John Muir Wilderness > Mount Tom > Climber's LogMount Tom Climber's Log
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[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
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| Diggler | slog to the heavens- complete north ridge  Date Climbed: May 29, 2013 | |
| Started out at Rovana, gaining the ridge at its lowest point (ca. 5,000'), making for an 8,000'+ day. Left truck (slightly uphill) at 10.11 (had wanted to start much earlier, but raining on ridge until shortly before I started), starting up ridge at 10.26. A brutal 'hike' from the get-go, with steep sand, along with circuitous route-finding required to avoid ever-present brush. Things improved somewhat in the tree zone (less brush, at least), and got better the higher one went; that is, until one starts encountering the numerous, heart-breaking false summits... Summited finally at 18.33. A couple of summit photos, signing the summit register, and opening the obligatory summit beer. Left summit at 18.53. Managed to descend a few thousand ft. before enveloped by darkness; part of me didn't want to do the descent in the darkness, so I initially made an attempt at bivying, to hold out until the sun arrived. I got chilly, though, and eventually decided it would be better to go and at least make a descent attempt, staying warm in the process. Descent ended up being mostly uneventful, and eventually got back to the truck at 5.16. WHAT A DAY!!!! If it weren't for the sheer amount of SLOGGING and vertical gain, some scrambling sections would actually be enjoyable. While it is cool to finally have done Mt. Tom, and from the bottom all the way to the top, it is a BRUTAL undertaking; not sure I could recommend it but to the heartiest masochists. | |
| Posted May 30, 2013 5:27 pm | ||
| soslaw | Horton Lakes Date Climbed: Sep 10, 2012 | |
| Rock on the right hand side of the chute above the mine offers class 2-3 and made the climb. | |
| Posted Sep 10, 2012 8:18 pm | ||
| SkyPilot84 | From Gable Lakes Date Climbed: Sep 2, 2012 | |
| We camped at the easternmost Gable Lake and made it up to Hanging Valley via an easy class 3 chute to the north of "Four Gables Pass". From there it was the standard route up the backside of the peak. Lots of loose rock, but well worth it considering the views from the top! | |
| Posted Sep 8, 2012 5:21 am | ||
| calipidder | The sloggiest slog that ever slogged Date Climbed: Sep 3, 2012 | |
| Loved the hike to the mine, and the final bit along the summit ridge, but the slogfest in between? Blah. | |
| Posted Sep 6, 2012 4:30 pm | ||
| Scott M. | Horton/Tungstar Date Climbed: Jul 3, 2012 | |
| Day hike on a warm summer day. Glad I started early! Great views. | |
| Posted Jul 3, 2012 11:54 pm | ||
| hightinerary | Big Boy by Bishop Date Climbed: Jul 16, 2004 | |
| I slogged up the talus and was glad I did. | |
| Posted Jul 30, 2011 4:18 pm | ||
| Climber Dave | From Gable Lakes Date Climbed: Jul 9, 2011 | |
| Road to Horton Lakes, the normal route, was washed out. Decided to go up from other side, Gable Lakes. We had to avoid lots of hard snow which required a long circuitous route going up (was able take a more direct route coming down)making for a long day, great views from the top | |
| Posted Jul 20, 2011 12:18 pm | ||
| Jeremy Hakes | Cool. Date Climbed: Jun 3, 2007 | |
| With Centralia. | |
| Posted Jan 18, 2011 11:39 pm | ||
| Bob Burd | Horton Lakes Date Climbed: Sep 26, 2004 | |
| With Matthew. Trip Report | |
| Posted Jan 4, 2011 10:07 pm | ||
| BranchWhitney | Horton Lake Date Climbed: Sep 10, 2010 | |
| Not a bad route if you move west at around 12,800 feet onto more solid rock. There are outstanding views from the ridge to the summit. | ||
| Posted Sep 12, 2010 6:41 pm | ||
| Michael Graupe | From Horton Lake TH Date Climbed: Aug 1, 2010 | |
| Climbed the ribs above the mine to avoid the loose stuff which worked out great. Awesome views! Little more than 8 hours car to car. | |
| Posted Aug 2, 2010 4:51 pm | ||
| wmolland | Elderberry Canyon Ski Descent Date Climbed: Apr 26, 2010 | |
| On the snow after only 20 minutes of hiking, then a long ways up to the north ridge and up to the summit. It is a LONG way from the ridge to the summit, much longer than I thought. Awesome 5000 foot ski descent all the way back almost to my car. Sweet canyon and an awesome ride down. | |
| Posted May 2, 2010 12:29 am | ||
| Princess Buttercup | From Pine Creek Date Climbed: Sep 13, 2008 | |
| Up the Gables Lake trail from Pine Creek, then across to the Hanging Valley mine, up the west ridge, then descend to the other mines and down the slot canyons. nice day. | |
| Posted Nov 30, 2009 11:59 pm | ||
| cottersnow | North Ridge Date Climbed: Nov 10, 2005 | |
| I've done this route twice. The most memorable was when we camped on the ridge at 12,500' or so and drank a ton of whiskey and ate jelly bellys | ||
| Posted Nov 29, 2009 7:55 pm | ||
| sardude | did it Date Climbed: May 26, 2003 | |
| Did with my 7-year-old son. first time was the year before | |
| Posted Sep 23, 2009 6:44 pm | ||
| mhengst | Climbed from Horton Lakes Date Climbed: Sep 20, 2009 | |
| Great views from the top and we picked the perfect day as there wasn't a cloud in sight. The approach via the scree above the mine was less than pleasant but it gets better near the top. | |
| Posted Sep 22, 2009 5:15 pm | ||
| cp0915 | Horton Lakes Date Climbed: Aug 29, 2009 | |
| TH to summit in 4:15 (including a 30+ min. break at 11,000 ft. on the way up). Bagged Hanging Valley Peak (12,260 ft.) via its pleasant class 3-4 south ridge on the way back. Good day out with Hugh de Q and Pedro Yamagata. | |
| Posted Aug 31, 2009 10:29 am | ||
| MoapaPk | slog slog slog slog Date Climbed: Aug 29, 2009 | |
| Horton Lakes route: try crossing to ridge S of gully, after Tungstar Mine. | |
| Posted Aug 30, 2009 9:14 pm | ||
| boyblue | Gable Lakes Date Climbed: May 27, 1984 | |
| I camped near the middle lake of the 3 southern Gable Lakes. From camp I climbed and traversed peak 12120+ to gain Hanging Valley. Climbed Tom via southwest ridge- staying on crest as much as possible. Great view! Clear and windy. Explored some of the mines on the way back. Climbed peak 12200+ and traversed back to and over peak 12120+ to get back to camp. | |
| Posted Aug 23, 2009 3:29 pm | ||
| bruceg | Horton Lake Date Climbed: Jul 6, 1991 | |
| A great mountain. Good geology and mining history. Climbed with Nina and Ed. | |
| Posted Jul 31, 2009 2:34 pm | ||
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