May 2, 2005, Buttermilk area,McGee Peak
5/2/05
2390
1
Yes,there are two McGee Peaks in the Sierras. We skied the McGee Peak near Crowley Lake road earlier in the trip. This trip was to McGee Peak in the Buttermilk area just west of Bishop. We had been camping along a stream in the Buttermilk area for a few days and left our camper at the camp site. We drove with Bryan and Carol in their new Outback to the trailhead. The road is on dirt, boulders, through waterholes and near the deer population. There was no possible way to get our camper through the obstacle course required to get to the TH. It makes the road up to Mt. Adams seem paved. You pass thru a bouldering and rock climbers paradise and continue to about 7700'. The most amazing sight was to come around a corner and see 2 vans and VW Beetle with Oregon plates nestled in a rocky indent. How they got there is another story.
The trip begins with a bushwack through knee deep sagebrush that grows to waist height as you progress. Once on the side of the hill, it's boot high and manageable. After 30 minutes ,we finally reach skinning terrain. We meander up through a valley and gain a ridge. The group heads around the corner and enters open terrain at the base of McGee and begin their ascent. Jill and I head up a sparsely treed slope to a ridge on the shoulder of Basin Mt.above McGee Creek. From our perch, we could view McGee Peak, the resorvoir along McGee Creek, Basin Mt., Mt. Locke, Piute Crags and Bishop Bowl.After climbng a few thousand feet, we got lazy and found a flat rock in the sun and took a nap. Not being peakbaggers, we just snoozed while "the kids" went to the summit. We awoke to snow flurries melting on our face with the sun shining. Then a high cloud cover signalled that it was time to carve some corn.
Well, the descent was the worst snow we have experienced on this trip. Boot deep unconsolidated mush. Sit back and surf turns were required. I think we over slept and missed the corn window. The descent was "forgetable" and that included our sagebrush bushwack. Two critical lessons were learned:drive high to a TH and start skinning at the camper and take a nap after descending. The Buttermilk area is beautiful and provides access to some incredible tours but you need a high clearance vehicle and the ability to drive in variable terrain. The attached photo of McGee Peak was taken at the TH and the tracks are of 2 guys who appeared from the backside. Zap
The trip begins with a bushwack through knee deep sagebrush that grows to waist height as you progress. Once on the side of the hill, it's boot high and manageable. After 30 minutes ,we finally reach skinning terrain. We meander up through a valley and gain a ridge. The group heads around the corner and enters open terrain at the base of McGee and begin their ascent. Jill and I head up a sparsely treed slope to a ridge on the shoulder of Basin Mt.above McGee Creek. From our perch, we could view McGee Peak, the resorvoir along McGee Creek, Basin Mt., Mt. Locke, Piute Crags and Bishop Bowl.After climbng a few thousand feet, we got lazy and found a flat rock in the sun and took a nap. Not being peakbaggers, we just snoozed while "the kids" went to the summit. We awoke to snow flurries melting on our face with the sun shining. Then a high cloud cover signalled that it was time to carve some corn.
Well, the descent was the worst snow we have experienced on this trip. Boot deep unconsolidated mush. Sit back and surf turns were required. I think we over slept and missed the corn window. The descent was "forgetable" and that included our sagebrush bushwack. Two critical lessons were learned:drive high to a TH and start skinning at the camper and take a nap after descending. The Buttermilk area is beautiful and provides access to some incredible tours but you need a high clearance vehicle and the ability to drive in variable terrain. The attached photo of McGee Peak was taken at the TH and the tracks are of 2 guys who appeared from the backside. Zap
Zap, I don't know if you've skied it, but Basin Mtn., with it's nice looking couloir from Bishop, is a good ski. It's just up past the Buttermilk Boulders, accessable with a truck, to the snowline. The col at the top of the couloir offers great views and great ideas! Other good skis at the end of the same road are the Wa-hoo Gullies. Enjoy. Oh, a friend just called me from the "tub" and said they skied Mt. Tom yesterday for a 7000' ski !!! I'm jealous.
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