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Dicks Peak 29 Oct 2005 Map Thumbnails
I almost didn’t want to post this trip due to the potential hits I would get from people looking for, er, a different kind of peaks. But what can I do, I’m not the cartographer. And speaking of cartography, check out this site for a way cool discussion on local topographic names, such as brook vs. creek or gap vs. pass vs. notch. I’ll try to move this to a more appropriate part of the site soon.
Chari and I elected for the Bay-to-Bay day, starting from Oakland at 5:30 am. Chari gets to sleep in the car when we do these things, so it’s a little better for her. We stopped in El Dorado for a pack lunch and coffee before continuing over Echo Summit to Lake Tahoe. We came around the southwest corner of the lake and parked at Emerald Bay; it was 9:30. We had been up this trail last summer, but turned around when Chari’s knees became painful. This time, we gained elevation quickly to reach last year’s turn around point with no ill effects. The peaks around us had some snow on them; I just hoped it wasn’t too much snow as I looked at the rocks sticking above the surface.
Around 8,200 ft we had constant snow, but it was only a few inches deep and somewhat firm. I shortened my steps out in front of Chari so she wouldn’t have to break her own. I saw the saddle we were aiming for, the low point adjacent to Dicks Peak, but the Pacific Crest Trail we were on went east and 200 ft above the saddle, which annoyed the heck out of me, but was just what the topo showed under scrutiny. We lost the trail as it approached the crest, and we stumbled about in the forest for sometime before finding our way. Once on the ridge, we descended directly to Dicks Pass to assess the situation. We were rapidly approaching our turn-around time, but Chari ordered me ahead while she followed a short distance behind. We briefly regrouped at the notch just before the final push to the top. There was enough snow to obscure any use trail to the top, and trip reports were unclear as to the exact final ascent: on the ridge (looked steep) or in the bowl (looked sketchy). Chari stopped just above the notch when the combination of snow and steep rock made her uneasy. I wasn’t thrilled to be using 3rd class moves in the snow, but I made quick progress while remaining in voice contact with Chari. She told me she was stopping, and I told her I would summit and be back in voice contact within 15 minutes. I hate being separated like that even for such a short time. All I can think about is clouds dropping, snow flying, meteors falling, locusts swarming. It made the decision to acquire radios a few days later much easier. I spend only a minute on the summit, surprised to see a cornice forming over the bowl on the north side of the mountain. There was less than a foot of snow in the deepest of pockets on the ridge, but there was the cornice right in front of me. Quickly, I came back to Chari and we started to retrace our steps through the snow. Darkness fell upon us at 6 pm, about an hour before we reached the trailhead. No problem for our trusty headlamps, but we did have to take care when the trail descended some slabby areas and the trail was unclear. No mishaps, and we were down by 7:30 pm, back in the Bay late that night.
--msw
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