Matthes Crest 10,918′ and Echo Peaks 10960′
Sierra Nevada– Rock Climbing
Total Time: 11:00
Distance: 10.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 4400′
Crux: Class 5.7
Pitches: 7
Protection: Light rack of cams BD 0.5-2. Double length slings, 60m rope
Trailhead: Cathedral Lakes, full services in Tuolumne
Companions: Carlos Danel
Matthes Crest has been described as one of the superb fins of granite “no tourist has ever set eyes on.” Although that’s a bit of an exaggeration (I think you can actually see it from Glacier Point if you know where to look) it is located in the Tuolumne backcountry hidden from view by the rest of the Cathedral Range. While the longer approach keeps hikers away, the ultra classic Matthes Crest traverse often has a line of climbers, the highly exposed ridge with mostly mellow climbing considered one of the most classic routes in the Yosemite high country. Since Holly was both pregnant and not a fan of traverses, this climb had sat on my to do list for a while. So I was pretty excited to link up with Carlos for a day of alpine climbing, having not seen him since before the pandemic began on a long day climbing Whites and Marsh Butte in the Grand Canyon. We met in Lee Vining shortly after 6 AM and drove into the park together, leaving from the Cathedral Lakes trailhead a bit after 7.
The conditions were fairly smoky to start, although they would gradually improve throughout the day as the winds shifted. We quickly reached the turn off for the climber’s approach trail to Cathedral Peak and turned left, the approach to the two iconic climbs sharing the same approach and often combined with Tenaya Peak into a long day.
We passed a handful of groups as we climbed through the forest, all with plans to climb Cathedral Peak for the day. I had read beforehand that it was easiest to stay on the Cathedral Peak approach trail until it begins to climb to the base, so we stuck to the trail as long as we could, cutting cross country on easy slabs to traverse around the west side of Echo Peaks.
We never stumbled on the use trail, but cross country travel was quite easy, mostly exposed granite and alpine brush. Matthes Crest came into view as we rounded the west shoulder of Echo Peaks, the drainage above Echo Lake between us and the start of the route. We dropped across the basin, losing several hundred feet before climbing back up, picking up the climbers trail at the base of the granite apron and reaching the start of the route a little over 2 hours from starting out.
While it initially seemed that we would have the route to ourselves for the day, a two-some showed up just as we were racking up, and there would be a handful of soloists that would pass us en route. Getting onto the ridgeline proper was some of the harder climbing of the route, around 5.7 in difficulty, and can be done in 2-3 pitches. I started up the rock for the first pitch, following sweeping flakes and broken crack systems a full 200′ up to a nice belay ledge. I brought up Carlos, the views quickly improving with the southern towers of Matthes Crest dramatically rising up behind us.
Carlos started up the second pitch, following the same series of cracks and flakes with just enough rope to put us on the ridgeline proper. Once on the ridge, the majority of the climbing was very exposed third and fourth class with some short stretches of walking mixed in. It was around 3/4 of a mile of borderline technical climbing to the higher north summit, and our plan was to simulclimb this easier terrain, pitching out the harder section including the summit pitch. I brought two Microtrax with me, and the plan was to always keep one Microtrax and a number of protection points between us, ultimately allowing long 600′ simul-pitches. I took the reins first, dropping across an easy notch and up a low angled crack/ ramp.
Although the exposure was significant on both sides, I was surprised at how wide this section of the ridge was, expecting it to be a bit more knife edge. That would come later. Carlos radioed to me when I was running out of rope and I placed the first Microtrax. The two of us then began scrambling the ridgeline together, trying to match each other’s pace.
Carlos radioed when he reached the first Microtrax and I placed the second, continuing another full rope length on a ramp just left of the main crest. When he reached the second Microtrax, I built an anchor and belayed him to me.
Now it was his turn to lead. I passed over what remained of my rack and he started out down the ridgeline, repeating the process of placing a Microtrax when we were roughly a rope length apart. This section of the ridge had a small tower that required a low fifth class traverse on the left side, and I paused to give him an actual belay for the slightly trickier spot.
In that time a soloist easily in his mid 70s cruised past us, wearing a North Face pack and outfit that looked older than I was. He looked a bit like Yvonne Chouinard, although I assume he would be wearing some brand new Patagonia gear if he was out for the day. For the third long pitch of simulclimbing, the ridgeline began to significantly narrow, the lower southern and higher northern summits now in view and the route more knife-like as advertised.
With the long pitch, I had just enough rope to reach a great tree belay and I reeled in Carlos for what would be the final pitch of simulclimbing to get us to the notch between the two summits. Since the northern summit is the true high point, we decided to skip and traverse around the lower south summit along the right side, following a low fifth class ramp past several trees to the notch between the two summits. Carlos led this final simul-pitch and belayed me off a tree.
The pitch up to the summit was the crux of the route (assuming you finish at the summit and don’t continue) and it was my turn to be on the sharp end. After letting a twosome top out, I started up climbing the highly featured crack/ corner system utilizing a 5.8 start shown in the Supertopo, although finding the climbing considerably easier than that. I made a very reachy 5.7 move out left onto an arete protected by a bomber nut, then followed knobs and flakes up increasingly easier terrain up to the summit. I built a gear anchor in the summit cracks and quickly brought up Carlos, taking about 4 hours since racking up at the base. I was pleased with our time, especially considering the unfortunate consensus online that the route would take an impossibly long time to use a rope for.
We enjoyed a late lunch and took in the hazy views around us, with Echo Peaks and Cathedral Peak to the north, the Clark Range to the south. Tenaya Peak and Mount Hoffman to the west, and Mount Lyell and Maclure in the faint distance to the southeast. We were both fairly ambivalent about continuing the ridgeline traverse, the remainder of the route involving more difficult 5.8 downclimbing that was difficult to protect. But it was still early, so I proposed climbing Echo Peaks on the way out, the series of 9 granite peaks and spires on the opposing ridge calling to us all day. It was like asking an alcoholic if he wanted another drink. We quickly agreed on the bonus summit and rappeled back to the notch off slung knobs and horns just below the summit. e were able to get back to the base with only two rappels with our 60 meter rope, although this did require some scrambling to a tree in between the two rap stations.
Back at the base we put away our climbing gear and followed the climbers trail directly into the drainage above Echo Lake, cutting across the basin steeply up slope to the notch to the right (east) of Echo Peak #1. Although it looked rough from Matthes Crest, the talus slope leading up to the notch was more solid than expected with a faint climbers trail leading up.
Echo Peak #3 is the highest of the bunch and was somewhere above us to the west. We scrambled up to the notch between peaks #1 and #2, then dropped down a third class chimney across a ramp system to access the northeast ridge of peak #3.
Initially class 2, the line to the summit quickly transitioned to short but sustained third class, and we topped out on the summit at 4 PM. The air quality had improved considerably and we enjoyed the views of Matthes Crest behind us, Half Dome and El Capitan to the west in Yosemite Valley, and Mount Conness to the northeast. The side trip had been well worth it.
After a few summit photos we retraced the route back to the class 2 slabs below, dropping into the basin between Cathedral Peak and Echo Peaks.
We briefly found the climbers trail only to lose it in slabs, ultimately cutting cross country to the Cathedral Peak approach trail on the opposite side. On real trail for the first time in hours, we picked up the pace reaching the car at 6 PM and taking just under 11 hours for the day. From there we headed back to Lee Vining and parted ways, Carlos hanging around Yosemite for another day as I headed back to Mammoth for dinner.
