A Backpack Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets

The San Joaquine trench, and on the right horizon, the Silver Divide.

Climbing Summit Meadow Ridge

A Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets, August/September 2006

Now the trail began to reclaim the altitude lost by going down to King Creek (7611 feet) and into Snow Canyon. The Climb out of the San Joaquine River got us to 8000 feet, and now the Summit Meadow ridge climb would get us well beyond 8000 feet.

The climb up Summit Meadow ridge in the shadows of late afternoon.

The trail took a hard right at 8120 feet and began a traverse of the steep part of Summit Meadow ridge. That is not an official name, but Summit Meadow was directly above us to the SW, just beyond point 2799 m. Beyond Summit Meadow is Granite Stairway. We though of visiting Granite Stairway, but it was getting late.

Mammoth Mountain and the old burn the JMT travels through. The view from about 8500 feet.

This was the point of  the hardest climbing of the day. The trail is well graded and there were few "horse steps", but it is a manageable grind. This trail is nothing to sniff at, and anyone going to Fern Lake would know they did a real day of work, short mileage not withstanding. Any day that involves over 2000 feet of climbing at altitude is a respectable day in the Sierra.

A steady slog effort made for steady progress, though we wondered that if we would be fresh out of sunlight by the time we got to Fern Lake. A nice distraction was the every widening views to (mainly) our right. You could not miss Mammoth Mountain directly east, nor the San Joaquin River trench and the far Silver Divide. We had been all along that vast expanse on the John Muir Trail some years ago, as well as all over the Silver Divide on various trips.

After a while I was looking forward to turning the corner ahead and above and finally heading towards Fern Lake and camp. Dave found his usual uphill gear and was pulling ahead, while I maintained my standard breath-saving pace. After a group of switchbacks and a climbing loop, I saw upper Snow Canyon ahead and knew I was approaching the corner where the trail headed southwest towards the trail junction for Granite Stairway and Fern Lake. I thought after that the climbing would be over for the day.