Tom Grundy's 2020 Sierra Challenge Day 7 Echo Peak

8-13-2020 Today we slept in and got up at 6 (giving us somewhere from 5-6 hours of sleep). Then we got moving and drove down to the overnight parking for Lake Sabrina (I mistakenly assumed there would be no parking at the trailhead available - I was wrong and paid for it with a little extra walking). We didn't actually start hiking until 7:50. We made good time compared to when we hiked up with overnight packs, but certainly weren't setting any records. As we neared Moonlight Lake the clouds were building and things looked ominous. This combined with how tired she felt and the fact we hadn't seen anyone else coming down made Iris decide not to continue up. She figured probably correctly that I could scramble faster without her and that the weather was maybe going to get bad. She stayed there for a swim and a leisurely but long hike back down while I hurried on up towards the peak. At least I sort of knew how to follow the "trail" and avoid the worst of the talus. As I neared the base of the peak I saw Bob off in the distance and Fred much closer. He pointed out how he had come down and it looked ok. Then I started up, but yelled over to Bob and we came together to chat and so I could get more beta (and he didn't know Fred was down already). Then I went straight up the slabs trying to move quickly (trying being the operative word). I think I made pretty good time for day 7 up to the top of the slabs. There I went around some snow on talus to the base of the actual peak. I could no longer go fast, but the climbing got steep, so I mostly needed to go carefully anyway. I went straight up a corner, up and across a slab, and up another corner to the big slab ledge I had scoped out on the Ionian Basin trip return. It was easy to cross that along a crack and then head up the final headwall left of the snow. The scrambling was mostly fun 3rd class with a few 4th class moves thrown in and it was in a pretty spectacular setting. Near the top there were more knobs which was handy because there were less cracks. The sky cleared up a little as I neared the summit and I actually got a little sun on top. There I ate and signed the register.

work on the Lake Sabrina spillway

Iris crosses the creek on stepping stones

Echo Peak in the distance (center of photo)

Echo Peak above Moonlight Lake

Echo Peak from a distance
(move cursor over picture to see approximate route - red = up, green= down)

across the ramp and then up the crack/corner
(about 16 dots in on the route above)

big ledge across peak (about 23 dots in)

looking down from near the top
(about 5 or 6 red dots down from the top)

hard earned summit cookie as big as my face (with this perspective anyway)

view down to Echo Col to the SW about mid height in photo right of center in the darker rock

panorama from Echo Peak summit, Echo Lake is dark blue, Moonlight lake is light blue

On the way down I detoured to the east and down climbed a short but broken wall below an old rap sling which I cleaned up. Then I worked my way down the steep talus and scree to the slabs and hurried down them. Once back in the valley I felt better about the weather. I tried to hurry back, but my feet weren't so happy with my Evolv approach boots - some of what makes them so good for scrambling makes them not so good for pounding out the trail miles. Finally I made it back to the road where Iris and others were waiting, my truck had been moved up to the trailhead too. We sat around too long eating, talking, and plotting for tomorrow before heading down to the Church for the usual not quick enough food, packing, and shower.

lupines and glacial creek - almost back to Moonlight Lake

It was much later than I wanted by the time I got to the Big Pine Creek trailhead and I just pulled in next to JD and jumped in the back and went to sleep - for the few hours I had left.

Total for the day 1 peak. Strava said 16.84 mi (iphone 5) and 5434 ft of elevation gain.

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