The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: Overwhelming Silence 7/7)

“It was beautiful. The pinkness vanished and then it was all purple dusk and the roar of the silence was like a wash of diamond waves going through the liquid porches of our ears, enough to soothe a man a thousand years.”(Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. New York: Penguin Group, 1986, P.71)

Time to wrap this one up with a few pictures looking down.

That’s a lake one encounters if the more direct class 3 route is taken.

One slip and it is all over with. One of the quotes that Kerouac constantly uses in the book is, “Its impossible to fall off mountains.” Well, in the real world I am not totally sure that is true, and do not really want to found out. Although I think I know what he was saying, but I would suggest he did not get high enough…or maybe he was too high. ;)

This is looking down back at the pass where the small lake/pond is. So, after all this, it is time to head back down there. Overall, the hike is in the 12-14 hour range. Total elevation gained is around 5,500 ft. to get to the top (12, 279ft.) in about 5 miles.

 “When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing.”(Ibid.)

It’s been some years since I did the whole thing. In the past couple of years there was always something preventing me from doing it again. One year I spent a lot of time getting in mental and physical shape for it only to have the Yosemite controlled fire that got out of control ruin everything. Other times I just lacked the motivation or ending up being sick. At this point, I am rather content with what I did with it. These days it is not as important to me as it once was. If I never get back to some of those places I showed then I can live with it. But, all it takes is me waking up one day under the right conditions and saying, “Let’s do it!”

So, this mountain and hike is really the meaning behind everything I have tried to do on this blog throughout the years. The whole notion of getting away from the noise and taking in the quiet. There is a little too much talk in the world at times. As I like to say when nothing is getting done, “Less talk, more action.”

This series for me represents another transition phase. Some things are behind me, but not so far behind that you can’t see them anymore. There was a certain look and feel I liked this blog to have for the longest time based on theme I was giving it. It's time for some change. It will be nothing major. Maybe just changing a few colors.

There are one or two other things I want to say before the end of the month, so I will be back soon.

The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: Summit Views 6/7)

“I felt like telling Japhy everything I thought but I knew it didn’t matter and more over he knew it anyway and silence is the golden mountain.” (Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. New York: Penguin Group, 1986, Pgs. 72)

Looking toward the south. Whorl Mountain is the prominent peak just south of here.

In the middle all the way in the background is Mt. Dana. All the way over where the clouds are if you just look diagonally a little left is where Mt. Lyell is. Almost halfway in between the two is Mt. Conness. I have never climbed Mt. Lyell and probably never will, but I did get in range to view its glacier this last summer. I hope to have something up on that this year.

Looking more to the east now. That should be Turquoise Lake.

Looking back in the direction I started. One can actually see where one parks, but I would have to move around from where I was at. The prominent rock in front of me is what you see down below and is what gives it the “Matterhorn” type of look from below. You can see Bridgeport Lake and the Sweetwater Mountains in the distance.

The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: Summit Views 5/7)

“So we unpacked our packs and laid things out and smoked and had a good time. Now the mountains were getting that pink tinge, I mean the rocks, they were just solid rock covered with the atoms of dust accumulated there since beginningless time. In fact I was afraid of those jagged monstrosities all around and over our heads.
'They're so silent!' I said.
'Yeah man, you know to me a mountain is a Buddha. Think of the patience, hundreds of thousands of years just sitting there bein perfectly perfectly silent and like praying for all living creatures in that silence and just waiting for us to stop all our frettin and foolin.'“(Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. New York: Penguin Group, 1986, Pgs. 66-67)

The final scramble to the summit.

In the range of about 5-7 hours from the trailhead, one gets to the summit. The actual summit is not very big at all. It is just a bunch of jagged rocks with one rock sticking out a little higher than the others. Technically speaking, you probably can only get one or two people on top of it at one time. One has to be somewhat careful here as the drop offs are rather dramatic and instant death. There was one rock that I remember was rather loose when I stood on it.

This is looking toward the north along Sawtooth Ridge. It turns out the point I stood on in this picture is the highpoint. That rock just off to the right in the front is what you see down below, but the highest point is behind it.

Moving counter-clockwise you can see Peeler Lake down below and then Tower Peak in the background.

Counter-clockwise again, you can see Finger Peaks and what is called Slide Canyon...see the slide on the mountainside?

