at least until I got out and
started to dry off in the sun. Tom was the only other one to descend the east
side of the peak and he arrived at the tarn for his own swim as I was putting
my clothes back on. It would be the last I would see of him on the day.
I continued my jaunt down to Sunset Lake. The water is turqoise, a
result of the glacial till that emanates from the melting glacier to the south
on the flanks of Mt. Thompson. I turned north near the outlet of the lake
and began a delightful descent
down this drainage I had not visited
previously. There are several areas with
cascades, grass and slab
descents, and a number of
the Baboon Lakes that I passed by. I spent
an hour and a half on the cross-country jaunt from my swim tarn without
seeing another soul. I eventually landed on the trail to
Donkey Lake
and followed this back to Blue Lake,
Lake Sabrina and the trailhead
over the next hour and a half.
The skies continued to be partially
overcast most of the day, keeping the temps cooler but never threatening any
real rain. I returned to
the trailhead at 2p, finding Mason the only
participant still at the TH. We chatted for half an hour or so on a variety of
subjects I can no longer remember before heading to the Jeep. I took a
jug shower in the trees behind my parking spot, then headed to Bishop
where I would spend the remainder of the day...
Ron made it to Donkey Peak and back in a little over 10hrs, along with his girlfriend, Karen Anderson. At 68yrs of age, she is the oldest woman to reach a Challenge peak. Well done, both of them.
Even after reviewing Smatko's guidebook, there's still uncertainty as to where it is located. The location and elevation match the southern point (the one we used for the Challenge) exactly, but the description sounds more like the northern point. It would appear that Smatko may have confused the two points in his notes for his guidebook..
Continued...
This page last updated: Sun Sep 11 11:02:54 2022
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