July 3, 2004
Conness Glacier and the Kook Chute - Swatting Mosquitos and Dodging Thunderbolts
Joe, Tony
North Peak on July 3rd, 2004 We came here to ski..............
The Sierras can be a tough place to find mid summer turns. Those beautiful sunny California skies warming boaters in the hot central valley reservoirs, also work to bake away a winter's worth of frosty white cold pack. When Tony and I decided we should make one more search for turns before conceding the skis to the back corner of the garage for 4 months, we opted to seek them on Tioga Pass. More specifically, the Conness Glacier and the Kook Chutes on North Peak, on the far side of Saddlebag Lake. Little did we know, the lack of snow would not be the source of our anguish on this day; clouds of mosquitoes and the fury of Zeus would fill those roles.
Tony is the guy who took me backcountry skiing for my first time ever on the south slopes of Lassen in August of 1995. I've been hooked ever since. Tony's been my best and most consistent ski partner over the years, and I always look forward to taking trips with him. We have been on Shasta, Lassen, Matterhorn, Dana, McLoughlin, Esha, Bloody, Whitney and many others together over the years. I knew this would be just another great trip for us. So Tony and I met at our usual Eastside meeting spot, the intersection of Hwy 395 and Hwy 89 - the bottom of Monitor Pass. We cruised down 395 and were on the boat shuttle at Saddlebag Lake by 8:30 AM.
Deet, Water, Skis, Sunscreen, More Deet
We had been warned by multiple sources that the mosquitoes were out in full force at Saddlebag Lake, and beyond. So we double and triple checked our packs for deet. We applied it liberally to fend of the skeeters, along with loads of spf 45 sunscreen. Turns out our sources were right, the mosquitoes were well represented on this day. Tony and I hiked with swarms of them following us, and fortunately, the deet kept both of us completely bite free all day.
Tony loads up his pack after taking the boat taxi across Saddlebag Lake. In the background stands Mt. Dana over the wake of the shuttle boat.
Mount Conness - 12,590 feet
Rising above Tony (as he frantically searches for MORE deet) is Mount Conness and the Conness glacier. Our ascent route follows the right side of the picture, then crosses towards the left above the waterfall. We walked across the flats around the Conness Lakes, eventually reaching the top of the glacier below the saddle in the summit ridge near the center of the picture. Our high point was approximately 12,000'.
Finally on the Snow above Conness Lakes
Besides the mosquitoes, the heat was a killer on this fine July day. We had both hoped the mosquitoes would fade away once we reached the snow, but they insisted on following us like we were some kind of enlightened cult leaders to them. They hung with us all the way onto the Conness Glacier, until they were swept away by an early afternoon breeze.......which brought with it a whole new set of issues.
North Peak and Puffy Clouds
3 weeks prior to this trip I had made a great descent down the northeast couloir of North Peak with Gary, Rich and Matt. The chute spills off the backside of the mountain from this view. The chute starts in the first notch in the ridge just to the right of the summit. We ascended up a snowfield that has totally melted in the last 3 weeks just below the right side ridge in this picture.
The puffy clouds were a sign of things to come.
Tony the Tele skier
Sporting the rally cap. Hey, at this point in the season the Giants needed all the help they could get.
NE Face of Mt. Conness and the Conness Glacier
The glacier ice and crevasses were already starting to show through, below the grand NE face of Mt. Conness. Although Tony and I would have loved to have touched the summit of this great mountain, we were a bit concerned about the growing thunderheads. Initially we were relieved when the blustery winds blew those little mosquitoes towards the plump tourists in Tuolumne Meadows. However, this also meant Zeus and his thunderbolts were awakening. We started our descent from just above the glacier ice on the smooth corn filled bowl.
Building Clouds looking North towards Matterhorn
Looking over the west shoulder of North Peak, we could see the northeast corner of Yosemite National Park. Below the building thunderheads are Whorl Mountain (center) and Matterhorn Peak (right). About 1 month after this ski trip, Jack and I would spend a couple of nights at the base of these big boys as reported Here.
I skied first. I was surprised and thrilled to find a beautiful 1" layer of surface corn over the thawing glacier. I allowed my skis to arc freely across these final remnants of the Sierra winter snow pack.
Tony laying down some beautiful tracks to the lookers left of mine:
Watch that Whippet!
By the time we had finished our first descent of the day, the sun was blanketed by ominous thunder clouds. We rested and enjoyed the view of our tracks, but not for long.
View to the East from the top of the Kook Chute
Tony and I set a good pace from the bottom of the Conness glacier, across the southwest slopes of North Peak, to the top of the Kook Chute. Once we found the top of the uppermost chute, we were reminded of the imminent threat in the skies to the east.
Although we would have loved to lounge around at the top of the Kook chute for a bit, the towering thunderheads told us it was time to press on. Tony skied the chute first. The snow in the chute was definitely on the manky side, but the steep pitch made it super fun and fast.
Here I go, with Zeus breathing down my neck:
The Kook, Tony, North Peak
The little snow finger on the left side of the picture is the Kook Chute. The incredibly massive northeast cliff face is North Peak. The guy in the middle is feeling pretty good about how he spent his day before the 4th of July.
Raindrops
It was a fairly long and roundabout hike out from the bottom of the Kook Chute to the boat dock at Saddlebag Lake. Part way through the hike we heard the thunder crashing and started to feel raindrops. By the time we reached the boat dock we were looking for shelter under some scrub pines.
Soggy Boat Shuttle
Fortunately the boat had a roof, because the rain was now hail, and it was a fallin' hard. A very different view of Mt. Dana on the horizon than the one we saw earlier in the morning.
We were fortunate enough to hear the story behind the Kook Chute from the boat shuttle driver. Apparently there is a character who frequents the Kook Chute that isn't quite playing with a full deck of cards. One Spring day there was an evacuation effort under way for an injured climber on the Northeast side of North Peak, near the bottom of the Kook Chute. Apparently a helicopter was trying to make a landing in some blustery and unstable conditions. The SAR crews had smoke bombs for wind indicators and the area cleared in an effort to try to get the copter down safely. Well our friend without the full deck, sees all this from the top of the Kook Chute and decides it's time to join the party. He makes a wild run down the chute with his roller skis, and disrupts the whole landing effort for the copter. Of course he looks around oblivious to the fact that a rescue effort was underway. One of the SAR guys mutters in frustration, "what a kook." Thus, the Kook Chute.
Legend or Lore, I don't know. But I sure enjoyed skiing the Conness Glacier and the Kook Chute on July 3rd with Tony. This would be my 53rd, and final ski day of the '03-'04 season.