Type: Trad, Alpine, 400 ft (121 m)
FA: John Muir, Sep 7, 1869
Page Views: 18,481 total · 174/month
Shared By: Ben Parsons on Jun 29, 2014
Admins: Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes

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Access Issue: Latest updates on Covid and falcon closures. Details

Description

Sections of 4th and easy 5th class moves interspersed with first class ledges for breathing room on one of the most aesthetic peaks anywhere. What's more to want? Route spoilers below for you purists.

John Muir logged his first ascent in chapter 10 of My First Summer in the Sierra.

Location

Park or take the shuttle to the Cathedral Lakes trailhead. Follow the trail south and uphill for about 10 minutes. On your left there will be a dead log, and the climber's trail beyond this. Take this trail for about an hour; it follows Budd creek for a while and will eventually deposit you at the base of Cathedral Peak. Walk/scramble up the right side of the mountain towards a notch a couple hundred feet below the summit. This is probably the best place to take a break and prepare for 4th/5th class scrambling. Once at the notch, descend ~50 feet on the far side of the peak and follow the path of least resistance across the slope: 3rd-4th class. Aim for ridge that connects Eichorn to the peak proper. Stay to the left of this ridge and ascend again towards the true summit: 4th class with a few easy 5th class moves. Once you're about 30 feet below the summit, make an airy, 4th and easy 5th class traverse to a small belay stance at the base of the crack system that will take you to the summit. Rope up at the stance, or before making the traverse. Enjoy the exposure, and bomber handjams and holds will take you to the top. The summit crack felt to be about 5.5-5.6. The PG-13 rating is if you do the summit block ropeless. A fall here would almost certainly be catastrophic.

Protection

There's a 15 foot summit block that goes at about 5.6, with nothing but air underneath your feet. Pro to 2.5" is very nice, along with a short (20m) rope.

Photos