Upon returning to civilization, the legendary Cameron King had good beta for making Red Peak an enjoyable jaunt. Having experienced perfect weather all day, why make ourselves suffer unnecessarily? Sometimes climbing rangers need to be bail rangers. Because of our pace along the ridge leading to Grey Peak we decided to take a more direct route to our planned camp at Red Devil Lake rather than push on into darkness. Craggy red ridges continued for another mile. Upon arriving at the summit of Grey, the ridge-line leading to Red Peak unveiled itself. From there a beautiful 3 rd class ridge rises above the lake to the summit of Grey. The best option is to descend to the lake in the NW bowl of Grey Peak. While engaging and enjoyable, this section slowed us down. The view looking south from the summit of Mt Clarkįrom the summit of Mt Clark, KC and I traversed the rocky crest of the ridge, slightly loose 3 rd and 4 th class climbing. The initial slabs are steep and unrelenting, eventually leveling off on a forested bench. After a night spent in luxury at the Merced Lake Ranger Cabin, a backcountry outpost staffed by the inspiring Allison Van Dusen (more on her later), KC and I crossed the Merced River just below Merced Lake and began our long climb up Mt. Needless to say our hike in was long and slow. The main symptom exhibits itself through an inability to walk past a sweep of rock without thoroughly examining it for climbing potential. KC and I both suffer from acute line’s disease.
Though smaller, there are numerous beautiful walls and domes lining the canyon. The sweeping granite exposures of Yosemite Valley continue into the upper Merced. KC and I set out on July 13th towards Merced Lake. KC Ellingford shared my enthusiasm for getting out and exploring the Clark Range, so we began to hatch our plans. Does a dragon guard buried treasure under the mountain? Be it childhood fantasies or just plain mountain inspiration Mt Clark appeals to me. The Serpentine NW Ridge winds its way to the lofty summit pinnacle, and its relative prominence has always reminded me of the lonely mountain from The Hobbit. Named after historic Yosemite pioneer Galen Clark, Mt Clark is one of those mountains that stands out. The Clark Range stretches from Triple Divide Peak on the southern boundary of Yosemite past Merced, Ottoway, Red and Grey Peaks before culminating with Mount Clark. The first, was a four-day trip to traverse the Clark Range.
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