mountain skyline with pretty clouds

Katie Mayo

stoke is my strength

Mt. Emerson

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kmayo8

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“The civility of no race can be perfect whilst another race is degraded.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mt. Emerson is a peak on the Bishop skyline that sat on my to-do list for a while. I guess I didn’t have a partner. Or maybe I was intimidated by being in the backcountry alone. But earlier this year, a Montana-based friend made a climbing partner intro that helped me catch some stoke.

The Southeast Face (aka the Waterfall route) is a 5.4 scramble and local classic and I was pretty unsure how long it would take. The car to car times in various trip reports ranged from a 1-2 hour trail run to overnight epics. I was pretty confident this would be less than a full day for us, but the mountain project page was evidently designed to reduce the number of SAR trips required.

Totally valid, but it made it harder to calibrate. I gave us anywhere between 5 hours and 10 hours for a leisurely jaunt. It ended up taking 7, with a half hour detour for water and two long snack breaks.

The way there

A scenic view showcasing a snow-covered mountainous landscape with a stream flowing through rocky terrain, surrounded by patches of snow and evergreen trees in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Watering hole near Mt. Emerson and Loch Leven outside of Bishop, CA.
it seemed a little hard to access the water at first, but we found a gap between the snow and rock where we could access it

We brought helmets and approach shoes. And we brought water filters. We ended up passing the last stream crossing before the cutoff without realizing it. That meant that we had to go out of our way an extra 30-40 minutes to get water. It added to our day, but the place we got water was pretty nice.

We got to the North Lake parking lot around 5am, and started hiking just as the sun was coming up. It’s a short approach through the forest, with a few creek crossings, up to the more rocky climber’s trail. The approach trail was pretty, and I had done it before on a hike up to Loch Leven.

At some point, the route becomes visible and we exited the trail to go cross country. Lots of gpx coordinate links are available online, but I did not record ours. The base of the climb was an obvious crack. And I regularly complain when a guidebook refers to something as “obvious”, so this was really very clear.

A climber ascending a rocky chimney on a mountain, showcasing challenging granite formations and rugged terrain near Bishop, CA.
first pitch, obvious crack

We hiked up to the base and the start was probably the “crux”. It had maybe a maximum of two 5.4 moves within the first few “pitches”. The route finding was pretty straightforward by Sierra alpine standards. It was mid-June, and we encountered only one snow field in the route (at least I think it was on the route). We were easily able to dodge it by gaining the ridgeline via an earlier than normal point (I think), which was chossy.

The climbing was cardio for me, especially as we climbed to higher and higher altitudes. But the moves were all very reasonable and maybe one move was exposed. I definitely wouldn’t want to pitch this out for any reason. If I were bringing rope, I’d bring like a few pieces (nuts?) and the shortest rope I own.

A climber standing on a ridge line near the summit with panoramic views of snow-capped mountains and clear blue skies in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains outside of Bishop, CA.
getting close to the summit

Halfway (summit)

A climber sitting on a rock summit (Mt. Emerson) against a backdrop of blue sky and clouds, wearing a helmet and sunglasses in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
me on the summit block, (photo creds Nate)

The summit was beautiful and offered clear views of so many peaks, including Mt. Humphreys, Checkered Demon, Mt. Darwin, and more. I ticked this climb with more additions to the to-do list, rather than less…. classic.

Scenic view from the summit of Mt. Emerson, featuring rocky mountain ridges, patches of snow, and a bright blue sky with wispy clouds in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
the view of Checkered Demon and Mt. Humphreys from the summit of Mt. Emerson

At the top we ate lunch and had a little wind. The coolest climbing is up high, gaining the summit block. There are airy, but easy, moves on very solid granite. The views of Paiute Crags are trippy, with their marbleized coloring… it reminded me of cinnamon bread or tie dye or something.

A panoramic view from Mt. Emerson, showcasing the rugged Paiute Crags under a clear blue sky in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
delicious pastry looking Paiute Crags

The plants up there were pretty interesting too… I found myself stopping to take pics (and not just because I was out of breath LOL). Maybe I’m easily entertained, but my own backyard never fails to impress me.

A close-up view of vibrant green moss growing on a rocky surface, with small plants and a trickle of water nearby.
A close-up of a small, leafy plant growing among rocky terrain, with gray granite and lichen in the background.
Close-up of small white flowers surrounded by green leaves and a rocky background.
A close-up of a purple wildflower growing among granite rocks, showcasing its vibrant color against the rugged texture of the stone.
Close-up of a flowering plant with purple blossoms growing among textured rocks covered in orange and yellow lichen.

The way back

We found the descent pretty straightforward, despite trip reports indicating that it was not. Very ledgy, and lots of loose skree.

A person in a red jacket walking across a snow-covered slope in a mountainous terrain with rocky hills and sparse vegetation under a clear blue sky in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. She is clearly not glissading yet.
getting ready to glissade. (photo creds Nate)

We bounced our way down until we hit a snow patch. We didn’t bring any ice axes, but decided to glissade anyway (with rocks). Maybe not my best decision, but it was fine and much quicker than walking down the loose stuff.

I was pretty happy to hit solid ground on the trail. We got eyes on Loch Leven, where folks were fishing, and decided to stop for snacks and water.

The serene Loch Leven lake surrounded by rocky mountains and slopes covered in snow, with a clear blue sky and wispy clouds above in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.
back to Loch Leven

It occurred to me later that we summited Mt. Emerson on the same day as the politically active nationwide were demonstrating against the ICE kidnappings.

The peak is named for Ralph Waldo Emerson, who has his own controversy, but who famously said “The civility of no race can be perfect whilst another race is degraded.” and I thought that was appropriate for the day.

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