Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: June 24, 2004
John, Michael, Martyn and Elizabeth Gross along with Sally Yates. We summitted just prior to a snowy thunderstorm. GRrrreat views from the top. The route is difficult at times to keep track of because of talus and scree intermixed with snow. Dana Meadows is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: June 27, 2004
After attempting Mt. Starr King the day before Chris Brand and I decided to climb Mt. Dana. Since our camp site was outside the park on the west side we did not reach the trailhead until 9 am. A pefect day saw us on the summit by 1:15 pm. We saw fellow SPer "Diggler" as well as an entire family (all four of them more athletic than us). Several marmonts kept us company while we tried to catch a quick nap. Trail was faint but fairly easy to follow. Once we had reached the plateau we made for the ridge and then followed it to the summit. I glissaded down a large snowfield above the plateau. AWESOME! According to Chris, while I was whooping and hollering as I flew down the slope, a party still climbling up the ridge stopped and cheered me on. I managed to stop before the rocks and saved myself 20 minutes of climbing down over rocks.
Route Climbed: Dana Meadows and then NE to the summit Date Climbed: May 15, 2004
Drove up on the day (or day after) the Tioga road was opened. Started out at the parking lot at Dana Meadows (Mono Pass Trailhead) and followed the Dana Fork until about about a mile SW of the summit. From here I headed North to meet up with the common route West of the summit. Couldn't locate a summit register. Descended to the flat area SE of the summit and then followed the Dana Fork back to the parking lot. Views of the surrounding snow covered mountains were spectacular.
Route Climbed: Touron route from Tioga Pass Date Climbed: 27 June, 2004
After tweaking my finger in the gym, the weekend’s rock-climbing plans had to be scrapped & replaced by a worthy hike. This mountain having defeated John & me in July of 2002 (we successfully climbed the Dana Couloir in ice conditions, but got to the top of the climb at 21.00, subsequently deciding to traverse around the side of the mountain instead of summiting then going down- bad idea!!), I thought this would be a good time to strike back. That it would be Lara’s first hike above 13k’ was also a good reason.
After hanging out at Mono Lake the day before & camping at the Tuolumne Meadows campground (Mosquito City!!), we got a late start of 10.10 from Tioga Pass. Made decent time, however, & soon picked up the trail. Seeing storm clouds building but reluctant to turn around, I stashed my poles, ice tool & axe [brought both along so Lara would have an axe, too, in case we needed them] about 1,000 ft from the top, decreasing my resemblance to a lightning rod. I summited at 13.33. Hung out with various creatures & individuals up there, including Jonathan & friend from SP, an extreme fitness family from Marin, a Japanese smoker, a cute little bird, & multiple large, hungry marmots. After admiring the incredible scenery (how often can one see Mono Lake, Mt. Lyell, Mt. Conness, Cathedral Peak, Tuolumne Meadows, & Mt. Ritter at the same time??!!), cracking a brew, & eating a fake salami sandwich, we headed down at 14.20 to get away from the still-building thunderclouds. The Dana Couloir, I noticed, was frustratingly close!
Going down, there were still those coming up who seemed to be oblivious to the increasingly hostile-looking clouds & the fact that they were going to the top of the highest point around. After awhile on the descent, heard thunder in the distance. Getting below treeline, was relieved & more able to enjoy the fantastic surroundings. Stopped at one point to listen to the thunder & birds, before reaching unescapeable civilization again at Tioga Pass. Reminded me of summer days in the Colorado Rockies… nice. Got back to the car at 16.36, I think. Wonderful day, hike, & views in the Yosemite Sierra.
7.4.'8: nice Independence Day hike with Stephany (her first big mountain!), from Tioga Pass. Beautiful day & views.
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir - NW Ridge Traverse Date Climbed: June 20th, 2004
Started out from Tioga Lake at 6:30 am and was at the base of the couloir by 9:30. Half way up the couloir took my helmet off to wipe away the sweat and ended up dropping it. Glissaded to the bottom of the bowl to get it and back up the couloir. Snow is getting quite icy in the couloir and had much difficulty kick-stepping. Made the summit a bit after noon and enjoyed the views for an hour. Headed back down the NW Ridge and into Glacier Canyon. A little over 7 miles round trip but a summit I'd do again anytime!
Route Climbed: Standard NW Slope Date Climbed: June 17, 2004
Hiked with Jess and Ryan. Took about 3hrs to summit. Really good views of much of the park. Met one other hiker on top - Brett, I think. Took in the views for 30 minutes and headed down for a beer.
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir Date Climbed: 5th June 2004
Drove up from Bay area and started from Tioga lake lookout at 9:30am and slowly hiked up the beautiful glacier canyon. Didn't reach the foot of the couloir till 2pm. Kickstepped up the couloir in about 2hr (No Bergschrund, some patches of hard snow). Took me more than an hour of postholing and cursing to get up to the summit from the saddle. The view was fantastic; nobody was around at the summit. Can't find summit logbook (is there one up there?)
