8-07-2024, There isn't really a day 0 for the Sierra Challenge, but we were driving up early to climb a little pinnacle, so I am calling it "Day 0". We packed up and then left after Iris finished work on the 7th. It was fully dark before we were driving over Sonora Pass - an exercise in nausea management for Iris. Then we pulled in where Tom B and Bob and Jim B were spending the night and went to sleep.
8-08-2024 We piled into Jeeps to drive up to where we hoped to start hiking. We got close, but a locked gate would mean some extra walking. So walk we did - at first along a road past some private houses, and then more cross country up towards the peak. It was getting toasty in the sun, so one had to decide if they wanted to hike in the shade, or maybe with less undergrowth, or maybe better footing and less steep. We worked our way up to a saddle where we took a bit of a break in the shade. Then we headed up towards the peak again getting up to a ridge where we got our first view of the spire and then traversing out to it. The only reported ascent of this peak on Peakbagger was to the lower walk up peak. When we got up it was clear that the little spire was taller - and obviously someone had been up it, since there were bolts on the side and an anchor on top. We visited the walk up high point and got to meet AG - Awesome Goat. We ended up naming the pinnacle after it. Then went down to the pinnacle to climb it. I took some pics with my camera and zoomed in looking for anything useful, but I figured I'd get up the first overhanging part by aiding with the bolts and then figure it out from there. I had a little bit of gear, but I wasn't all that optimistic about finding anything very secure.
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I fastened my 2 aider ladders together and then stick clipped that to the third bolt as well as running the rope through quickdraws on the 2nd and 3rd bolts. Then I tied in and belayed by Iris went up the ladder. From there I was able to start climbing above the bolt and I saw a piton above. Yay. I clipped it and gently climbed up and left. It was quite steep and the rock (volcanic tuff conglomerate crap) was not very solid feeling - in fact I pulled a few lumps off with my fingers. So I gently climbed back down and traversed to the left on a slightly lower angled section. There I found another bolt - yahoo. I clipped that and then climbed up the lower angled rock here to the summit where I was quite pleased to find shiny new bolts and rap gear (I could see something up there from below, but it was nice to see it was solid and all metal). I found a comfortable-ish spot and then prepared to belay. I belayed up Iris and then, Bob, and Jim. Tom B decided he wanted none of this choss. Then we rapped down cleaning the draws.
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For the descent we stayed up on the ridge longer and then dropped down through the woods past some houses to the road. Then back to the vehicles and a refreshing dip in the creek. We stopped by Kennedy Meadows north (Iris and I had never been there) and the others had dinner while we continued on to the parking for the actual start of the Sierra Challenge.
Total for the day 1 peak. Strava said 6 mi and 2158 ft of elevation gain.