Mount Clarence King

Mount Clarence King 12,900′
Rock Climbing– Sierra Nevada
Total Time: 18:30
Distance: 28.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 9600′
Crux: Class 5.4
Pitches: 2
Protection: Small rack, 30 meter rope
Companions: Levi Cover et. al
Trailhead: Kearsarge Pass TH- pit toilets

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It is rare for me to have a peak in the Sierra planned out months in advance, usually planning my adventures on random days off as life allows. But when I found out the 25th anniversary of the Sierra Challenge was featuring Mount Clarence King the closing weekend, I requested off and cleared my schedule. As one of only four summits with a fifth class rating on the Sierra Peaks Section list (along with Mount Starr King, Thunderbolt Peak and the Hermit), it was a summit that I would undoubtedly need a partner for, and lying deep in Kings Canyon National Park, one that would be difficult to find someone crazy enough to try for it in a day. The challenge provided a slate of potential partners for the ambitious dayhike, and I paired up with Levi Cover for the attempt (although in reality it would become a group effort). Leaving work early on Friday, I stayed in Lone Pine Monday night, hoping a night in a hotel would get me some extra rest for the big day. In reality, I still had a horrible nights sleep and a bruised toe from a poorly placed ottoman in the dark. While the official start time of the day’s challenge was 5 AM from Onion Valley, a large group of people were planning on a 4 AM start to buy a little extra time for the long day. There were a total of 7 of us starting out at 4 AM, with one participant (Chris Henry) taking the longer route over both Kearsarge and Glenn Pass, and the rest of us attempting the poorly documented cross country route up and over North Dragon Pass, which would save about 5.5 miles and a few hundred feet of elevation gain. We started up the trail towards Golden Trout Lake, easily losing it in the dark multiple times. Mason led the way for much of the early section, accidentally leading us up an old prospecting trail to some abandoned mines in the cliff face requiring some easy cross country to rejoin the trail higher up. There was just enough light to cut our headlamps when we reached the first lake, continuing past on the left to the second higher lake, with Dragon Peak and Dragon’s Tooth catching early morning light.

North Dragon Pass was located up and over a notch northeast of the Dragon’s Tooth, and we did an ascending traverse through the boulders up to the notch, our group of 6 splitting into two groups of three, with myself, Levi and Chris Kerth in front and the others behind. It took just under 3 hours to reach the notch near Dragon’s Tooth, a bit faster than I had expected but with Clarence King looking very far across Rae Lakes Basin.

From the notch, we dropped down towards the true North Dragon Pass and ran into Sean O’Rourke, a prolific climber and CA 14er speed record holder whose website I have used quite a bit over the years. We chatted as we descended, skirting around some rocks along the ridge to the east above the saddle, then boot skiing glorious sand down to Dragon Lake.

We continued past to Rae Lakes, my first time back in the area since the JMT in 2020, and we stopped for a break at the junction of the JMT and trail to Sixty Lakes Basin. Sean continued past (I don’t think he saw us stopped) for a few unnamed summits nearby, including the 12,000′ peak I climbed up and over on my long epic on Mount Cotter. While we rested, some of the faster hikers from the 5 AM start group began to catch up, namely Clement Guillaume, known to be one of the fastest peakbaggers participating in the challenge that year, and whose name I’ve seen in most summit registers in the Sierra. We started up the trail towards Sixty Lakes Basin now with speedy Clement and Levi in the lead, and I suddenly found myself unable to keep up, dropping back from Chris, Clement and Levi not wanting to burn myself out too early. I hiked up and over the small pass south of Fin Dome and followed the thin use trails through the forest and around the unnamed lakes, somehow catching up to them shortly before reaching the granite ramps that led towards the summit. As we climbed the slabs I began to feel more and more like a weekend warrior, unable to keep the same pace as the more acclimated peakbaggers despite the theoretically fresher legs. We stopped to filter water at the final lake before the col south of the summit, with a herd of 7 bighorn sheep looking down on us from the cliff bands above.

By the time I was done filtering water, 4 more challenge participants had caught up (the 3 we had split with at North Dragon Pass along with Chris Henry), and we all traveled en mass towards the col, finding the fun class 2-3 ledge system to bring us to the south slopes of Mount Clarence King.

