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HIGH SIERRA: MATTERHORN : Matterhorn - West Ridge ~ Sept 17-21, 2018(62) images

In 1983 after a big snow year, Mary Erdei and I came to the area to climb the North Arete. After an epic approach during which one of our dogs almost drowned as she got carried away in the ragging horse creek and almost disappeared into a snow hole, only to be snatched from the jaws of death at the last second we soberly carried on and setup camp beneath the climb. This was another route we did back then where all slides and for that matter most memories are lost in time. This year (2018) I came back with the intention of seeing more of the area and climbing the peak by a route I could comfortable solo. The standard SW slopes has no appeal to me and only recently I read a trip report of a more suitable alternative being the West Ridge from Burro Pass. With that in mind, I put together what I hoped would be a nice scenic route there and back. Warm days and cold nights were standard fare for the four and a half days this trip took.  

A RARE CLOUDY MORNING SEEN FROM MCGEE CREEK

CLOUDY MORNING VIEW OF MT BALDWIN FROM MCGEE CREEK

CROWLEY LAKE AND FARAWAY BOUNDARDY PEAK FROM MCGEE CREEK

STARTING THE LONG WALK TO BURRO PASS AND THE BACK SIDE OF THE MATTERHORN

A BRIEF VIEW OF THE HULK AND LITTLE SLIDE CANYON FROM ROBINSON CREEK / BARNEY LAKE TRAIL, SAWTOOTHS

BARNEY LAKE AND CROWN POINT, SAWTOOTHS

LOOKING BACK AT BARNEY LAKE, ROBINSON CREEK DRAINAGE, SAWTOOTHS

PASSING BY CROWN LAKE

STARTING THE SWITCHBACKS ABOVE CROWN LAKE

SMALL TARN NEAR THE JCT WITH THE ROCK ISLAND PASS / MULE PASS TRAILS

LATE AFTERNOON NEAR THE JCT WITH THE ROCK ISLAND PASS / MULE PASS TRAILS

ANOTHER LARGER TARN AT THE JCT WITH THE ROCK ISLAND PASS / MULE PASS TRAILS

ANOTHER VIEW NEAR THE JCT WITH THE ROCK ISLAND PASS / MULE PASS TRAILS

LATE DAY VIEW OF TARN AT THE JCT WITH THE ROCK ISLAND PASS / MULE PASS TRAILS

ANOTHER LATE DAY VIEW OF TARN AT THE JCT WITH THE ROCK ISLAND PASS / MULE PASS TRAILS

EVENING VIEW OF SLIDE PEAK FROM JCT OF MULE AND ROCK ISLAND PASS TRAILS

MORNING VIEW OF INTERESTING CLIMBING POSSIBILITIES ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF SLIDE PEAK

MORNING AT A SMALL LAKE IN THE BASIN BELOW MULE PASS

SHORELINE VIEW OF SMALL LAKE JUST BELOW THE NORTH SIDE OF MULE PASS, SAWTOOTHS

MULE PASS, SAWTOOTHS

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE, SAWTOOTHS

NICE TERRAIN ON THE 1000' DESCENT FROM MULE PASS INTO SLIDE CANYON

FALL COLOR BEGINNING TO DOMINATE EVERYWHERE

LATE DAY VIEW OF THE WEST SIDE OF THE MATTERHORN, SAWTOOTHS

LATE DAY VIEW OF THE WEST SIDE OF THE SAWTOOTHS

DRAGTOOTH TO MATTERHORN AND FINGER LAKE

LATE DAY LIGHTING ON SAWTOOTH DIVIDE FROM THE LAKES BELOW THE FINGER PEAKS

LATE DAY LIGHTING ON SAWTOOTH DIVIDE FROM THE LAKES BELOW THE FINGER PEAKS

EARLY MORNING DAY 3 ON THE WAY TO BURRO PASS AND THE START TO THE WEST RIDGE

THE WEST RIDGE OF THE MATTERHORN FROM THE TOP OF THE 'DOME' ABOVE BURRO PASS, SAWTOOTHS

THE BEGINNING OF THE REAL CLIMBING ON THE WEST RIDGE.

AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT, A BOULDER MOVE INTO THIS CRACK SYSTEM CEMENTED THE COMMITMENT TO STAY WITH THE RIDGE ALL THE WAY.

AS THE RIDGE NARROWED THE CHOICES BECAME MORE OBVIOUS, BUT THE QUALITY REMAINED TOP NOTCH

PROBABLY THE NICEST PART OF THE ROUTE ABOUT MIDWAY UP THE RIDGE

LOWER ANGLED CLIMBING BEFORE THE KNIFE EDGE NEAR THE TOP WHERE THE RIDGE MERGES WITH THE SUMMIT ITSELF

LOOKING BACK DOWN THE RIDGE FROM A SMALL TOWER JUST BEFORE THE KNIFE-EDGE FINISH TO TH WEST RIDGE

LOOKING AT THE SERIOUSLY FORESHORTENED KNIFE-EDGE SECTION OF THE ROUTE

MODERATE SLABS JUST PAST THE KNIFE EDGE SECTION OF THE WEST RIDGE

LOOKING BACK AT THE TOP OF THE WEST RIDGE FROM WHERE IT MERGES WITH THE SUMMIT SLOPES OF THE PEAK

THE LAST BIT OF GROUND TO THE NICE SMALL SUMMIT

LOOKING DOWN THE POPULAR STD ROUTE ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN

PARTIAL VIEW OF THE EAST COULOIR FROM THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

VIEW DOWN THE SOUTH RIDGE TO MATTERHORN PASS AND MT WHORL

PARTIAL VIEW OF UPPER SPILLER CANYON FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE MATTERHORN

STARTING THE DESCENT BEGINS WITH MAKING ONES WAY TO THE SMALL NOTCH ON THE SOUTH RIDGE

BACK ON THE RIDGE WITH THE CHUTE CLEARLY VISIBLE TO THE RIGHT.

THE TEMPTATION TO GET BACK TO THAT TARN NEAR MULE PASS MADE FOR SOME NICE COOL LATE AFTERNOON WALKING

WALKING THRU A SORT OF A MAGIC CARPET

LOOKING BACK AT THE FINGER PEAKS FROM JUST BELOW MULE PASS

FALL COLOR ALONG THE TRAIL NOT FAR FROM THE EAST SIDE OF MULE PASS, SAWTOOTHS

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