-previous-

Emerald Peak: 4,000 ft of gain and a lot of traversing from our camp.  We started up a wide grassy (and wooded with aspen at the base) drainage near camp. We waded through tall grass thick with wildflowers: Paintbrush, Lupin, Allium (onion!), Tiger Lily, White Rain Orchid, Yellow nimulus, shooting stars, thistle -- lots of colors!  Thanks go all to Derik for knowing the names. After steep climbing we angled to our right (south) to ascend and cross to the next drainage.  After finding the next dry creek bed, we went right up it until we topped out at a shoulder at ~10,400 ft.  Turning south, we ascended the ridge until 10,900 and began the Great Contour.  We had to get around a tall peak on the ridge and then continue traversing for an hour on loose talus and scree.  Jan separated from us, maybe 30 ft below, and told us he had a good line. We maintained our steady progress above him. On the return, I would follow Jan’s line and fine a beautiful series of benches and ledges -- much better.

Our traverse led us to a gully that we ascended and then exited to our right over a loose ridge. Once over the ridge we commenced suffering up a loose talus slope.  I asked the group which way to head and then I tracked out that way (generally, up) until I hit what had looked like a high point from below.  Instead it was the beginning of a traversing ridge that rose slightly to the summit. I shouted down to those below to redirect their course to something more direct. Finally the top! The other side of the ridge (east) from our slope fell steeply to two lakes below. Further south on our ridge was Peter, McGee, and eventually the mass of Goddard, looking more tempting each time I saw it. Looking back across the valley at Henry, the slope we had ascended the day before looked impossibly steep. Further up Goddard Canyon we saw Red Peak and Hell for Sure Pass, along with unnamed peaks on the entire LeConte Divide, including Reinstein with its sweeping ridge.  Emerald Peak had one of my favorite Sierra registers.  It only took 12 pages to go back to 1982. Everyone signed with their name, date, and SPS peak number, no long-winded stories of grandeur and approach tales.  The way a register should be! We returned to our base camp predominantly along the same route.

The next morning we started our move-up day. We packed up and headed south deeper into Goddard Canyon, leaving the JMT. The canyon includes the sharp walls of the LeConte Divide on one side and the Emerald/Peter/McGee ridge on the other. Both sides rose so steeply we could not see the peaks we had seen yesterday. The San Joaquin river stayed mostly within a narrow slate box gorge varying from 100 ft deep to zero in some places. Goddard continued to loom until it, too, hid behind the canyon walls. More and more wildflowers decorated our path.  Reds, purples, yellows, white, all the kinds we had seen at the base of Emerald Peak, and more.  Stunningly beautiful, and amazing.  What timing to see of this Sierra splendor and wildflowers.

Martha Lake was at 11,000 ft, and on the meadow slopes below it we made our camp for the next few nights.  The LeConte Divide swept around a corner in front of us, almost creating a bowl with impossibly sharp fins and peaks.  The next day would be long, so we took the early rest we earned.  After the sun set over the divide, the light still illuminated the jumbled face of Goddard. It really is a difficult mountain to miss.

-next-