Peak 9,314ft P300
Mean BM P500
Peak 10,280ft
Peak 10,335ft

Continued...

I had beat myself up pretty good the previous day and wasn't in a mood for another all-day outing. I decided to cut my trip a day short, spending half a day around the Sonora Pass area before driving home. I was camped near Summit Meadow on USFS lands above the Marine's Mountain Warfare Center, near Peak 9,314ft. It was one of two summits I had neglected on several previous visits to the area. Later I would stop on the west side of Sonora Pass for a couple of unnamed 10,000-foot summits, finishing up before noon.

Peak 9,314ft - Mean BM

Peak 9,314ft lies on the east side of Lost Cannon Canyon, across from Fish Valley Peak. From Summit Meadow it is a short, albeit somewhat brushy climb up the moderate South Slopes, about a mile each way. I spent about 45min on the effort, reaching the top by 7a. Many miles of prime cattle grazing territory can be surveyed from the summit looking north and south along the valley. I left a register here before returning via the same route. On the drive back out to SR108, I stopped off at Mean BM, a drive-up with suitable high-clearance. The highpoint is found just north of the fenced area. There is a small telecom installation at the summit with a superb view looking south over the West Walker River drainage framed by Tower Peak and other Northern Yosemite summits.

Peak 10,280 - Peak 10,335ft

These two unnamed summits lie west of the Sierra Crest and northwest of Sonora Pass on a ridgeline extending west from Sonora Peak. St. Marys Pass is found at the saddle with Sonora Peak, separating Deadman Creek to the south from the Clarks Fork to the north. The two peaks mark the southern boundary of the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. I parked a short distance west of the St. Marys Trailhead at a bend in the road. The route I followed was all cross-country, following a small creek drainage on the southeast side of the first summit, Peak 10,280ft. There was some soft snow encountered on my way up the drainage, almost entirely unecessary as I didn't pick the best route (I would do much better on the return). It took less than an hour to reach Peak 10,280ft. Looking west, the ridgeline stretched out in a nearly straight line to Peak 10,335ft another mile in that direction. I was happy to see that the route looked to be pretty easy - a walk in the park, so to speak. This was just the sort of pleasant hiking I'd hoped to find. The north side of the broad ridge rolls off in the Clarks Fork Drainage, Stanislaus Peak standing out prominently on its east side. The south side looks over the Emigrant Wilderness around Leavitt Peak, with plenty of snow still holding fast to the slopes. I spent about 40min hiking between the two peaks. A more ambitious outing could continue along the ridge as it turns northwest to connect with the 10,000-foot Red Peak, but today was not the day for that. On my return I found a use/animal trail that traversed around the south side of the first summit, obviating the need to reclimb that summit. My better choice of routes through the drainage back to SR108 was much more pleasant, getting me back to the jeep by 11:30a. Having had enough for the day, I started the 4hr drive back to San Jose...

Author:

Is this a correction?