Route Climbed: West Slope Date Climbed: May 16, 2004
This was my first 13er. There was still quite a bit of snow which helped a lot on the descent. My dad and I left the Bay Area at 6AM and started up the mountain at 8:45. When we saw how much snow there was we didn't think we would be going very far, but we kept going up to every false peak we saw, and then the real one. Weather was great, though a little cold and windy, and the view of Mono Lake was great, as well as the rest of the Sierras. We saw about 4 different parties on the way up, and a couple more on the way down, so it wasn't very crowded. ~5 hours up, 1:45 down.
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir Date Climbed: October 1977
Soloed the couloir. Huge bergschrund- I had to downclimb 30 feet or so to the bottom and front point up the other side. Climb was uneventful after that. Glad I had sharp tools!
Route Climbed: Tioga walk up Date Climbed: August 1995
Climbed via easy route, Tioga Pass to the north ridge to summit. Spent the night on the summit. Spectacular full moon night. Mono Lake view inpressive. Descent at 0700 in cold west wind and small hardpack snow fields via same route.
Mgross - Jul 19, 2004 6:02 pm
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: June 24, 2004John, Michael, Martyn and Elizabeth Gross along with Sally Yates. We summitted just prior to a snowy thunderstorm. GRrrreat views from the top. The route is difficult at times to keep track of because of talus and scree intermixed with snow. Dana Meadows is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
jonathancamp - Jul 17, 2004 12:06 am
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: June 27, 2004After attempting Mt. Starr King the day before Chris Brand and I decided to climb Mt. Dana. Since our camp site was outside the park on the west side we did not reach the trailhead until 9 am. A pefect day saw us on the summit by 1:15 pm. We saw fellow SPer "Diggler" as well as an entire family (all four of them more athletic than us). Several marmonts kept us company while we tried to catch a quick nap. Trail was faint but fairly easy to follow. Once we had reached the plateau we made for the ridge and then followed it to the summit. I glissaded down a large snowfield above the plateau. AWESOME! According to Chris, while I was whooping and hollering as I flew down the slope, a party still climbling up the ridge stopped and cheered me on. I managed to stop before the rocks and saved myself 20 minutes of climbing down over rocks.
Awesome trip!
Rick Kent - Jul 7, 2004 12:51 pm
Route Climbed: Dana Meadows and then NE to the summit Date Climbed: May 15, 2004Drove up on the day (or day after) the Tioga road was opened. Started out at the parking lot at Dana Meadows (Mono Pass Trailhead) and followed the Dana Fork until about about a mile SW of the summit. From here I headed North to meet up with the common route West of the summit. Couldn't locate a summit register. Descended to the flat area SE of the summit and then followed the Dana Fork back to the parking lot. Views of the surrounding snow covered mountains were spectacular.
Diggler - Jun 30, 2004 5:51 pm
Route Climbed: Touron route from Tioga Pass Date Climbed: 27 June, 2004After tweaking my finger in the gym, the weekend’s rock-climbing plans had to be scrapped & replaced by a worthy hike. This mountain having defeated John & me in July of 2002 (we successfully climbed the Dana Couloir in ice conditions, but got to the top of the climb at 21.00, subsequently deciding to traverse around the side of the mountain instead of summiting then going down- bad idea!!), I thought this would be a good time to strike back. That it would be Lara’s first hike above 13k’ was also a good reason.
After hanging out at Mono Lake the day before & camping at the Tuolumne Meadows campground (Mosquito City!!), we got a late start of 10.10 from Tioga Pass. Made decent time, however, & soon picked up the trail. Seeing storm clouds building but reluctant to turn around, I stashed my poles, ice tool & axe [brought both along so Lara would have an axe, too, in case we needed them] about 1,000 ft from the top, decreasing my resemblance to a lightning rod. I summited at 13.33. Hung out with various creatures & individuals up there, including Jonathan & friend from SP, an extreme fitness family from Marin, a Japanese smoker, a cute little bird, & multiple large, hungry marmots. After admiring the incredible scenery (how often can one see Mono Lake, Mt. Lyell, Mt. Conness, Cathedral Peak, Tuolumne Meadows, & Mt. Ritter at the same time??!!), cracking a brew, & eating a fake salami sandwich, we headed down at 14.20 to get away from the still-building thunderclouds. The Dana Couloir, I noticed, was frustratingly close!
Going down, there were still those coming up who seemed to be oblivious to the increasingly hostile-looking clouds & the fact that they were going to the top of the highest point around. After awhile on the descent, heard thunder in the distance. Getting below treeline, was relieved & more able to enjoy the fantastic surroundings. Stopped at one point to listen to the thunder & birds, before reaching unescapeable civilization again at Tioga Pass. Reminded me of summer days in the Colorado Rockies… nice. Got back to the car at 16.36, I think. Wonderful day, hike, & views in the Yosemite Sierra.