Starting to look more of the south side. The heart of Yosemite is in the background on the left side. I’ll finish up the views in the next blog.

The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: The Final Ascent 4/7)

“We finally got to the foot of the Matterhorn where there was a most beautiful small lake unknown to the eyes of most men in this world, seen by only a handful of mountain climbers, a small lake at eleven thousand some odd feet with snow on the edges of it and beautiful flowers and a beautiful meadow, an alpine meadow, flat and dreamy upon with I immediately threw myself and took my shoes off.”(Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. (New York: Penguin Group, 1986, P. 80)

This is looking back at the pass. There is usually snow here during the summer, and it forms a small pond. Turning left one can finally see the final ascent that needs to be made to the top.

There is still around a thousand feet to go. When you are there it seems a lot closer than it is. A lot of work is left to be done. The point in the middle at the top is Matterhorn Peak from “the backside”. Not as interesting to look at as the front of it.

“Japhy started up walking very rapidly and then even running sometimes where the climb had to be to the right or left along ridges of scree. Scree is long landslides of rocks sand and, very difficult to scramble through, always little avalanches going on.”(Ibid., P.81)

After all you have been through, this part of the climb is both mentally and physically challenging because of the scree. Every two steps up on the ascent you end up sliding back one step or both.

This shows the easiest class two route to take. If one is comfortable with a little more technical climb then one can go directly up.

Looking toward the south into Yosemite. Some other mountains I have climbed are in this picture. I will mention them later. I like to refer to this rock you see as “The Thing”. Notice the mouth, nose, and closed eye on its partial face?

Right before you get to the top you can finally see some of the other side. This is what Sawtooth Ridge looks like from this point of view. I'll cover the summit in the next two blogs.

The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: Horseshoe Pass 3/7)

“As we got higher we got more tired and now like two true mountain climbers we weren’t talking anymore and didn’t have to talk and were glad, in fact Japhy mentioned that, turning to me after a half-hour’s silence, ‘This is the way I like it, when you get going there’s just no need to talk, as if we were animals and just communicated by silent telepathy.’”(Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. (New York: Penguin Group, 1986, p.62)

In the last blog you saw this peak, and for quite some time while hiking this particular route it is your destination. Once you are at the base of it you then take a right (west) which heads up the final section to Horseshoe Pass. Keep in mind I am showing you the easiest class 2 route. There is a more direct approach where you climb straight up closer to the front of Matterhorn Peak. In the route I am showing you here it is more like going around it and coming up the backside of it. From reading the book and consulting a few others it seems like this is the route Kerouac and friends took.

“I sat down the best I could on another rock and we both said nothing and meditated. Only I meditated with my eyes closed. The silence was an intense roar. From where we were, the sound of the creek, the gurgle and slapping talk of the creek, was blocked off by rocks.” (Ibid., p. 70)

Again, there are use trails, but it gets to the point that in some cases just climbing up the rocks anyway you can is the best. Like the quote in the last blog, you get to the point you just start to hop along the rocks. The times I have done this I have also had to cross snow patches at this point on the way. I would say another 45 minutes to an hour gets one...

...to the pass. I usually turn around here, relax, and see where I came from. Then I turn around and prepare for the next part.

Horseshoe Pass. It is a big snow pit here. That little opening there at the middle top is what needs to be reached. In theory, you can climb up higher to the right side of the picture if you want to evade snow. In the past, I have just crossed the snow. It can be a little scary here climbing on this type of snow. It's around the three and half to four hour mark of the hike so the legs get a little tired, and you don't want to make a mistake.

Yosemite! After all you have been through things really open up here. Extremely quiet and beautiful. This is a reward in itself. Very much like the experience of characters in the Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit where after much work in a journey they go through a pass and encounter something spectacular compared to where they just were. This is real though. For the longest time the type of talus rock is all you see, but then a nice looking summer green meadow shows up! Trees in the distance!

Although, as I have said to a person while getting here, it is like reaching the finals of any sport. You still have the hardest job to do in order to win the whole thing…let’s go! I’ll continue the final ascent in the next blog.

As an aside, one time coming here after not seeing a soul the whole morning, there was a German couple camped out up here just beyond the pass. I just said "hi" to them as I headed up the mountainside. I think they took off not too long after that. I got the idea they came here from Yosemite and not from the direction I am showing you. It is always a little odd to see anyone out this far into the backcountry when you have gone so long without seeing anyone, but it does happen.

