Hoover Wilderness and Whorl Mountain, 37 miles, 13,244 ft gain, October 26-29, 2020
The multiple raging fires prevent access to the entire Sierra area for many weeks. After several cancelled permits I have almost given up hope of another Sierra trip when Paul contacts me about making a 4-day hike in the Hoover Wilderness which has just reopened. We sit out a Sunday storm and meet in Bridgeport early Monday morning.
I have met Paul twice in the Wilderness while doing the SHR (Sierra High Route), and we cross paths on a few websites, but otherwise we do not know each other. Paul outlines a few alternate paths on Caltopo and we agree to wing it once we start. He has an interest in going cross-country in order to see an amazing climbing rock called The Incredible Hulk, wants to get some good views of the Sawtooth Ridge, and proposes a few peaks we might climb.
We start from Twin Lakes. We are prepared for cold with a predicted wind-chill factor hovering around 12 F, but today is not quite so bad. I have been in the Hoover Wilderness a few times. The first time crossing through the on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail); the second for a multi-day brutal winter mountaineering course; and the third time when on the SHR where I also climbed Matterhorn Peak.
We are perhaps two weeks late to see the celebrated aspens in all of their bright yellow glory, but their fading colors still impress.
We lose the “use-trail” and find ourselves getting caught up in the worst combination of brush and difficult rocks. A use-trail can be an older neglected trail now barely detectable; a faintly discernible trail not on maps, typically used by fishermen or peakbaggers; or even a path lightly etched in the land by animals. It is still usually “cross-country”, but just the most sensible path through.
After about an hour of brush and rock tedium we spot the use-trail below, and Paul heads down in front of me in that direction. Figures. Although the sides of streams can be steep, rocky and brushy, sooner or later the use-trails usually show up alongside them.
The Incredible Hulk comes into view and it is indeed remarkable, a sort of knife edge version of the well-known Whaleback in Sequoia. There is a video of Emily Harrington & Alex Honnold climbing the “Solar Flare” route (5.12d). My iPhone camera cooperates with accidental lens flare to heighten the drama of the shot. For scale, Paul can be seen in the lower middle right side on a path.
The water tells the story of very cold air. We are uncertain if water sources are flowing or frozen and I bring extra fuel in case we only find ice. Fortunately there are plenty of small but flowing trickles.
As we proceed up the valley, the topo map and our reading of the landscape suggest that the easiest path is up over a large hill and along its ridge. It was not to be. We spend an hour exploring but “cliff-out” on all sides and have to go back down and retrace our steps. While high on the rock we spot a use-trail up the hill to the left and make our way there.
We cross over the pass and descend into the far end of Slide Canyon to get the first glimpse of the Sawtooth Ridge. It is cold and windy and we keep going until we find water and tree cover.
Day 2. Morning arrives and we get another view of the Sawtooth. It only drops to 27 F during the night so our sleep systems perform well.
We make it over Burro Pass and join a five-mile section of the PCT.
I always enjoy higher views to see where I have been or will be the next day.
We find a campsite protected from wind and make it an early day.
It is interesting to think that the leaves frozen in place will stay locked in that position until next spring.
Day 3. The next morning we walk north up Virginia Canyon and climb up to Stanton Pass, joining a small portion of the SHR.
This is a view looking west of the SHR as it travels up Shepherd Canyon. The last time I was here in 2017 I walked almost the entire path on crampons.
Several rocks display what appears to be embedded rusted-out iron fragments.
We reach the top of Stanton Pass to get a view of the southern end of the Sawtooth Ridge, including Whorl Mountain (12,039 ft/ 3670 m) in the center and Matterhorn Peak on the far right. We agree that Whorl looks gnarly as we are considering whether to make a run on it the next day. The skies stay clear of smoke from the nearby Creek fire and it feels like a beautiful late-September day, not late October. For me, a perfect day.
This is a similar view taken in June 2017 when I did the SHR.
The last time I approached Stanton Pass from the west I did no research beforehand and wasted a considerable amount climbing up dead-ends and climbing back down. The trick I found out then and remember now is to come down on the far right side, easy Class-3, but a lot of annoying talus below.
We descend Spiller Creek canyon to treeline and get some better views of Whorl. From here it looks like a straightforward Class 2-3 climb.
Another early night where we geek out discussing technique and comparing equipment. However, when it comes to Paul’s bourbon vs. my whiskey, well, I prefer my whiskey.
The full moon appears dramatically on the ridgeline.
I am impressed with the camera of my new iPhone 11 Pro and I capture a hand-held rock-steadied night shot that is remarkably good considering the technology.
Day 4. The next morning we decide to climb Whorl after all and drop our packs along the route back to the pass. We start with a conventional class 2+ chute. You can see Paul as a small dot in the middle of the chute, which also helps for scale and shows that the chute is more vertical than it seems in the photo. This is the last I see of Paul, he is a faster hiker/climber and is determined to make it home tonight.
This is a view of Whorl I took from the north side from Matterhorn in 2017.
Higher up, I cross over a few chutes to the 1st or 4th chute, depending on which way you count.
I arrive at the famous chockstone “entrance”, which is the start of a truly wild path to the top where one must shimmy through a cave of rocks, along ledges and through narrow passages.
“1st class sidewalk”.
One of the two “no fat guy” passages (name comes from Bob Burd report.)
View north to Matterhorn and the Sawtooth Range.
View southwest. The patch of white in the sky to the right is generated by the Creek Fire, but fortunately the winds are carrying it west today.
View down Spiller Creek Canyon.
This Google Earth view shows my path up the conventional zig-zagging SE route, and then straight down the chute under the chockstone.
At the top near the chockstone it is the usual Class 2 nasty sliding rocks and sand, but on the way down in the middle I hit many five to twenty foot drops that require difficult Class 3++ climbing moves. The rock is firm and gritty so friction and small handholds carry the day, but for anyone not comfortable with slightly exposed difficult climbing and without ropes I really don’t recommend this route down. There were several places where if the drop had been fifty feet I might have hesitated.
I exit via Horse Creek Trail, but it is a stretch to call it a trail. It is really a series of use-trails that break off and then pick up unpredictably over varied annoying talus, through some brush, and otherwise rough country. Once over the pass I hike in the dark which makes route-finding even more difficult, and I greatly benefit from having my old GPX track on my iPhone. There is also oftentimes a logic informing when use-trails appear to break off and I have enough experience to make educated guesses as I search around in the dark to pick up the new paths. I spend the night in Bridgeport.
The next day as is my custom I take my time driving down 395/14 and visit some abandoned cabins in Mojave. I can’t imagine how someone lived in this thin shack with no insulation in a place that hits 105 F during the day.
Nice conclusion to a good trip. We timed it just right, entering the wilderness just as Hoover opened up and one week before the first serious snow event. I did not see anyone else the entire time, which is remarkable but not unusual in the Sierra.
A note about safety: Events can turn seriously bad in the off-trail wilderness very fast. The majority of people die because of uninformed decisions. The many hazards include river crossings, bad falls and hypothermia. At a minimum, you should carry printed maps and know how to use them; have extensive knowledge of backcountry safety, first aid and best practices; and leave a trip plan with others in case you go missing. I also think that a personal locator beacon is important. Read, take classes, gain experience with small practice trips first. Plan for the worst case and BE SAFE !!!