April 16, 2008, Tyee Lakes, Eastern Sierra
4/16/08
US elsewhere
3623
0
The past couple of days were cold and windy along the Sierra Crest, and it was great to rest and catchup with stuff. We drove highway 168 west from Bishop, took the cutoff towards South Lake and parked at the Tyee Lakes trailhead which is just east of Parchers Resort. Caltrans is clearing the highway just past Parchers. Bryan, Carol, John and Rob took the climbers right drainage from the trailhead to a southeast facing bowl and chute. After getting around the rock buttress, Jill and I took the climbers left drainage towards Tyee Lakes. The lower avy slopes were melting quickly and we all picked our way through avy debris and brush. After a few hundred vertical, Jill and I gained a ridge and worked our way up to the lowest Tyee Lake where there were wide open slopes along with a very steep east facing slope about 1000vf. We stared at that slope for awhile and decided we were just too lazy to climb and ski it (besides, it looked steep and icy). The sun felt so good while we sat on a flat granite boulder that we just hung out for awhile and enjoyed the beauty of our surroundings. Some days in the mountains its just more enjoyable hanging out than climbing. We saw an old ski track near our turnaround point and I thought it would be "fun" following their descent route which was no where near our climbing track. Not one of my better decisions. There certainly were sections of creamy corn, but it soon became apparent that the person we were following was confused and unfamiliar with the route. We made it out in one piece and located a few cliff bands and some interesting rock formations along the way. Our climbing route would have provided a pleasant descent if we had chosen that route. Oh, well. We have noticed on a few of our tours that the upper slopes are windblown, and the extended dry period with sun and winds have created some uneven surfaces. We have been spoiled by the ballroom surfaces with an inch or two of soft cream.
Reply to this TR
Please login first: