Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board WPSMB Group Hike: Dragon Peak 9-27-08

"Who are we missing???"

The motley crew were standing around the Onion Valley Trailhead, noticing that somehow, between the High Sierra Cafe and Independence, we had lost Richard (spinefixer), M.C., and Arthur (hypoxic zombie). The 0700 start time had come and gone, and the moments ticked by to 0730, 0740, 0745. Tom and I finally jumped in the TOF and sped down to the first switcher that offered cell service and tried Richard's and M.C.'s numbers with little or no success. All at once we saw the red Explorer zooming up the winding road, it's engine roaring at the altitude.

"We missed Independence." Um, okaaaaaayyyyy...

SO we finally hit the trail around 0800 and headed up the same route Tom, Kathy, and I had tread two weeks prior. The train was long, with Tom playing the engine and I pulling up the caboose (appropriately enough). It was a perfect day of sun and light breeze with a slight chill, no clouds (only a few puffers in the afternoon), and the group was chatty and happy as we hoofed it up. Tom set a good pace with reasonable rest stops along the way, and we finally reached Dead Mouse Lake around 1130 or so. From there, Tracie (Blooty) and I watched the gang head around the lake as we broke out our rods and reels.

On the first cast, power bait on one hook, a worm on the second, I saw eight trout jump at the line and I pulled out two keepers! I whooped it up and the group turned to watch me reel in the first catch of the day. Tracie was having some 'reel issues' but eventually got herself setup well. In two hours, I had pulled in 16 trout, threw back 7, and Tracie had added one to our limit of 10. Good times and snacks! I had brought the stove and oil/salt/pepper for cooking up a few, but the hour was late and we three (M.C. had headed back down from the chute) turned for home. As we lifted packs, we heard the call from the summit, and hollered back to the group, knowing it had made it!

Back at the Hostel, Tracie and I cleaned our contribution, I got things setup for dinner, and headed up for a quick shower. Just as I returned to the grills, Paul let me know the rest of the group was about 15 minutes out. Time to get to work.

Everyone's contributions were wonderful! It was a perfect Moosie-Q with plank-cooked salmon and trout, the fresh Goldens, corn, potatoes, tri-tip, pork chops, marinated chicken, brie bread, potato salad, then pies galore for dessert. I finally came in to sit down after a few hours at the grill, and spent some time on the floor looking at Dale Dalrymple's panos of the Sierra (he was there to do a Whitney day-hike on Sunday). [PS: Thanks for the awesome t-shirt, Dale!!] I stood up from the panos, and, turning to Dale, noted just how much work I had to do yet.

There are lots of people to thank for putting this all together:
Paul and Phil for putting it out there, getting the campsites, and selecting the day's activity. Tom for leading the group. Doug and Earlene for allowing us to use the Hostel that night for the Moosie-Q. And thanks to everyone who made the trip to explore yet another of the fantastic regions the Sierra has to offer!

The nap this afternoon definitely helped. As I sit here having a glass of wine and reflecting on the events of the weekend, I am smiling with the knowledge that we are, ultimately, a family.

A few moments from the weekend:











Rest of the pics are here.

From the luckiest girl in the world: Climb Hard, Be Safe.

-L

Classic quote of the trip??? Thats hilarious!!!

I hope green is a good color for me, because yet again I find myself pea green with envy.

Glad to hear that all made it back in one piece... and that a good time was had by all. Thought of you guys often this weekend... usually in the context of looking at my watch and saying "right about now...."

Can't wait for more TR's!!!!

From the lake - 12 of us continued on our journey towards the summit.

MC was worried about her pace slowing the group down. I think the lack of acclimation(sp?) and late start affected that - and she decided to hike back down and enjoy some quality time in the Sierras at the lake while Laura and Tracie fished. Wish she would have continued - although we may have come out later than we wanted.

The talus field leading up the drainage was nothing but a slog. It wore each of us down to varying degrees and we were all huffing by the time we reached the loose chute that gives access to the ridgeline.

The chute is not long but very loose and we were all doing our best to not kick anything loose and maintain safety is this section. Still it was here the classic line of the day was uttered.
"Uuumph" uttered by hypoxic zombie moments after someone from above knocked a small rock loose. A helmet would not have protected him but a cup might have. Needless to say we all observed a moment of silence after this.

Knowing the route along the ridgeline made for a smooth scramble over to the start of the infamous crack. After humping it up the talus slope, we were all feeling the affects of the exertion. All 11 of us hit the crack and were soon on summit with no trouble. As we yelled down to the lake - we heard a return yell our fellow hikers turned fisherman.

After close to an hour enjoying the summit, we heard the call of beer and food waiting for us in Lone Pine. We all beat feet back to the trailhead like horses with carrots dangling in front of us.

Back at the hostel it was shower time and party time. Moose had started bbq'ing and the hot food was waiting for us all as we poured in off the trail. TrailBud Doug had the projector up and we screened through daily photos while we shared laughs and good times of the day.

Thanks to Paul and Phil for all the hard work they put into coordinating this event. Thanks to Doug for opening up the hostel for our potluck party. Thanks to Moose Tracks for working her bbq magic for everyone's dining pleasure.

Me - I got the easy part. All I had to do was go hike in the Sierra and take a bunch of friends with me - it just doesn't get any better than that.

It was great having another WPSMB group hike - it really feels like an extension of family and friends when everyone comes together like this. Look forward to next year's event. Maybe a nice spring hike should be put in the works.


a few notable photos:

group ready to hike at the trailhead


Window - Pyramid Peak


Tom dropped his pack but carried the summit cookies to the top:


I swear it looks like a Dragon


Moosie ApplePie:



pictures here

Just got back in town tonight. So here is a summary of the hike:

We had 16 participants joining in on the hike. The weather could not have been better!
We met at Onion Valley trailhead, took a few group pix and hit the trail shortly after 8:00 AM.
Tomcat RC lead the way as we headed up the trail towards the meadow. Fall colors are beginning to show which added to beauty of the area. The pace was great and we all got a chance to visit with others hikers as we moved up the trail.
After a few short breaks we made it up to the meadow - about a mile and three-quarters from where we had started.
We then headed up to the first of the lakes where we stopped for lunch and tanked up on water.
After lunch, it was up to Dead Mouse lake for a first look (for many of us) at "the talus slope" that ultimately leads up the the ridge.
"Dead Mouse" lake was way more beautiful than the name would suggest. One thing that made this hike great was that those who did not wish to continue on to the summit could hang around and join Moosetracks for some alpine R&R AND fishing. Several people were planning on this option and others were undecided about summiting for a variety of reasons, and this gave everybody a great option. From the trail, you could clearly see the fish in the lake.

Well it was time to push on up the talus slope for the 11 who ultimately decided to go for the summit. Hoping that those who stayed at the lake would catch some fish, we got maybe 50 yards before Moosetracks pulled out two fish on one line...

Going up the talus, I noticed I was doing a lot less talking and a lot more gasping. It was a good huff and in places, you had to be very careful about rockfall.
After working our way up to the very top of the talus field, 4 of us proudly standing there, when from down below us, Tomcat pointed out a little rocky chute up to the North about 20 yards BELOW us, where SHOULD have been going.

At this point, we were about 500 vertical feet below Dragon summit. From there, some rocky scrambling brought us up to the ridge with breathtaking views to the west. Some more scrambling and finally, we came face to face with the "dreaded" crack which led to the summit. There is definitely no room for error on the crack. There is good solid footing and hand holds all along the crack but you cannot make a major mistake.

Everybody made it in great shape. It was about 2:30 (I sent out a spot signal at 2:39) and everybody was feeling on top of the world. There was a great sense of accomplishment as a group. I must say the the biggest factor in a success like this is the actual participants. Everybody was as supportive and helpful as could be.
From the summit, you have a clear view of Dead Mouse lake (where the fish were being harvested by the lake crew). We yelled and screamed in their general direction and were rewarded with returned yells and screams from the lake.
After a lot of pictures, summit register signing and shared congratulations, it was time to head back down.

Everybody knows that going back down is the most dangerous part and everybody took that very seriously and took care to keep adequate spacing and help out others as we made our way back down.
It was a relief to get back to the lakes where the trail was a real trail, and the grade was a little more easy to deal with. the pace picked up a bit there, and we made it back to the trailhead right after 6:00.

Once everybody arrived there, the group harmony was shattered as the group split into 2 opposing factions. One faction wanted to immediately hop into their cars and drive like madmen down to the Hostel for the waiting banquet. The other faction wanted to take an extra 2 minutes for one last group photo.
The group photo faction carried the day. The photo's were taken, after which we all hopped into our cars and drove down to the Hostel like madmen (not really - no laws were broken during the course of this event).

Once down at the hostel, there was the banquet! Tons of great food and drink. In the "instant gratification" department (this is unbelievable) Trailbud had an LCD projector set up and was doing slide shows of pictures from the hike while we all sat there and ate dinner - complete with music from Pink Floyd. The pictures drew a lot of comments from many of the hikers. My legs no longer felt sore because my abs hurt so much from laughing.
The banquet was the perfect finish to a great day.

The only negative for the day was the fact that Paul couldn't make the actual hike. He was around to help out with everything else that went on that day, but missed out on the group hike that he initiated this year - as a follow up to the one he did last year.

OK - Time for the thank you's:

Paul: For all of the time and effort researching, initiating and putting this thing together.

Tomcat RC: For agreeing to lead the hike after our original leader was unable to make the hike. Tom has the perfect temperament for this. The ability to lead without being pushy. This was his 10th summit of Dragon (!)

Doug: For having the Potluck (banquet) at the Whitney Portal Hostel and helping us out in numerous other ways. That goes for the staff there as well.

Moosetracks: For taking on the Potluck, doing the BBQ and giving the group the Lake option during the hike (bad news for the fish there) and being "sweeper" for the hike.

Trailbud: Technical director for Whitney Portal Hostel Instant Post Hike muti-media Productions.

Thanks to all you hikers who literally made the event:

Paul
Spinefixr
Blooty
Elmichael
Moosetracks
Lik2hik
Brentcoe
Hypoxic Zombie
KenM
JayD
TomcatRC
Gigamike
TomG
SnowNymph
MCReinhart
TrailBud
Ridgeline

Expecting all of you to chime in on this one with the real details.

OK, I think I need to clear my name. I dye my hair. I’m actually blond. No, actually I found out the GPS in my car was mounted upside down and I thought Independence was north of Big Pine. No, really I was just so absorbed in conversing with my car mates that I blew through Independence at 70 mph and didn’t realize we were off track until we got to Big Pine. But seriously, it was because my roommates at the Hostel were from France and you know how those European women are. Didn’t get a lick of sleep Friday night.

As soon as I can find my camera I will post some pictures with my perspective. Yea, Laura was nice enough to not mention that I forgot my camera at the after hike festivities. Must be the altitude. That’s my last excuse.

By the way I have some wayward poles in my car. Anyone missing poles?

Yea, Laura I checked to make sure, there not mine.

Oh man.. now I need to clean coffee off my computer monitor...

What a wonderful weekend! It was really a treat to meet and hike with such a great group of people. I've never in my life seen such a spread at a BBQ - but then it was my first Moosie-Q! Yumm Yummy.

The weather was perfect - got the thunder, lightning and rain this morning at home -



Ditto to all the thanks posted above - gotta thank Laura for the lesson in fish gutting - my one slimy dead fish was perfectly gutted after practicing on her dozen and half or so!!! Dang, I was almost skunked.

All around one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.

Thank you Richard for offering the carpool - those are most likely my poles.

I didn't take many photos...but the ones I did take are here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29308219@N06/sets/72157607578793275/

Well, quite a wonderful weekend! It was so nice to meet the people who's name I've seen, and to re-acquaint with those I've known.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the third option on the hike: the brushing/trail maintenance option! I missed out on the "before" picture, as I started off before everyone else, knowing that I'd be slow and limited, due to a variety of physical factors. But I didn't care, just wanting to get out on a trail I'd never experienced. I carried my lightweight loppers, and found that there was serious trail encrouchment of various trees and bushes (the whitethorn is worst!) So as I worked my way up the trail, I worked the trail. It was apparent that the lack of acclimatization and lack of sleep for a couple days (I shared a room with Spinefxr, and, OH!, those french!), were not my friends, so shortly after the group rocketed past, I told Laura to keep going. I finally slogged up the hill to the nice camp spot after the creek crossing (what a nice spot!), and fell asleep for two hours! Guess I needed that! I'm not sure what those mice were doing, stringing tiny ropes across my body, but I made my way another 1/2 mile up the trail, clearing brush, then turned around. I had a chance to soak my feet in the creek at the campground, and took another nap in anticipation of another fun nite at the hostel. Still a fun day for me, in spite of not being able to go higher.

The hostel is an amazing place, and as it gets itself together, it will have an energy that will really draw people to it...it already is. The facilities are nice, the folks are, too!

What a great trip. Great company, great hiking and climbing, great food and drink…I’m not sure how it gets any better than that. I would like to ditto the thanks to Paul and Phil for organizing the trip, Tom for leading the group, Laura for a tasty barbeque, Trailbud for the slide show and Doug and Earlene for the use of the Hostel and a huge Prime Rib.

As Laura was so nice to point out I had a hard time finding the trailhead. Thanks for waiting everyone. I’m just happy we didn’t need that wasted hour.

Hike got started at the Onion Valley trailhead.

Some of the highlights for me:

Explaining at the trailhead why I was an hour late.



The fall colors starting to show as we hiked up the drainage.



Our first rest stop at the meadow. I was starting to feel the altitude already.



Our second rest stop at “First Lake”. We tanked up on water here. Something about getting water out of the next lake “Dead Mouse Lake” just didn’t sound appealing.



Laura popping out the Scotch. I think her secret is soaking the worms in the Scotch.



Yea, he’s definitely looking for some Scotch.



The never-ending boulders and rocks. “Just make the ridge” Where have I read that before.



Great scrambling once we got to the headwall.



The teaser crack.



The last scramble up to the start of the real crack.



The real crack.

[img]http://spinefxr.smugmug.com/photos/383075947_zJD5W-L.jpg[/img]

That doesn’t look too bad, try this angle.

[img]http://spinefxr.smugmug.com/photos/383081581_aV2xa-L.jpg[/img]

Sharing time at the summit.

[img]http://spinefxr.smugmug.com/photos/383083409_f7x8C-L.jpg[/img]

SnowNymph hanging off the summit to set up the summit shot.

[img]http://spinefxr.smugmug.com/photos/383085277_sBqes-L.jpg[/img]

Heading back was easier. Yea, right.

[img]http://spinefxr.smugmug.com/photos/383088080_jAdB3-L.jpg[/img]

The feast at the Hostel.

[img]http://spinefxr.smugmug.com/photos/383044142_aJnpB-L.jpg[/img]


Thanks again to all those that helped organize this great hike/climb and for the great company. Can’t wait until we do it somewhere else again. I will post a link to all my pictures as soon as I get some captions done.

I just have to say "no to crack". No way, no how,no can do.Congrats to all you that could and did.

