I had planned to solo the E Chute of Basin Mountain this week as part of my early season warm-up. With increasingly warmer nighttime temps I knew that the snow conditions in the gully would rapidly deteriorate, and there was no way I wanted to wait until summer when the chute becomes a heinous scree slog. On one of my regular visits to Black Sheep I pitched the idea to the other Michelle and she (somewhat reluctantly) agreed to come along.
After a 5:30a start from Bishop we were pleased to find almost ideal snow conditions - soft enough to dispense with crampons and almost no postholing. The constant winds that had been present for the past few days were gone, and the views of Humphreys and Checkered Demon were spectacular. The 400 ft of Class 4 rock was a nice treat after the necessary snow slog, as was the lengthy glissade.
Jascha kindly accompanied me this past Sunday on my first climb of the alpine season, the SE face of Mt Emerson, known for its short approach, high quality granite, occasional running water on the crux, and fun exposed ridge traverse. We were rewarded with breathtaking views of Piute Pass and the Evolution peaks, in addition to a few random snowflakes on the summit (odd because the nearest clouds were over Lamark Lakes). With the lingering snow on the S/SE chute, we avoided part of the normally annoying scree descent by glissading. The time savings made it worth enduring the discomfort of our frozen butts.
L.A. often gets an undeservingly bad rap. Being a former long-time Oakland/Berkeley resident I am guilty of being a one time L.A. hater, but a year plus of immersion helped me see the light. In honor of L.A. & vicinity here is my best of list (warning: heavy Los Feliz/E Hollywood slant):
Outdoors
- Echo Cliffs | Yes, I realize that technically it's closer to the Stepford community of Westlake Village than L.A., but you'd be hardpressed to find this quality & quantity of climbing as close to the E Bay.
- San Gabriels | miles of kickass singletrack that is mostly legal for MTBs
- Other amazing climbing areas within 4h of L.A. include Red Rocks, J-tree, Tahquitz, and my favorite playground, the High Sierra.
Food
- Alcove | Euro cafe with great outdoor seating and amazing desserts
- Cafe Tropical | popovers!
- Chosun Galbee | slightly upscale Korean with interesting modern architecture and excellent bibimbap, the standard by which I judge all K restaurants
- Cedar House | another great Middle Eastern place; combo plates highly recommended
- Hollywood Farmers Market | great place to spend a lazy Sunday morning and pick up some phenomenal produce and flowers
- Jitlada | great southern Thai food with unfortunately somewhat inconsistent service
- Kyushu Ramen | J comfort food, and yes, I like it better than Daikokuya
- Pollo a la Brasa | easily overlooked shack run by Japanese Peruvians with succulent anticuchos and aji
- Red Corner Asia | my favorite of the late night Thai restaurants, mostly b/c they have sticky rice
- Taco Zone Truck | mouth watering carnitas tacos for something like $1.25
- Village Gourmet (Vermont location) | The Petit Basque cheese is phenomenal. Helpful, non-snobby staff
- Zankou Chicken (Sunset x Normandie location) | For me it's the shish kabob that's the draw, not the chicken
Nightlife
- Das Bunker | Best industrial club around
- Dresden Room | Check out open mike night on Tuesdays hosted by local fixtures Marty & Elaine.
- White Horse | I'm not a big drinker, but I like the White Horse - great staff and a plethora of snacks just like grandma used to serve.
Health
- Pho Siam Thai Spa | Kathy and Lynn at Pho Siam have kept my TFL tendinitis in check as well as the Boulder Rolfers
- Dr. Frances Wang (acupuncturist; 4924 Hollywood Blvd, 323.913.0247) | Definitely one of the most competent and caring doctors I have met
Frivolous Stuff
- Faroh Hair Design | as previously noted in my blog
- Goodwill on Vine | best of the Hollywood Goodwills
- L.A. Flower Market | If you dig through the hoards of Phalaenopsis and Gladiolus there are hidden treasures to be found, like Brassia and Sarracenia.
- Wacko | my library and pop/folk art collection on steroids
Well, I am finally a Bishop resident and sitting in my room listening to my redneck neighbors blasting Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is", something I've dreamed about for at least ten years (OK, maybe not the Foreigner part). I realize it's somewhat temporary, as I'm off to Asia in November, but I will take it for now. It's been a bit difficult trying to pace myself with the plethora of outdoor activities (and lack of a job). The high country is still a bit snowed in, but it's melting fast and the peaks are opening up for us fair weather alpinists. For the past week it's been bouldering, cragging, running, and flailing on my AT skis, but the SE face of Emerson is on the list for the weekend as the first peak of the season. Can't beat the quick approach even with the N Lake road closure.
Yes, I'm a giant nerd when it comes to maps (among other things). I love topos. Big kudos to Google for adding contours to their Terrain maps. Score major points if you guess the traverse of which these peaks form the start.View Larger Map
I set off from the house yesterday intending to boulder/run in the Tablelands, but clouds of blowing dust across Hwy 6 led me to ditch my bouldering plans and detour NW into the canyons of the Sierra for a hike/run. I figured that the Rock Creek trail would be fairly sheltered from the wind and exited 395 at the Rovana/Lower Rock Creek Road. A mile up the road I turned around and decided to check out Pine Creek instead. I hadn't been up there since the 2004 Sierra Challenge, but I am planning to do a ridge traverse there later this summer and it seemed like worthy of a recon.
Morgan Creek Falls before it plateaus out around 9600 ft. The creeks were raging with the recent snow melt. Granite Park was completely snowed in, but I am looking forward to returning when the alpine meadows are in full view. The wind was surprisingly calm considering the high country weather forecast and the valley conditions, although I started getting cold and opted to turn around at Pine Lake.
