Postmortem

Like most wilderness areas, there is basically an endless amount to explore. Thru hiking, climbing, peak bagging...you could get lost for days. Hoover Wilderness is particularly cool because it is not heavily traveled and borders Yosemite Wilderness, allowing you to go in and out as you please. I designed this route with the intent to see as much as we could in 3 days. The first day was by far the hardest and most technical which included very steep climbs through class 2 scree fields and some easier class 3 scrambling. The second and third days were almost entirely on trail. I think one of my favorite parts was in Spiller Canyon. You are off trail in Hoover Wilderness, making your way down this canyon with Yosemite Wilderness in the background. I do not know how much more Alpine you can get - John Muir would be proud.

Breakdown of days:
Day 1: 10.05mi, +4215' -1747'
Day 2: 16.53mi, +3319' -3065'
Day 3: 14.07mi, +1465' -4231'
Total: ~41mi, ~9000ft

Raw Caltopo map: https://caltopo.com/m/QGBAS9K#

September 4, 1:30PM: We left the bay area early afternoon on Friday to beat the traffic. It's a solid 5hr+ drive to get over to the eastern Sierras and we needed a good night sleep. Did not want to rush and be getting to bed at 1AM. The drive was pretty smooth and we were pulling into the Bridgeport area at around 7PM. At the intersection of 108 (Sonora Pass) and 395 we saw a big family of deer and stopped to take some pictures and video.

May 26, 7:21AM: Finally departing the trailhead. Ok, I know what you are thinking. Lesson (1) from 2018 was literally start earlier. We talked it over and decided that starting super early did not make much sense for our planned route up Dana Couloir. The challenge with Dana Couloir is that it does not get much sun until around noon so it can see firm ice all morning. A 40 degree solid ice couloir climb is a whole other ballgame. We opted for a bit more sleep and would move quickly in the morning. We started our day with ski boots on our feet and skis on our backs. After about 3 minutes we hit another snag.

Old Man Winter and his infinite wisdom thought he would run a quick physics experiment. The great question that had remained unanswered until that very moment in time - can you walk across thin ice without falling through? Daniel and I advised that we go around the half frozen lake but he was adamant about attempting the ice route. Maybe he watched too many episodes of Ice Road Truckers, I do not know. We split ways and shortly after I heard a kerplunk sound followed by some yelling. The answer turns out to be "no" - you can not walk across thin ice without falling in. Ronen had almost instantly fallen through resulting in two fully soaked socks and boots. He was able to waddle over to a dry spot and mostly drain the water out. I will admit, these kind of issues make my writing job much easier.

Our morning was not ideal. Maybe Mount Dana was trying to tell us something. Remember that if you do not respect the mountains, the mountains will not respect you.

May 26, 9:57AM: Shortly after our unplanned great physics experiment we had to stop and reevaluate as a team. Old Man Winter had gotten something like 1 or 2 hours of sleep and was feeling like complete garbage. Simple maneuvers over rocky and firm terrain were becoming genuinely dangerous. Old Man Winter is technically capable but was not himself. We pumped him full of green tea and food. We rested for a good 20 minutes or so and discussed our options. We decided it would be safest to skip Dana Couloir altogether. We would make our way up to the top of the ridge and gradually ascend from there (which is the normal skinning route). We would descend the same way down unless we were feeling up to the Couloir. I think it is worth pausing here and reinforcing the need for open communication. I think as a team we made the right call to pivot the mission for the sake of everyone. We dramatically reduced our risk level for the day while still being able to have a fun day. Dana Couloir is not going anywhere.

Ronen got a second wind after the break and was probably at about 90% of himself within the next hour. Ascending to the ridge was the steepest part of the climb, tapping out at 44 degrees which is steeper than the couloir but the snow was perfect for climbing which reduced the likelihood of a slip. It was wide which offered plenty of room for line choice and self arresting if needed.

May 26, 11:25AM: Once we reached ridgeline we were able to transition back to skins for the most part but there were times when we had to remove skis and boot pack over rock. That was honestly one of the more dangerous parts of the day in my opinion. Walking over slippery, loose, sharp rocks in ski boots - what could go wrong? We took our time and were making solid progress. Ronen was back at 100% by this point! We were confident in making summit by a reasonable time and moved at a steady pace.

May 26, 12:43PM: Daniel confronts his arch rival - Solstice Couloir! He wants it, I know he does. That shit scares me. The entry is a legit no fall zone. If you tumble right there you are dropping right into some jagged rock and over 1000ft of descent.

May 26, 1:11PM: We were super close to the summit at this point with only another 300ft of vertical. This section is a little sketchy due to the exposed ridgeline. The snow was holding well but you definitely do not want to slide out here. I felt stable on my crampons. The most narrow point was probably something like 15 or 20ft wide. Slow and steady was the name of the game.

May 26, 1:32PM: Summit! We hung out on top for a good 30 minutes or so, taking in the 360 views of Mono Lake and surrounding mountain range. I had not been at this elevation in a while so I was definitely feeling it. Eating bars was hard but I forced myself to intake some sugar and water.

May 26, 2:13PM: We took a close look at Dana Couloir and ultimately decided it was not worth it. We were all feeling good, but the snow quality was firm. Those going down were moving very slowly and we could hear the scraping of the snow's top layer. Plus the exit back to the car would be a slog. We thought the ridgeline descent would offer a more pleasant experience so off we went. We boot packed our way down just a bit to get through the exposed section and then dropped in.

May 26, 2:40PM: Nothing but chill, California springtime vibes as we made our way down the ridge! The weakest skier (me) went first or second so that if I had an issue, others could come in and help quickly from behind. Not completely necessary in low angle terrain but it is a good practice worth following.

May 26, 3:11PM: Wet loose conditions were becoming prevalent as everything warmed up so we descended one by one through the steepest section and were home free. I was still able to cut turns well in the soft snow and my legs were feeling strong.

May 26, 3:49PM: At the bottom, Old Man Winter showed us how John Muir used to cross rivers back in the day. Take note of his perfect technique.

Thank you Mount Dana for granting us access this time. We will surely be back to explore more of the area! There are so many great routes around Dana that are worth exploring. I strongly recommend purchasing this book to get details on Mount Dana and other Eastern Sierra tours. I have found it difficult to find high quality information online, but this book has all the core stuff you need.

We checked into our motel and booked it over to one of the only restaurants still open: Chiles y Milagro and honestly it was pretty solid. I would go back. After dinner we did the final packing in advance of tomorrow and got to sleep by 10PM. It was going to be a long day tomorrow!

Tim Murcko

murcko.tim@gmail.com
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Bay Area, CA