My Favorite Things - Getting There

Getting There

Equip yourself with two essentials for reaching the route: a USGS topo map of the approach and sticky rubber approach shoes. The shoes are as important as the map, as you'll cross miles of 3rd and 4th class slabs. For a nervous-nellie crack climber or face clinger, the approach could be more dangerous than the climb.

From the south end of Tenaya Lake (Sunrise Trailhead & parking area), navigate your way down Tenaya Creek to Pywiack Cascade (aka Falls). Just before the Falls, you'll want to contour up and over a slab ridge on the left, to avoid the steeper slabs just above Pywiack. This approach is marked on the West Face photo (see last pages). If you have the time, it is worth going down to the Falls and gazing down nature's buffest otter slide.

There are numerous paths across the next 1.5 miles of slab and brush. You can follow the route marked in the photo or simply pick your way. The key feature you are trying to reach that will help you locate the start is the Vertical Row of Bushes (it isn't really vertical, but it is a distinct feature).

Here is a picture of the entire west face of Cloud's Rest with the approach and route marked.

West Face of Cloud's Rest

Finding the Start

Hopefully you have crossed the Vertical Row of Bushes about 1/3 up from it's lowest point, at about 7,000 ft. elevation. As you continue traversing south at this elev. you'll be looking for a crack/ledge system that extends horizontally hundreds of feet across the slab. This ledge is NOT visible until you've moved some distance past the Vertical Row (200-300 feet). It is worth hunting for this ledge system, as it will take you right to the base of the route. The ledge system becomes more distinct the farther south you work along it, with only a few 3rd class moves.

The ledge system will drop about 100 feet elevation to a small sandy, bushy hill. From the hill, the ledge visibly continues several hundred more feet horizontally. Continue along the ledge again, until it seems to peter out as you are rounding a gentle ridge. Another 50 feet around this ridge delivers you to bushy ledges. The highest of these bushy ledges is the climb start (a stone cairn was placed on this starting ledge and hopefully is still there). Elevation at start is estimated 6,800 ft.

Here is a picture to help describe the start of the climb:

View from Pitch 9 down to start of climb. The ledge system traversing from the Vertical Row of Bushes (not visible, just out of sight to the right) to the Start is marked with small triangles. 1) Sandy hill about halfway across the traversing ledge system. 2) Start is on the highest of these bushy ledges. The 2 small bushes marking the top of the first pitch are just barely visible above the start ledge. 3) The large, orange split boulder in the creek bed is a good landmark. (Tenaya Creek flows downhill to the left in this photo.)