Yea...see.. y'all lost me here!!! I'd have had to bow out (more then likely not so gracefully) and gone back to join Laura...

well, I think most evryone that posted ahead of me said it very well. great hike-climb fantastic group of people perfect weather. way more fun than expected. however.....guys a little more notice when rock fall happens. I may have been able to bat it away or step to the side. it was like this "ROCK"ummmmmfff.....ooooo shi#@!&? then somone from above said "are you allright"? I utterd..... yep ( in a Michael Jackson voice) dispite the nut cracker injury it was a toatly SWEEEET TRIP!!! thanks again to everyone who participated in making this great event happen. Jeff S, sorry you couldnt join us, next time tell work "sorry I have MORE important things to do. Cant wait till next years WPSMB GROUP HIKE! The ZOMBIE

What a great time on the Dragon with a fantastic group! The Golden Trout Lake drainage is a beautiful area (I prefer the less traveled routes)and "Dead Mouse" Lake was filled with hungry trout, that is until Laura and Tracie started fishing Dragon Peak is one of the best climbs I've ever done. The chute leading up to the headwall wasn't too loose (I might be the only person who thinks so and Arthur is probably rolling is eyes right now ) and the scramble up to the summit has solid rock with great handholds.

It was awesome to meet & hike with all of you!

Special thanks to:

Paul & Phil for putting this hike together.

Tom for leading the group.

Ken for the trail maintenance.

Tom G. for the summit cookies.

Doug & Arlene for the use of the Hostel for the after-hike festivities.

Laura for hours of hard work cooking all the great food.

Pics: WPSMB Group Hike - Dragon Peak 9.27.08

It's really simple, y'all:

FOOD = LOVE

From my kitchen (wherever that happens to be) to your plates and bellies!!

BTW: Leftovers ROCK!! mmm... tri-tip...

Nice day's worth of photos Mike.
Looking forward to seeing more of Richard's

Now you know the secret of Dragon - sure the crack is a nice climax to the climb - but the views into the Sierras are to die for - unmatched by few other peaks. I will continue to return as long as my poor tired old legs will take me up.

it's been fun reading the reports and looking at beautiful pictures of this area. Looks like you all had a perfect day..very nice weather and good company..and all that food at the end thats awesome.... I was hoping I could join on this trip..but it just did not happen this year.

Will keep enjoyng any new pics and reports.
Thanks for sharing everyone

One person that I would like to thank personally, is Bob R for helping me plan and work out the logistics of the hike. His insight was (is) greatly appreciated. Bob..... thanks for everything!!!!

paul

I may not have been able to attend the festivities but I did add to my new collection. Thanks Steve and Laura.

(And to anyone who'll laugh, the one on the right does an excellent job of keeping your ears warm. It actually has a useful purpose!)

All I can say is, I had a great day with a fun bunch of people I love to spend time with In the mountains. It doesnt get any better! Hope to see all of you soon. Didnt take many photos my hands were shaking from the crack.

Echoing all, thanks to those who helped make this a memorable day (you know who you are). I was not able to sleigh the dragon but had a phenomenal time with Moosie and Blooty at Dead "Moose" lake. Didn’t have time to acclimatize for this hike/climb and I have always been a big proponent of doing so before an altitude hike. Consequently, I haven't had altitude problems. Sure enough, not long after the start, I was seriously feeling it. Overall, I felt fine, no headache. I was just really slow and feeling very sluggish. I would catch up to the group on their rest breaks and they would have to immediately move on. I knew I was in trouble when I was a couple hundred yards from the group on a rest break and they started up the trail. I began formulating plan B, relaxing at the lake surrounded by 360° views of Sierra peaks. Ummm, not a bad plan B! When I heard the whoops of the summiteers, my first thought was, I was so happy for them. My second thought was, wish I were up there with them! Next time...I will be back.

The highlight for me was a group break at one of the beautiful meadows. I was looking around at my fellow hikers and thinking I am part of something big. What I mean by this is that I felt so fortunate to be able to go to the mountains with people who have such a passion for the beauty, challenges and comradery that hiking/climbing provides. As Ridgeline put it, it doesn’t get any better...

MC

Pix here.