Dunderberg Attempt 12,374' (08.17.2014)
The day started off easy enough, hiking the trail out of Virginia Lakes.
We turn off the main trail on a fisherman's trail to Moat Lake
Moat Lake - really pretty up here!
Moat Lake and a look at where we're going - we need to head up the slope on the right to the low point (with all the bushes).
We started up through the redder section then traversed over. Bad idea. On the way down we stuck to the lighter section. Still nasty but marginally less so.
It started off okay. Loose but okay.
But it quickly steepened and every rock moved. We finally traversed over to a solid ridge - here is Sooz kissing the first rock that didn't move underfoot!
Yay!
Moat Lake and Excelsior in the distance.
We're getting closer. This terrain isn't *hard*, it's just annoying, interminable crap.
I can still hear the rocks moving.
Finally to the saddle, we see the rest of the route. Oh yay, more.
Gilman and East Lakes from the SW ridge of Dunderberg
Hoover Lakes, Summit Lake, and Camiaca
Starting up the SW ridge.
More rubble. Whee.
Enjoying the view, at least.
A bit higher, we see the summit (left). It looks like a nice ridge to get there. Yay!
And it even looks like it solidifies a bit. I'm excited to get off the loose rubble and do the scramble ahead
East Lake and some gorgeous colors.
As I hopped along the ridge, a rock crumbled under my foot and I fell - catching myself before doing any damage. I sat down for a moment and studied the 'solid' ridge. Not so solid. Here, sooz holds what is left of the rock that crumbled under my feet.
The entire ridge was just falling apart. I couldn't trust any step.
A bit spooked from the fall, we decided we had enough with this peak and decided to turn around. But first we wanted to sit down and enjoy the view.
Great, now we get to crawl back down this rubble pile.
Goodbye, summit of Dunderberg. We'll be back. From another direction.
Sooz at our turnaround point.
Back down to Moat Lake. This is where we decide we're going to go straight down and not traverse through the red.
It's sandier, though just as steep.
Looking back up to the saddle
Moat Lake
Our Track. So close.