7.4.'8: nice Independence Day hike with Stephany (her first big mountain!), from Tioga Pass. Beautiful day & views.
cp0915 - Jun 28, 2004 10:25 am
Date Climbed: June 27, 2004A good hike. Nice views of the Sierra and half-frozen, iceberg'd Dana Lake down below.
mdostby - Jun 25, 2004 10:24 pm
Route Climbed: From the pass to the NW Ridge Date Climbed: June 24, 2004Nice workout. Awesome views in every direction from the summit.
blmcclain - Jun 21, 2004 1:41 pm
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir - NW Ridge Traverse Date Climbed: June 20th, 2004Started out from Tioga Lake at 6:30 am and was at the base of the couloir by 9:30. Half way up the couloir took my helmet off to wipe away the sweat and ended up dropping it. Glissaded to the bottom of the bowl to get it and back up the couloir. Snow is getting quite icy in the couloir and had much difficulty kick-stepping. Made the summit a bit after noon and enjoyed the views for an hour. Headed back down the NW Ridge and into Glacier Canyon. A little over 7 miles round trip but a summit I'd do again anytime!
birdhead - Jun 20, 2004 9:43 pm
Route Climbed: Standard NW Slope Date Climbed: June 17, 2004Hiked with Jess and Ryan. Took about 3hrs to summit. Really good views of much of the park. Met one other hiker on top - Brett, I think. Took in the views for 30 minutes and headed down for a beer.
hyperbolictans - Jun 6, 2004 3:44 pm
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir Date Climbed: 5th June 2004Drove up from Bay area and started from Tioga lake lookout at 9:30am and slowly hiked up the beautiful glacier canyon. Didn't reach the foot of the couloir till 2pm. Kickstepped up the couloir in about 2hr (No Bergschrund, some patches of hard snow). Took me more than an hour of postholing and cursing to get up to the summit from the saddle. The view was fantastic; nobody was around at the summit. Can't find summit logbook (is there one up there?)
Came down by the regular route.
Brett A - May 16, 2004 11:15 pm
Route Climbed: West Slope Date Climbed: May 16, 2004This was my first 13er. There was still quite a bit of snow which helped a lot on the descent. My dad and I left the Bay Area at 6AM and started up the mountain at 8:45. When we saw how much snow there was we didn't think we would be going very far, but we kept going up to every false peak we saw, and then the real one. Weather was great, though a little cold and windy, and the view of Mono Lake was great, as well as the rest of the Sierras. We saw about 4 different parties on the way up, and a couple more on the way down, so it wasn't very crowded. ~5 hours up, 1:45 down.
Sam Mills - Jan 26, 2004 11:29 pm
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir Date Climbed: September 2001One day climb up my first ice couloir. Impressive 360 degree view from the summit. Descended the NW slope.
mtnfoto - Jan 20, 2004 7:07 pm
Route Climbed: Dana Couloir Date Climbed: October 1977Soloed the couloir. Huge bergschrund- I had to downclimb 30 feet or so to the bottom and front point up the other side. Climb was uneventful after that. Glad I had sharp tools!
Dave Dinnell - Jan 11, 2004 9:13 pm
Route Climbed: Standard Rt. Date Climbed: July 6, 1986Assisted a group of kids from Camp Tawonga to the summit. Great Views and worth the effort.
mountaincheetah - Jan 9, 2004 3:18 pm
Route Climbed: Straight Up Date Climbed: October 6th 2003Tough climb with no prep work and 4hrs of sleep, but left me and my partner wanting.
Day Hiker - Dec 27, 2003 10:55 pm
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: 17 August 2002Hello
Paul Spraycar - Dec 27, 2003 1:17 pm
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: 8/3/2003Great views of Mono Lake from the top. About 90 minutes from Tioga Pass.
Sierrabonehead - Nov 20, 2003 11:13 pm
Route Climbed: Tioga walk up Date Climbed: August 1995Climbed via easy route, Tioga Pass to the north ridge to summit. Spent the night on the summit. Spectacular full moon night. Mono Lake view inpressive. Descent at 0700 in cold west wind and small hardpack snow fields via same route.
fugla - Nov 4, 2003 6:50 pm
Route Climbed: Standard Date Climbed: Sept 26, 2003Too hot, but awesome views
Dave K - Oct 27, 2003 1:45 am
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: October 25, 2003A fun late fall hike with stellar views from the summit, followed by a delicious Whoa Nellie dinner.
Scott Pierce - Oct 27, 2003 12:07 am
Route Climbed: Standard Route Date Climbed: June 96Slog with a view