For this year’s climbing trip to Sonora Pass I was able to get 10 people to join the adventure, double any previous trip to Sonora Pass. Those who know the area know there’s only a few places to take a large group of people climbing during peak summer, all with different abilities and preferences, and I didn't want to try a new crag I haven't been to so I settled on Chipmunk Flat.
After I explained that we were going to venture to high elevation (just under 9000’) due to heat, I then had to explain that since there was still snow at the end of July, some crags on the south side of Deadman Creek would probably still not be accessible, further limiting potential crags. In the end we decided on the Predecessor Cracks, a short wall with trad climbs, and eastbound wall, a taller wall with a high concentration of weird trad climbs and a nice moderate bolted slab.
My first time climbing at the east end of Chipmunk Flat at the Predecessor Cracks, I really enjoyed the smell of the wild herbs on the approach to the wall, particularly the sage. With an amazing view and having the wall to ourselves since no one else was climbing in all of Chipmunk Flat, it made the day that much better. We practiced our trad skills in a peaceful environment with short walls and easy climbs, which all of us desperately needed. To finish the day, we drove back home down to below 4000 feet where the weather was still in the 80s and took a late day dip in the lake. Turns out this is the best time to visit the lake in the summer, all the kids are gone and the lake is almost totally free. We repeated this the next two days – such a great refreshing activity after climbing all day.
At Eastbound wall the next day, I was able to lead my first real trad climb, a no star 5.5 that ended at a bolt anchor 75 feet up. I think I only used 4 pieces of gear, including an amazing yellow nut nearer to the top, but since it was a true 5.5 I felt secure. The view from the top of eastbound wall is immaculate, looking straight down the highway above the trees between the canyon walls, it’s such a great treat when finishing a climb. Everyone else had a go on a top rope of a particularly hard 5.10a slab climb after our ropegun lead it, and that was interspersed with other trad climbs happening around. The capstone was a very long one star 5.7 trad climb, where I followed two other people.
By this point the elevation had been getting to everyone, and people were taking naps on the slabs at the base of the walls. After everyone was done and gear was being packed up, we were left with a treat of watching someone ski down a few hundred feet on the opposite side of the highway just before we left, a truly crazy sight to see nearing August on easily accessible, natural snow. After the evening swim we had a nice dinner by our resident amateur chef and sommelier.
The next day, our last outing was to the Twain Harte mini golf course, where we played a nice relaxed round of golf. There were some crazy occurrences, with difficult hole in ones, chip ins from the dirt, all culminating in a three way tie for first at 3 under par. While I was not in the mix I was still the only one to get a free game from the 19th hole – there were many winners in that round of golf. And that concluded our big weekend Sonora Pass trip, equal parts climbing and non-climbing.