Raymond Mountain

Raymond Mountain 8691′
Sierra Nevada
Total Time: 5:55
Distance: 14.8 miles
Elevation Gain: 5150′
Crux: Class 2
Trailhead: Goat Meadow Snow Park, no services

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Aside from a short jaunt up nearby Goat Mountain the year before, it had been close to two years since my last significant day snowshoeing when I climbed Wawona Dome in Southern Yosemite. In that time, I was able to finally land a pair of MSR Lightning Ascents, one of the more technical pairs of snow shoes on the market. So with a decent start to the snow year I was looking for a nearby snow climb, and settled on an ascent of Raymond Mountain near the Southern Boundary of Yosemite NP. My day off landed perfectly on the Winter Solstice, and despite being the shortest day of the year I made no real effort to get out the door quickly, the Goat Meadow Snow play area and trailhead only 45 minutes from home. Although only slightly over 5,000′, there was complete snow coverage from the start, so I donned my snowshoes and started off into the forest, quickly hitting the road to the north that I intended to follow all the way to Last Chance Meadow.

It had been nearly two weeks since the las precipitation, and the snow at this elevation was well consolidated and packed by other snowshoe tracks, skis and the treads of either a brave truck or UTV with snow tread. I passed a number of junctions early and was happy to have brought a decent map, needing to reference it often with many of the junctions unmarked. Although much of the ascent would be in forest, I did reach a clearing early at the stables near Buffin Meadow, the ridgeline of Raymond Mountain and White Chief Mountain looming above.

I took my first break at the higher turn off for Long Meadow, but was a bit too cold to rest long in the shade, even with highs in the 40s for the day. At each major intersection, I expected to diverge with the tire tread I had been following, just wide enough to walk in most of the time and keeping me from breaking trail through the heavy snowpack.

But the tracks continued along the same course all the way up to Biledo Meadow, the rocky western ridge of Raymond Mountain now directly above. There were a number of unmarked spur roads and I needed to reference my GPS quite a bit to ensure I didn’t miss the turn off at Last Chance Meadow, as it was little more than a small clearing. It was here that I departed with the tire tracks and needed to break trail for my first time all day, quickly realizing that I probably would not have had the stamina to make the summit had I needed to break through snow for the previous 5+ miles.

Although the consolidated snow meant avalanche danger was low, the “Sierra Cement” was like snowshoeing in mashed potatoes, and my progressed slow dramatically as I climbed up the steepening old mining road. I briefly lost the road in clearing, found it again near a marked pine tree, only to lose it for good below the final steep slope below the saddle between Raymond and White Chief Mountains.

I tried to utilize patches of snow directly beneath pine trees that were iced over, providing a bit more solid footing, but still had long stretches of soft exposed and tedious snow to gain the upper ridgeline. The grade eased considerably on the ridge, and I was a bit surprised to find it completely covered in trees, not offering the views of the Clark Range I had been hoping for. The summit itself was a fairly indistinct bump along the ridge, the summit cairn and register likely buried in snow.

I continued past in search of a clearing, and found one about 100 yards to the west, the trees thinning with fantastic views across Southern Yosemite. The entirety of the Clark Range was laid out before me with Mount Clark, Grey Peak, Red Peak and Merced Peak across the South Fork of the Merced River, and Redtop, Gale and Sing Peaks to the southeast. Mount Ritter and Banner Peaks poked through a notch in the Clark Range in the distance, although other high summits in the Sierra were blocked from view. The Star Lakes below were buried in snow, with evidence of small avalanches forming piles of snow at the shoreline. The views across the Central Valley to the west were excellent as well, with views across and above thick Valley fog to the coastal ranges and Mount Diablo in the Bay Area.

After a quick snack and some hot chocolate, I started back down. Although I had hoped for enough time and energy to climb White Chief Mountain, it would add about 4 miles on to my already 15 mile day, and assuming it would be mostly unbroken snowy trail and cross country, I didn’t think I had the time or stamina to add on the second summit. So I dropped back down the way I came, sliding down some of the steeper slopes where I could and quickly getting back to Last Chance Meadow in about 1/3 of the time it had taken me to ascend the same distance.

Knowing that I would have the tire treads all the way back to the car, I took off my snowshoes and started down, finding this allowed me to increase my pace dramatically. The sun was dipping low on the horizon and aside from a short break near Buffin Meadow, I hiked fairly consistently to avoid getting to cold as the shadows grew longer. It was shortly before 4 PM when I made it back to the car, a number of families out sledding before the sun set on the shortest day of the year. The descent had taken about half the time of the ascent, and I hopped in the car for a quick dinner in Oakhurst before heading home to help put my daughter to bed.