Telescope Peak
Telescope Peak is my nemesis. It took everything I had in me to conquer the 11,049-foot tall beast last year. It was the hardest hike for 2009, maybe even the hardest hike I had ever done. The 7-mile trail starts off with a steady gain of 1,400 feet up to Arcane Meadow. From the shadow of Rogers Peak (9,993 ft), the trail weaves around a few “bumps,” as one hiker put it, including Bennett Peak (9,980 ft), before the going really gets tough. When I reached the final two miles, a leg-busting 2,000-foot gain on 18 switchbacks, my energy reserve was empty and I was gasping for air in the high altitude. But I did it. Barely!
As they say, time heals all wounds, so by last week – almost exactly a year since my first trek up the mountain – I had forgotten about the bruises Telescope Peak had left on my body and mind. Oh, how it all came back! It took me just under 12 hours, taking multiple breaks, but I was able to bag the summit again. I felt a lot stronger on this hike than I did last year, but altitude was still an issue, despite the fact I stayed a day at the Mahogany Flat campground (8,133 feet).
Here’s some photos and a video:
This is the first view of Telescope Peak (far right), about 1.5 miles into the hike.
An unexpected point of view of the trail, about 4 miles in to the trek. Over my head is facing east with the Panamint Valley and, barely visible, the snow-capped Sierras which includes Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States.
The infamous switchbacks up to the peak. Guarding the trail are bristlecone pine trees, the oldest type of trees in the world. Just an hour or so north of here, in the White Mountains, stands Methuzalah, a 4,700-year old bristelcone tree - the oldest known living non-clonal organism on the planet.
Here I am in a small patch of snow. SNOW! I could see it for most of the trek (the green triangle marks the start of the hike) and had to do a little off-trail hiking to get to it. The red triangle marks the lowest spot in the western hemisphere (-282 feet below sea level). Last Tuesday, the temperature there reached 125 degrees, making it all the more amazing that there was snow here (albeit 10,000 feet higher).
The snow was not edible and had a pink tinge to it. I don't know why, but I'm sure the radiation of the sun had something to do with it.
The summit box, holding a few summit books, an emergency canister of stove fuel, and other assorted items. The white area is the salt flat of Panamint Valley. Beyond is the Argus Range, Slate Range, then the Sierras. Mt. Whitney is one of the snow-capped mountains on the far left of this photo.
From the top, looking south, along the Panamint Range.
At the top, looking south. I'm sitting in a small alcove of rocks that I've nicknamed "The King's Throne." I took this photo using a GoPro Hero on a monopod.
Here’s a video from the top:
For a full write-up on the trail, check out my other site, 100hikes.com.
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Bob
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Bob R
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http://hikinglady.com Hiking Lady
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Seth
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David
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HikerVic