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Pyramid Peak biography, Pyramid Peak discography
This page was last modified 21:36, 24 January 2006.Java technology from Sun Microsystems.Although, most of the group left on Friday night and camped at Wrights
Lake, I decided to leave very early on Saturday morning and meet the group
at the trailhead.Mark at 6am and after a 3.Finding the Trailhead:
The trailhead is on US 50 between the towns of Twin Bridges and
Strawberry.There is a "chain
required" sign at the end of the turnout (probably not facing the road,
unless chains are actually required).The use trail starts 150 yards Northeast of the turnout.The trailhead is just next to the rectangular black and white
sign marking mile 59.Also, somebody sprayed painted a green "T" on
a rock next to the place where the trail starts.This is a good use trail
(although very steep), so if you find yourself bushwhacking, you are not
on the trail.The Hike
We started relatively late at 10:30am.The trail ascends steeply up a loose slope with the occasional switch
back.At first, the trail basically follows a small ridge at the East
side of Rocky Canyon.The hike is through a beautiful and shady pine
forest.The "use" trail is extremely good and it is easy to follow
(assuming you were able to start on it).There is not bushwhacking as
long as you stay on the trail.After 3600 feet of easy Class 1 hiking, then the interesting part starts.The last 400 feet are an easy Class 2 boulder field.Also, the higher you go, the gentler the slope becomes (however, that also
means that the summit "seems" to get farther and farther).There was an incredible view
from the summit,
although it was very hazy towards the South due to a forest fire.Aloha
Lake looked very strange (and quite dry) from above.There was "some" snow visible on the runs, but given that
the North Face of Pyramid was almost snow free (except for a tiny patch),
I think it must have been artificial snow.Inside the geocache there was a piece of paper
(register), a pouch of Goo, two pens, a "Frequent Gambler's Card" from one
of the Tahoe casinos, and a Homer Simpson Pez.After 45 minutes at the top of Pyramid, the group started descending, but
I stayed a little bit longer at the top to take some pictures.When I
finally caught up with the group at the bottom of the boulder field, I was
surprised to see everybody looking around.It turned out that Girish hid
his hiking poles in a tree, but he didn't remember which one.At 9500ft, all
trees are pines...Do you want more Pictures?Longitude coordinates in the status bar.Use of this site is governed by our Conditions and Terms of Use.This debris field is unmistakable.Additionally, the trail
intersection can be noticed by high ground immediately to the south.Several guides report
the trail "fizzles out," but this is untrue.Once you are in the glacial moraine area, take a moment to
look south in the direction of Pyramid Peak.The middle tower is
your aim point, and just to the left (east) of that tower, is a
noticeable pillar, very prominent, yet much smaller than the other
ridges.The small pillar has a wooded slope below it.The climbers
trail ascends through these woods, and while climbing in the morning,
is shaded from the sun by the prominent ridge to the east.The trail
takes a gradual and then steep traverse, and then switchbacks up
dirt, scree and then talus as you enter the hanging cirque and are
introduced to the boulder field.As I climbed, I kept the low ground and the underground stream that
flows north into Maroon Creek to my left.This obviates the unpleasant traverse over long
stretches of talus at the end of the day.Views of Pyramid's
north face are in a word, breathtaking.The route is characterized by Class 2 and Class 3 climbing
on exposed, broken ledges at times.As one ascends on the southern side of the NE ridge, one comes to a
gap, followed by a shelf that is about 100 feet long.If
traffic is coming the other way, one party must retreat, as it is
impossible for two people to pass one another on the precipice.This Class 4 pitch was not difficult, but could cause some climbers
to be apprehensive.For the final few pitches up to Pyramid's
summit, there are basically two approaches, after one has climbed
above the pale colored rock just SW of the notch.By moving to the
left, as one climbs (SW), one can enter a bit of a gully that is
characterized by scree, dirt, and some occasional Class 4 blocks
usually less than 8 feet in height.This is a tough scramble to the
summit, but does not have radical exposure.Alternatively, by
veering to the right as one climbs (W) the blocks are cleaner, are
easier to climb, and there are no erosion gullies to contend with.However, this route takes one extremely close to the cliffs on
Pyramid's north face.Exposure is great and it may be unnerving to
some climbers.Thereafter,
walking the ledge is somewhat more comfortable because one has
already negotiated the route before hand.Upon arriving at the saddle, the descent down the scree gullies is
best accomplished by staying to the right by the cliffs.It was somewhat steeper than North Maroon
Peak, but not as long in distance.It's a good day's workout and a
climb all can be proud of.To file a trip report, please fill in the Report Entry
form or contact the webmaster.Around 9 AM the 4 of us headed down the Lower Echo Lake Resort access road reaching the lake in about three quarters of a mile traveling over hard crusted snow.With clear blue skies and no wind, it was a beautiful day so we traveled slowly taking frequent breaks to enjoy the scenery.After a long break near Tamarack Lake we strapped on our snowshoes (Charles had already been traveling used skies) to ease travel in the quickly softening snow.After a short climb to Haypress Meadows we topped a ridge and gained our first views of our goal Pyramid Peak rising over Desolation Valley.Lake of the Woods completed our first days travel, where we set up camp.From our camp we had a clear view southwest over the frozen lake towards Pyramid Peak.After an unspectacular sunset, Bob S.At 7:45 AM Sunday, under a cloudless sky, we headed out towards Pyramid Peak.Lake of the Woods and headed southwest towards Desolation Lake.Not seeing any avalanche danger we decided to take the peak head on up the east slope instead of the south ridge as originally planned.We reached the top around 1:00 PM, well behind our intended schedule.The clear skies provided good views all around, from Round Top to the south, all the way to Mt Rose in the northeast.While on top we were greeted by a lone dog and moments later her owner coming up the south ridge.Working our way down, we then headed east back to the Lake of the Woods and across it to camp.We met a lone skier near Haypress Meadows.He was only the second person we met all weekend, although we did see a climbing party headed for Pyramid Peaks south ridge while on top.We crossed Lower Echo Lakes dam just after sunset and made it back to our vehicles just as darkness fell upon us.It turned out to be a far longer day than we had anticipated.Preview: Pyramid Peak rises 4,000 feet above the South Fork of the American River Canyon at Twin Bridges.Pyramid Peak is the highest peak in the Desolation Valley Wilderness Area, with fine views of Lake Aloha, Lake Tahoe, Mount Tallac, Fallen Leaf Lake, Ralston Peak, and other lakes and summits in the region.
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