Celebrating America’s Birthday: Tower Peak, The Watchtower, Panum Crater, and Dunderberg Peak
4 July 2015
I’m taking a different tack on this ‘trip report’. It would be difficult to describe how much fun we had on this one. Or mostly I’m just feeling lazy.
I wanted to highlight just how much work goes into planning one of these mountain trips (see e-mail chain below). It doesn’t just happen so easily you know. In any type of challenge the will to act, to do, must be greater than the fear inspired by that challenge or the anticipated obstacles which must be overcome…
RAIN!
MOSQUITOES!
HEAT!
DEHYDRATION!
DARKNESS!
BLISTERS!
REJECTION OF THE SEDENTARY CONSUMER LIFESTYLE!
THE ENSUING CALLING INTO QUESTION OF YOUR VERY OWN PERSONAL SANITY BY PURVEYORS OF ABOVE SAID LIFESTYLE!
Little off topic there. We had a blast on this one. Hope you enjoy some photos. We backpacked in from the Sonora Pass Highway, heading south toward Tower Lake. We dumped our tents at the lake and proceeded to bag Tower Peak and The Watchtower on the first day. After sleeping in and hiking out through hordes of mosquitoes, we grabbed ice cream in Lee Vining to celebrate The Fourth. Thankfully there was enough time to visit Panum Crater and bask in the warm light of the Eastern Sierra. The long weekend was made complete by a fine Sunday dayhike of Dunderberg Peak, although sadly no Dunder-burgers were found or served. I followed a deer on the descent, figuring the wiry beast would make no more than third class downclimbing moves. Surprised was I to find a few steps of stout and loose fourth class! On the ride home, and since we had carpooled, I was keenly reminded of those times in high school when you’re riding around with all your friends, having just got into some trouble or fun times together and probably with the music too loud. You don’t get to do that sort of thing much as an adult — I mean riding around in a car with other people. And the memory strangely has stuck with me even some years later now.