The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: Horseshoe Canyon 2/7)

"’The secret of this kind of climbing,” said Japhy, ‘is like Zen. Don’t think. Just dance along. It’s the easiest thing in the world, actually easier than walking on flat ground which is monotonous. The cute little problems present themselves at each step and yet you never hesitate and you find yourself on some other boulder you picked out for no special reason at all, just like Zen.’” (Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. New York: Penguin Group, 1986, Pgs. 64-65)

This is the base of the “false pass” or first headwall that must be climbed. As you can see there is a trail, but then it becomes more of a scramble up rocks. The rocks are not fun at first, but like the quote above, you do get used to them and start to just get “in the zone” with them.

Looking back. This is really the first time that you can see a lot of elevation has been climbed over this long canyon.

Looking off to the left of from the last picture of Horseshoe Canyon. Avalanches do happen back here during the winter.

It takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes to continue along in the canyon. This is looking back.

At this point one continues a little further and the drainage continues off to the right. That is where I will continue next time. A few years ago a family was skiing back here in May. One of the teenagers got stuck so his father tried to climb to where he was to help him out. The father then fell to his death. Nature does not play by rules!

The Great Silence (AKA Matterhorn Peak: The Beginning 1/7)

(GPS: N38° 05.570 W119° 22.865)

“’Well that’s right,’ I said. ‘The whole purpose of mountain climbing to me isn’t just to show off you can get to the top, it’s getting out to this wild country.’” (Kerouac, Jack. Dharma Bums. New York: Penguin Group, 1986, p.81)

This begins a series of blogs I hope to have done in the next week or two. It is one I have put off and off over the years in the hope that I would come up with better pictures and video about it. That has not happened. A lot of that has to do with fires, bad weather, health, and just not having the inspiration.

This one is important for me to do though. Since it does deal with the origins and reasons this blog exists, I think it is time for me to do something regarding it. So, what I am going to do is use some older pictures I have taken at different times over the years to cover it.

Matterhorn Peak borders the northeastern side of Yosemite. It is the highest point (12, 278 ft.) on what is known as Sawtooth Ridge. Personally, I consider it the northern end of the High Sierra with the southern end just south of Mt. Langley.

It gets its name from the famous Switzerland mountain, but it only has that look from the north side (which you can see at the picture I have at the top of the blog). From the south side, as you will see eventually, it is not that impressive. So, in some ways the mountain is misnamed.

In 1958, Jack Kerouac wrote a book called, Dharma Bums, in which part of it contains his account, using fictional characters, of his attempted climb of Matterhorn Peak. Jack was a beat generation author of that era, and a lot of the book deals with his understanding of Buddhism in the 1950s. While I am not a Buddhist, after I read the book I knew exactly what he was referring to while climbing this mountain. It’s because of this book that I refer to this particular mountain as The Great Silence. In the past when I did this hike I started really early in the morning when it was dark. In reality I would say the first 1/3 of this hike I have done while it was still dark out. So, you will see pictures I have done of this hike during other times of the day.

This is where I would normally park. You can see Matterhorn Peak way off in the distance. The trailhead is about 5 minutes away, and from there you start a switch backing trail that takes about 45 minutes or so to get past Horseshoe Falls. At that point the trail flattens out somewhat for the next 10-15 minutes. You continue right next to a stream as you pass a few meadows. At this point one enters Hoover Wilderness.

There are two things wrong about this picture. One, this sign is no longer here and is actually right as you pass the switchbacks a little further back. Two, I used to think of this area as a jungle since walking on the trail one encountered a lot of overgrowth as the picture shows. It is not like this anymore since the people in charge of the trail have cut out of lot of this. It is a lot easier to pass quickly and safer too since there were some small pits you could walk into.

While you can see trails from here on out, they really are “use” trails. There are a lot more obstacles to cover as one goes along. You start encountered more walking on rocks than dirt at times. What you see ahead is known as the “false pass”. That headwall looks like you will pass into Yosemite, but it is not like that at all. Meanwhile, if you continue looking more to the right side of the above picture you can see the Matterhorn towering above.

Look familiar?