Ascent of Telescope Peak on 2020-08-13| Other People: | Solo Ascent
Only Party on Mountain | | Date: | Thursday, August 13, 2020 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | Hi-Clearance Vehicle | | Peak: | Telescope Peak | | Location: | USA-California | | Elevation: | 11048 ft / 3367 m |
Ascent Trip ReportA planned 3.5 day trip with overnight camping at Mahogany CG. I got a flat tire about a mile short of Wildrose Charcoal Kilns. Thus got to camp much later than planned. Despite the high winds (35-40 mph) overnight and first night well above sea level, I managed decent sleep. Thus got an early start to Telescope. At the start, temps were mid 60s and winds were about 5mph. I started with 4.5 liters. There was a forecast of possible (20%) rain around 11am. The sunrise was obscured awhile due to lots of smoke in the valley below. Don't know where the fire was but most of the smoke was not visible later in the day. The first two miles until the saddle between Bennett Peak & Rogers Peak were on the leeward side so the wind didn't help while climbing. The next several miles were more or less on the west side (with wind) and same elevation. I noticed cloud buildup somewhere in the vicinity of Ridgecrest (direction of wind) so there were some doubts if potential lightening would prevent a summit. The remaining 1.5 miles was on the east side (no wind) and good gain. There was one tree across the trail to work around. Several parts of the switchbacks were washed out (likely used all the rocks to reinforce the ends of switchbacks). The final approach is like the entire hike with great views. The register had two books in the ammo can. Both only were from 2019 and were mostly empty. There was a couple small campsites (one on the east side and one on the west side). As long as there wasn't high wind, it would be an incredible camp & nightly views. The sign at the trailhead stated 7 miles to the summit. I had multiple GPS devices and neither got 7 miles. I had 6.5 miles. While signing the register I discovered I forgot my lunch at camp. Luckily I had an apple and some beef jerky. but I would have to slow the pace down if I still wanted to get Bennett Peak and Rogers Peak on the return. The cloud cover started to disappear once I started descending. So the sections of trail away from the wind reached the low 80s (with the direct sun it felt like mid 90s)...warm. I did get Bennett Peak and Rogers Peak on the return. Instead of dropping down to the saddle and hike the 2 miles of trail out, I opted for the high-cruising speed option of descending via the recently graded service road back to the CG. Great day. Stats include breaks and Bennett & Roger Peaks. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 3977 ft / 1211 m | | Total Elevation Loss: | 3977 ft / 1211 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 13.8 mi / 22.2 km | | Quality: | 8 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail, Unmaintained Trail | | Gear Used: | Ski Poles | | Weather: | Hot, Breezy | | Ascent Statistics | | Gain on way in: | 3064 ft / 933 m | | Gain Breakdown: | Net: 2918 ft / 889 m; Extra: 146 ft / 44m | | Loss on way in: | 146 ft / 44 m | | Distance: | 6.7 mi / 10.8 km | | Route: | Telescope Trail | | Start Trailhead: | Mahogany CG 8130 ft / 2478 m | | Time: | 4 Hours | | Descent Statistics | | Loss on way out: | 3831 ft / 1167 m | | Loss Breakdown: | Net: 2918 ft / 889 m; Extra: 913 ft / 278m | | Gain on way out: | 913 ft / 278 m | | Distance: | 7.1 mi / 11.4 km | | Route: | Telescope Trail | | End Trailhead: | Mahogany CG 8130 ft / 2478 m | | Time: | 3 Hours | GPS Data for Ascent/Trip
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Peaks:  climbed and  unclimbed by Jim Wick
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