West Face

Approach

EAST APPROACH: From the Taboose Pass Trailhead, hike up the pass (6 miles, 6,000' gain) to the 10,200' level, where the canyon splits below the Orange Ogre. Take the left branch of the canyon and climb up class 3 ledges to the right of a waterfall. Above the fall is a small lake in a meadowy area with dark metamorphic rocks. The west face of Goodale is on the left and the east face of Striped Mountain is on the right. Hike up-canyon towards the Striped-Goodale saddle to a point almost directly under the summit.

WEST APPROACH: The approach from any western trailhead would be a long hike just to climb this peak. If you're hiking the John Muir Trail, make a side trip to the Taboose Pass area to climb the peaks surrounding the pass. These peaks are largely composed of metamorphic rock, and are quite different from the predominantly granitic peaks along the JMT.

Route Description

From the base of the west face, scramble up very loose metamorphic talus and scree to the base of the granitic summit area. The easiest route up this side of the summit mass starts at a short chimney just left of a broken buttress of rock on the southwest corner of the summit. Climb the chimney and scramble up boulders to the summit.

A more solid but much longer route up the west face can be done by going directly to the crest of the NNW ridge from the top of the waterfall. Once near the top of the ridge, traverse to the summit, but remain beneath the crest on it's west side (climber's right) and scramble over many class 3 ribs and chutes. This route is quite tedious and also involves a lot of loose rock in the chutes.

VERTICAL GAIN: 2400' (from Taboose Pass Trail)
DISTANCE: 1.75+ mi. (from Taboose Pass Trail)

Essential Gear

A good pair of boots.

Images

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