Route Climbed: East Slope Date Climbed: September 3, 2005
A much longer slog than I expected after Robinson Lake, but it became more fun after hitting the notch on the NE ridge. There are two prominent notches, and Secor isn't very descriptive as to which one you should avoid. Shoot for the left notch which deceptively seems to go to the left of the summit. The summit is actually hidden from the view, and once at the notch, it is very obvious. The chute to the notch is a very loose and arduous one w/ plenty of scree. A well deserved dip at Robinson lake after the hike made for a great wind down.
Route Climbed: Southeast Ridge Date Climbed: Sept. 3, 2005
Dayhike with Jeff D. and my roommate, Nikol K. It was Nikol's first attempt at an SPS peak and I'm glad that she still likes me after trudging her through the mountains on this pretty good dayhike.
Overall great day with great people. The weather was amazing.
Quick half day climb, as an alternative to the Kearsarge Pinnacles on Day 9 of the Sierra Challenge. Stayed to the far left on the face for more solid rock and class 3. Descended the SE ridgeline to University Pass, more fun scrambling.
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: July 24, 2005
Surprisingly easy route, almost no class 3 except at the summit ridge. I was annoyed by how loose it was. On the descent I stepped on a rock that turned, then slide through a pile of slush, and jammed a finger on my right hand real good. Ouch! Beautiful peak, though, and stunning views. The clouds were already building up when I summitted at 9:15 am. By 11:00 the summit was veiled in swirling cloud. Glad I got out fo there when I did!
Good quick dayhike from Onion Valley. The best climbing starts ~ 100ft from the top. A little hazy looking towards the valley but otherwise a great day. Was going to climb Independance on my way past Robinson Lake but decided against it after twisting my ankle in the suncups below University Pass.
Route Climbed: North Face (ascent) / SE Ridge (descent) Date Climbed: July 16, 2004
The North Face was an okay scramble, although I found surprisingly little class 3. Hazy views due to unsettled weather, with clouds building early in the day.
Returned via the shortcut variation to University Pass--still a lot of snow, and I was glad I brought my ice axe! Unfortunately, the snow didn't cover the moraine lower down. The endless boulders below University Pass are more than a little tedious, and I gave up on my plan of tagging Independence Peak when it just looked like more of the same from Robinson Lake.
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 10, 2003
Attempted this peak last year via University Pass but ran out of time. Came back this year and had no problem via the North Face. Descended to Kearsarge Lakes via the pass Northwest of the peak. The moraine above the Southernmost Kearsarge lake really sucked. Definitely won't go that way again.
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 31, 2003
An epic dayhike, with partner Vladimir. In the morning the sky was overcast with lots of dark clouds, but by noon the weather improved. The north face rib route is full of loose scree in many places, but route-finding was straight-forward. Near the summit block the ridge traverse was a lot of fun, we squeezed through two windows then were delighted to find a small summit with nice exposure. Largest one-day elevation gain I have done so far. On the return leg we were almost stymied trying to find a cross-country route from Lake 3460m to Matlock Lake in the moonless night.
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: May 24-25, 2003
A group of 5 (San Diego, LA, Big Bear) climbed the peak in unstable weather conditions. We had a basce camp @ Bench Lake (10800 ft). Started @ 5:15 am, reached 13300 ft (pre-summit ridge) @ 10:30 am. We traversed the snow field below the summit ridge and above the huge drop-off (looks similar to the one on Polemonium) and signed the summit register on 11:15 am. The weather was very warm (~70F) and we saw a couple of recent avys around. The view from the summit is great as it dominates the whole area. Enjoyable climb, though the last section on the summit ridge should be classied as class 3+ with the given snow conditions.
tdoughty - Oct 17, 2005 5:24 pm
Route Climbed: SE Ridge Date Climbed: Januarynice hoarfrost along summit ridge
tpdwr - Sep 27, 2005 7:13 pm
Route Climbed: Northeast ridge Date Climbed: August 7, 1976From Robinson Lake. Returned via University Pass. Very fun,but a long day.
Desert Solitaire - Sep 5, 2005 5:15 pm
Route Climbed: East Slope Date Climbed: September 3, 2005A much longer slog than I expected after Robinson Lake, but it became more fun after hitting the notch on the NE ridge. There are two prominent notches, and Secor isn't very descriptive as to which one you should avoid. Shoot for the left notch which deceptively seems to go to the left of the summit. The summit is actually hidden from the view, and once at the notch, it is very obvious. The chute to the notch is a very loose and arduous one w/ plenty of scree. A well deserved dip at Robinson lake after the hike made for a great wind down.
uwjennie - Sep 4, 2005 7:06 pm
Route Climbed: Southeast Ridge Date Climbed: Sept. 3, 2005Dayhike with Jeff D. and my roommate, Nikol K. It was Nikol's first attempt at an SPS peak and I'm glad that she still likes me after trudging her through the mountains on this pretty good dayhike.
