Five Fingers

Five Fingers 5174′
Sierra Nevada
Total Time: 4:20
Elevation Gain: 1820′
Distance: 2.0
Crux: Class 3
Companions: Holly
Trailhead: Indian Wells Canyon, no services

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Five Fingers is one of the more interesting summits on the Sierra Club HPS List. The peak is a series of 5 spires along a ridgeline in the southern Sierra above Indian Wells, and I had driven past it dozens of time heading home from larger adventures, never making the stop due to lack of energy or heat in the lower elevations. A family emergency brought me to California in the middle of COVID, and I wanted to camp in the Sierras to break up the journey home. With the pandemic closing all National Parks and developed campgrounds, my options were quite limited, with dispersed camping in the Southern Sierra seeming like the only reasonable option. It seemed like a good opportunity to finally tick Five Fingers off the list. We drove into Indian Wells in the late afternoon, and found a great campsite at the trailhead and base of the climb. Although only 2 miles roundtrip, there was nearly 2000′ of elevation gain and from below it looked like quite a slog.

The next morning we woke up at the base and after a quick breakfast, started up the steep slopes. I aimed for a use trail that seemed to materialize from the thin desert grass and flowers several hundred feet up, and we slogged up the loose sand and scree towards the notch between the fifth summit spire and the shorter fourth spire to the east.

I knew it was going to be steep, but I hadn’t read how loose it would be, the loose sand causing us to loose a quarter step with each step up. We took a short break at the first collection of boulders on the slope, and I was hopeful that the increasing rocks and boulders higher up would make the ground a bit more secure. No such luck. In fact the gully leading to the notch was probably the worst of the day, with the boulder merely funneling the sand and scree limiting options and making the loose stuff even deeper.

When we reached the notch, Holly’s expression said it all- she did not sign up for an early morning slog. Although the summit was a few hundred feet directly overhead, we needed to drop about 200′ down the north side of the notch, adding insult to injury.

The loose sand and scree we were cursing moments before helped for the descent to the north, and we were able to quickly plunge step down to a use trail leading to the northeast ridge of the summit spire. We crossed over the ridge fairly low, and followed cairns to a slot that actually had steps cut into it to lead to the top. Very un-Sierra Club like…

The cut steps made the scrambling very easy and with a little spotting, Holly and I were quickly below the summit boulder. I used a ramp on the south side to access the highest point, a bit surprised by the lack of summit register. Holly was content on a large slanted boulder just below the highpoint on the west side, and the two of us snacked on an early lunch, enjoying the views across Indian Wells Canyon, with Russel and Backus Peak to the south, Morris, Jenkins and Owens Peaks to the west, Owens Valley to the north, and Telescope Peak in Death Valley to the east.

Hopeful to get in another hike for the day, we left after about 15 minutes, reversing the scramble and slogging up the loose slopes back to the notch. From there it was quick and efficient plunge stepping and boot skiing all the way back to the car, quickly descending the 1500′ in about 30 minutes. The rapid descent almost made the slog up worth it…. almost.

With plenty of daylight left, I pitched Jenkins Peak at the head of the canyon as a second hike, which had foiled me 7 years ago on a Morris-Jenkins-Owens outing out of Walker Pass. Holly was game, and we hopped in the car, heading deeper into the canyon to try for our second HPS summit of the weekend.

Continued…