Mt. Watkins: Summit and Approach Recon

Strava Summit Hike

Strava South Face Approach Recon

Photos Summit Hike

Photos South Face Approach Recon

The “Big Three” in Yosemite are El Capitan, Half Dome, and Watkins. One of the New Yorkers sharing Greg’s campsites with us asked me why Watkins is one of the “Big Three.” That’s a good question. I first answer that it was because it was a Grade VI climb — the longest grade in Yosemite. But then I glanced at a guidebook and found other routes that were Grade VI on other structures, even Higher Cathedral Rock. So, maybe it is the Big Three just because Dean Potter and Timmy O’Neill linked all three in one day. They definitely are the biggest, cleanest faces in Yosemite.

I’d done El Capitan many times and Half Dome’s Northwest Face twice (and now Snake Dike five times), but I’d never done Mt. Watkins. The South Face Route (13a free climb, 5.9 C2+ F as an aid climb) was the main objective for this trip, but we decided we weren’t ready for it this year. We’d train more and come back next year for the South Face. But we still wanted Watkins and could learn the descent route. And if we hiked up the descent route, that would give us the Big Three on three consecutive days: El Cap, Half Dome and then Mt. Watkins. We decided that was just too neat to pass up.

The relentlessly steep Snow Creek Trail.

We followed our usual routine and were hiking at 7 a.m., first up the road to Mirror Lake and then on the Snow Creek Trail. This Trail climbs from the Valley, clear up to Tenaya Lake in Tuolumne Meadows, more than 5000 feet higher. It also is the way to hike clear to the summit of North Dome. We followed it for more than 3000 feet before breaking off of it and going cross-country, using dead-reckoning as our guide, directly to the summit of Mt. Watkins. This was trickier than you might think since we didn’t have a map, a GPS, and were in a deep forest. But we nailed it.

Fifteen or twenty minutes from where we left the trail we came across the Snow Creek Cabin. This was a shock as there are no trails that lead to this rather substantial structure that was even restored in 2006. We rested briefly just to look it over before continuing up steeper and steeper terrain over slippery and loose ground.

Snow Creek Cabin

The summit isn’t impressive, though it is only 500 feet lower than Half Dome. The sheer South Face ends 500 feet down steep terrain from the summit and the other three sides are more gentle, with the north side, our route of ascent, completely forested nearly to the summit. The trees stop just at the edge of the summit and and whole summit area is nearly devoid of any trees. It’s most granite slabs and decomposing granite slabs. The views are incredible, though, especially of Half Dome.

Great view of Half Dome from the Snow Creek Trail.

We rested, ate, had a long phone conversation with my Mom (It’s traditional for our family to call Nana from the summit), and explored. Just as I was about to expound to Derek about how completely alone we were on Watkins and what a contrast it was to Half Dome, we see an older couple (even older than me!) walking toward us from the ridge leading out to the South Face. I don’t think you’d normal see another soul out here on Watkins. It just isn’t that popular, especially when compared to the other two of the Big Three.

Exploring the summit of Watkins above the South Face.

The next day we set off to reconnoiter the approach to the South Face. We’d only gone as far as the log crossing on our first day here and decided it would help with a later attempt on the South Face, hopefully next year. We traced the familiar route to the log crossing of Snow Creek and then proceeded to screw up the approach in a major fashion. We followed faint sections of trodden ground and one-stone cairns until we were high on the slopes of whatever is the blob west of Watkins. Tired, hot, and a bit dejected, we sat down and took a break. A good cell connection led to a longer break and then some water, some listening to our Audible books, and a touch of napping prolonged things so much that I thought it was highly likely that we’d turn around.

That's an accurate GPS watch -- just 17 feet off. The software is the worst on the planet, but the hardware is nice.

But we were still game and after some additional procrastination, we got up. Our Internet searching revealed that we should have stayed closer to Tenaya Creak and so we reversed our path, somewhat, and then headed down to be alongside the creek. You’d think we would have had the information before starting in towards the climb. Hubris again. Twenty-five years ago, or so, I hiked in to nearly the same spot when I climbed the North Face of Quarter Dome, just across the Valley. Alas, experience didn’t pay off here.

Crossing Snow Creek once again.

We gained the creek and thrashed upwards and eastwards. It was a bit easier going, but it certainly wasn’t easy going. I tried too hard to stay on the banks of the creek and when I over did it, Derek went higher and found the “trail.” We followed this for a long ways, but it took constant vigilance to stay on it and frequently we’d explore different paths until evidence was found that we were on the trail. At one point, after I passed a rock, Derek noticed something small moving on that rock. Closer inspection revealed a small scorpion! I didn’t know Yosemite had any scorpions. Cool.

Scorpion in Yosemite!

Our description said to start fifth class climbing when the trail comes very close to Tenaya Creek, but that isn’t exactly right. First, the main wall is well north of the creek. It looks at least a quarter mile away and even the lower “approach” wall is a hundred yards north. The trees are so tall and so dense here that, while we could see the upper wall through tops of the trees, the approach wall was completely obscured. We didn’t find any cairns or path leading up to the wall, so we just chose the least dense foliage and bushwhacked north.

Trying to figure out where the route is, while taking an extended break/nap.

We couldn’t get right up against the wall due to manzanita guarding the base. Derek suggested moving to the right and we retreated a bit south and then east before coming back north and finding a discarded bivy bag or old sleeping bag, a few cairns, and then a pair of fixed lines hanging from the top of the first approach pitch.

This is what the typical cairn looks like on this faint approach.

On my back I carried our mini-haulbag stuffed with a 70-meter lead line, our 8mm 60-meter half rope, a full rack, both our harness and belay devices and GriGri’s and gloves and shoes and helmets. It was a rather heavy load. Derek carried all our food and water in our small Camelback pack. It was with great relief that I shucked off this weight at the base of the fixed lines. We sat down to eat something. We’d been going for six hours. Well, two hours were spent doing nothing, but still, it was time to eat.

This is NOT Mt. Watkins.

Despite carrying all this gear, we decided to just recon the lines as far as we could without harnesses or ropes or gear. It had taken us too long to get in here and we figured it was three hours to get out and our plan was to drive to Fresno that night. The guidebook says it is 1-3 more hours to ascend to the “start” of the route, though it sure felt like it started here. The range in time is due, presumably, to how much of that ground one is roped up and how much weight you’re carrying and if you are hauling or not.

This is Mt. Watkins!

Derek scampered a hundred feet up the 5.4 face using the fixed line for the top section before I called it off. It was too risky to be hand-over-hand climbing up these thin climbing ropes with no protection in case of a fall. And falling from here was likely fatal. It wasn’t worth the risk and we turned around. Back at the base, we shouldered our loads and started out.

Gigantic pine cones! The US Army probably did some nuclear testing back here in the 50's...

Surprisingly, it took only 70 minutes to get back to the log crossing. We were both shocked, expecting at least two hours for that section. And Derek built numerous cairns on the way back. It graphically showed us the advantage of finding and staying on the right path. Granted we were going downhill here, but this was greatly encouraging for when we return.

I hope this isn't poison ivy...I'll know in a day or two.

The rest of the hike went easily, as we were soon on an established trails and then paved roads. Bumper-to-bumper, weekend, Valley traffic greeted us and it took us an hour to get out of the Valley, though that included a short stop at the store for ice cream.

It had been a great trip. Not as productive as I had hoped, but that isn’t uncommon for me. It’s easy to be ambitious when sitting at home and looking at guidebooks. The giant walls of Yosemite look a lot different when you are standing at the base of them… But we’ll be back.

Derek descending the first set of fixed lines.