Overall great day with great people. The weather was amazing.
breadbox - Aug 16, 2005 7:46 pm
Route Climbed: West Ridge Date Climbed: August 13, 2005Climbed w/ Miguel (forjand?) after sumitting Pinnacles 4-1. Descended North Face.
thebeave7 - Aug 15, 2005 11:47 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: 08/13/05Quick half day climb, as an alternative to the Kearsarge Pinnacles on Day 9 of the Sierra Challenge. Stayed to the far left on the face for more solid rock and class 3. Descended the SE ridgeline to University Pass, more fun scrambling.
bechtt - Aug 8, 2005 10:33 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: 7 Aug 05Great day for climbing -- phenomenal view from the top. Bad storm pelting Williamson so we hurried down after summiting at 1100.
Steve Larson - Jul 24, 2005 8:28 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: July 24, 2005Surprisingly easy route, almost no class 3 except at the summit ridge. I was annoyed by how loose it was. On the descent I stepped on a rock that turned, then slide through a pile of slush, and jammed a finger on my right hand real good. Ouch! Beautiful peak, though, and stunning views. The clouds were already building up when I summitted at 9:15 am. By 11:00 the summit was veiled in swirling cloud. Glad I got out fo there when I did!
Completebum - Jul 4, 2005 3:12 pm
Route Climbed: N. Face Date Climbed: July 2, 2005Good quick dayhike from Onion Valley. The best climbing starts ~ 100ft from the top. A little hazy looking towards the valley but otherwise a great day. Was going to climb Independance on my way past Robinson Lake but decided against it after twisting my ankle in the suncups below University Pass.
Matthew Holliman - Nov 17, 2004 12:11 am
Route Climbed: North Face (ascent) / SE Ridge (descent) Date Climbed: July 16, 2004The North Face was an okay scramble, although I found surprisingly little class 3. Hazy views due to unsettled weather, with clouds building early in the day.
Returned via the shortcut variation to University Pass--still a lot of snow, and I was glad I brought my ice axe! Unfortunately, the snow didn't cover the moraine lower down. The endless boulders below University Pass are more than a little tedious, and I gave up on my plan of tagging Independence Peak when it just looked like more of the same from Robinson Lake.
BranchWhitney - Aug 4, 2004 2:51 am
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 1, 2004Great climb on mostly solid rock. There's a new sign-in book with two pens.
Rick Kent - Oct 9, 2003 3:11 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 10, 2003Attempted this peak last year via University Pass but ran out of time. Came back this year and had no problem via the North Face. Descended to Kearsarge Lakes via the pass Northwest of the peak. The moraine above the Southernmost Kearsarge lake really sucked. Definitely won't go that way again.
gordonye - Sep 2, 2003 1:14 am
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: August 31, 2003An epic dayhike, with partner Vladimir. In the morning the sky was overcast with lots of dark clouds, but by noon the weather improved. The north face rib route is full of loose scree in many places, but route-finding was straight-forward. Near the summit block the ridge traverse was a lot of fun, we squeezed through two windows then were delighted to find a small summit with nice exposure. Largest one-day elevation gain I have done so far. On the return leg we were almost stymied trying to find a cross-country route from Lake 3460m to Matlock Lake in the moonless night.
Rinat Shagisultanov - May 26, 2003 2:34 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: May 24-25, 2003A group of 5 (San Diego, LA, Big Bear) climbed the peak in unstable weather conditions. We had a basce camp @ Bench Lake (10800 ft). Started @ 5:15 am, reached 13300 ft (pre-summit ridge) @ 10:30 am. We traversed the snow field below the summit ridge and above the huge drop-off (looks similar to the one on Polemonium) and signed the summit register on 11:15 am. The weather was very warm (~70F) and we saw a couple of recent avys around. The view from the summit is great as it dominates the whole area. Enjoyable climb, though the last section on the summit ridge should be classied as class 3+ with the given snow conditions.
Rinat Shagisultanov.
Craig Peer - Oct 21, 2002 10:05 am
Route Climbed: Northwest side Date Climbed: December 1975Climbed this with Gary Hinton from our winter camp at the upper Kearsarge Lake. Not too much snow, but a great view!
Bob Burd - Oct 20, 2002 10:05 pm
Route Climbed: North Face (ascent), Southeast Ridge (descent) Date Climbed: Aug 23, 2002Day 7 of the 2002 Mountaineers Challenge. The easiest peak of the ten days, highly enjoyable with great views. Trip Report.
Dave K - Oct 19, 2002 12:15 pm
Route Climbed: North Face Date Climbed: September 14, 2002I climbed this with a few friends. The weather was fantastic! We ended up hiking most of the way back in the dark because we got a late start.