I cached a liter of water at the col and we all continued upwards, a smattering of peakbaggers across the talus slopes with speedy Clement already beginning his descent after soloing the technical sections. It was about 11:30 when we started up the class 3 slabs towards the summit block, some of the climbers at the head of the pack calling for a rope for the “fourth class” pitch below the summit block.

I had a small rack of cams in my pack (I’ll blame that for being slower as well) and Levi had my 30 meter rope. I had expected to lead the fourth class pitch, but with climbers spread out all over the class 3 face, it made more sense for Chris Henry to take the honors since he and Levi were near the front. After passing him up my rack, he started up, climbing a nice hand crack up to a ledge system. This was actually a much harder variation, probably in the 5.9-5.10 range, and a few others opted for the standard fourth class chimney with a second rope. Chris brought up Levi, and we took turns climbing up the short crack, Levi tossing the rope down to the next person in line. The rock climbing experience level of the group was quite variable, Chris Henry seeming quite skilled, although the majority were at a beginner level. Many only had harnesses with no rock shoes, and for one person, it would be his first time rappelling. When it was my turn, I was surprised by the difficulty of the crack mostly by how slick it was, my foot popping out when I reached for the lip at the top of the pitch. I untied when I reached Levi and scrambled up to see the final summit block, the earlier sets of climbers having set up a top rope system by essentially looping the rope around the tip of the summit.

We then took turns climbing the summit block, rated 5.4 with a climb up a leaning pillar to a nice crack formed between the main summit block and a shorter nearby boulder. Some ungraceful squirming gets you on top of the lower block with a very exposed but easy move on to the higher block. The views from the top were unfortunately smoky from the Gifford Fire in SoCal, and there was little time to enjoy with the line of climbers at the base.

Ultimately 13 of us summited in a two hour window, three of which free soloed and the remainder taking turns on the rope. After rappelling the fourth class pitch, we all began to make our way down, hiking with Sean Casserly and Keith Hamrick until getting back into Sixty Lakes Basin.

We parted ways when they stopped to filter water and I continued along, slowly filling with a sense of dread for the death march out. Given how sandy North Dragon Pass was, it was a unanimous decision to take the long way out, which although would be over 5 miles longer, would at least be all trail. This meant I had three passes between me and my car, and I was already feeling quite worked from the day. It was after 5 PM by the time I got back to Rae Lakes, finding five other climbers lakeside for one final break before the slog over Glenn Pass. I filtered a liter of water and sucked down some calories, and we slowly set off one by one for the two grueling passes ahead.

I had remembered Glenn Pass to be one of my least favorites from the JMT, climbing 1,500′ from Rae Lakes up rocky trail. But I found a second wind after the break at Rae Lakes, taking just over an hour to climb up the pass and getting to the top by 6:30 PM.

I had some renewed enthusiasm heading downhill on good trail, dropping towards Charlotte Lake and Mount Bago before hooking east towards Kearsarge Pass. Despite the good pace, this section was deceptively long, taking another hour to reach the JMT/ Kearsarge Pass trail junction, the sign announcing I still had 7.5 miles to go.

I vowed to make the most of the remaining daylight and not stop until I needed a headlamp, continuing east on trail that was mercifully flat with the slightest incline. I was about a mile from the pass when I stopped to put on my headlamp, filtering one last liter of water before climbing the switchbacks to climb over Kearsarge Pass to a full moon shortly after 9 PM.

It was still about 4 miles to the trailhead but all downhill, and I again picked up the pace as I hiked down the broad switchbacks. A pair of headlamps came up behind me halfway down as Mason jogged past, who I hadn’t seen since below the summit. I did not have the energy to jog with him the last few miles and although I would be one of the slowest hikers for the day, I wasn’t too far behind the pack when I hit the trailhead at 10:30. I found Sean Casserly sprawled out on the ground in front of the pit toilets, and other rummaging through their cars to make room to sleep for the night. I said some quick goodbyes and headed back to Lone Pine, finding the Carl’s Junior still open for some late night calories before getting to bed just after midnight.