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Mokelumne Peak

Mount Kaweah Day 3: Exit

Mount Kaweah Day 2: Mount Kaweah

Mount Kaweah Day 1: Approach

Notes:
- Mounts Haeckel and Wallace are a pair of SPS peaks in the heart of the Evolution Group, a group of six peaks named by Theodore Solomons after evolutionary scientists (at the time, a relatively new science). These two are most often climbed as a pair, or as part of the Evolution Traverse, a Peter Croft pioneered mega link-up of these peaks that's usually done from Mount Mendel all the way to Mount Huxley. This roughly 10-mile traverse has much class 5 climbing and usually takes parties 2-3 days. The impressive rounded pyramid of Mount Haeckel is visible from very far below along highway 168 and Lake Sabrina. Mount Wallace is a bit less obvious but it's there too.
- Funny story about Mount Haeckel in Secor: the party that first ascended the SE Ridge route were very surprised to encounter another party on the summit who had arrived just 15 minutes earlier for the first ascent of the peak. They were even more surprised to learn they were not on top of Mount Darwin, which they had intended to climb!
- This was my first time visiting the Lake Sabrina trailhead. I'll definitely return!
- After a short hike through the woods above unsightly Lake Sabrina, I passed by a series of increasingly beautiful alpine lakes before reaching Sailor Lake (with aptly-named Picture Peak rising high above), glacially-fed turquoise-tinted Moonlight Lake, and finally the brilliantly blue Echo Lake. There were many backpackers out, though mostly at a handful of campsites at Blue Lake.
- Above Echo Lake, Secor says to expect about 1,000' of boulder hopping. This was accurate. It got gradually worse the whole way up, though nothing loose.
- At the tarn just below 12,800' Mount Haeckel comes into view, it looks much more intimidating from this angle. The poorly named East Ridge route ascends the left side of the south face of the mountain from here. The east ridge proper is much more difficult.
- There are probably many ways up the left side of this face, I ascended a break in the orange-ish rock that ran down and left from the summit. It went at class 3.
- At the top of that break in the rock, there was no easy way to the summit. I climbed back down looking for a way and had to back down about 50 vertical feet before finding an awkward route that climbed up and then traversed around to the other side of the peak. It was class 3, but not the "easy class 3 ledges" that Secor described.
- The register on this peak had been destroyed by snow or rain so I just enjoyed the view of the immense south face of Mount Darwin, Evolution Basin and Mount Goddard to the west, and most of SEKI to the south.
- After a few minutes I reversed the awkward climb up the summit and set out across talus and sand-covered ledges towards Mount Wallace. I tried to stick about 100' below the crest like described, but I mostly just searched for the easiest way. This traverse wasn't easy. The rock is a bit loose and the route crosses many small ribs, so there are a lot of short class 3 climbs up and down to avoid stuff.  It took about an hour to traverse the half mile to Mount Wallace. It was easier beyond Haeckel-Wallace Col.
- Mount Wallace was straightforward class 2 though the summit block is class 4 (a balancey mantle move).
- Mount Wallace did have a summit register, so I flipped through it. Looked like a lot of people doing the traverse, including famous American alpinists Jim Donini and George Lowe.
- I descended the southeast face back to Echo Lake. This route was really tediously loose (the next peak south is called Crumbly Spire...) and steep, so it was very slow most of the way down. I don't know if it really saved any time or not.
- Eventually I got back on the trail at Sailor Lake. Here I talked to a couple of backpackers who said they were thinking of climbing one or both of these peaks, though they didn't seem too prepared.
- Beyond Sailor Lake I hiked back down, passing many middle-aged men carrying fishing poles with bored looking teenagers in tow.
- There's some commentary in the book about Haeckel Col vs Haeckel-Wallace Col vs Wallace Col. I didn't get a good look at Haeckel Col, but Haeckel-Wallace Col definitely seemed a better choice than Wallace Col, which was quite loose. Echo Col also looked somewhat unpleasant from Echo Lake, but I couldn't see all the way up to the pass, which is about 400' lower than the other 3. It goes to a different place anyways, so not really a good comparison.

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Iain Macdonald

Mount Haeckel and Mount Wallace

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If you can spare a few bucks for those affected by the Pack Fire, a little bit goes a long way ❤️

Mokelumne Peak

Mount Kaweah Day 3: Exit

Mount Kaweah Day 2: Mount Kaweah

Mount Kaweah Day 1: Approach

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