Alta Peak & Panther Dayhike From Wolverton

July 15th, 2011
Alta Peak (11,204')
Panther Peak (9,046')
[Pics] [Map]

The main purpose of this weekend was to lead a quick two day Wilderness Travel Course experience trip to nearby Mount Silliman with Bill Payne and a large group of students.

That would have left the nearby SPS peak Alta as one of those red dot orphans on Peakbagger that tend to haunt my dreams so I planned to head up a day early and just dayhike the peak alone. Then a few weeks ahead of the tip I decided that I’d rather have company and ended up with Paul Warren, Laurent Hoffman, and repeat offender Anne Kircher joining me for the long drive up Thursday night.

Grand Teton Via Upper Exum

July 9th  to 12th, 2011
Grand Teton (13,770')
[Pics] [Map]

I came out of a four day Yosemite trip Tuesday night and had three long days of working from home before I could disappear off to the wilderness again. Three days after a long period of being in Boise every week so there was the usual pile of things that needed my attention in addition to trying to remind several friends that I exist as something other than an overactive Flickr account.

Still, it wasn't all unpleasant.


Then it was time for the next adventure: a 4 day trip to climb Grand Teton out of Jackson Hole Wyoming. I had been invited out of the blue by Kathy Rich several months before and as it fell on an open weekend I said yes on a whim. Originally I was one of 6 climbers but after a few injuries we were down to Kathy Rich, Daryn Dodge, and myself with me as the lead climber.

Clark & Gray In Yosemite At High Tide


What: 
   Mount Clark (11,522')
   Gray Peak (11,573')
When: July 2nd to 5th, 2011
Where: Yosemite, CA
Who: Matthew Hengst, Jack Kieffer, Lisa Miyake, Ted Lenzie, Agustine Barajas
Pictures: Unsuccessful, Successful
GPS Track: Track

This was the second attempt at the Clark ridge for Jack and I after a previous attempt in late October of 2010 ran afoul of the first big winter storm of the season.

Back then Jack and I had made the ridge below the summit only to find the storm that had swept in that morning had done a rather thorough job of coating all the rocks in ice making things impassable well before the reputed brief yet gee-you-should-really-pay-attention 4th class bit.


We retreated to camp and after about an hour and a half of concerted effort managed to light a well earned campfire despite nonstop rain that lasted throughout the night and the entire 6+ hour hike out to Yosemite Valley the next morning. All and all a memorable trip.

Clark was now a grudge peak so Jack and I scheduled another attempt for 4th of July weekend.  4 days, 4 peaks (Clark, Grey, Red, and Merced) and (hopefully) no ice.