I've done the traverse twice, once in each direction. Getting from Split to Prater is easy enough, but the tough part is between Prater and Bolton Brown. It took nearly 2hrs to cover this last distance with just a daypack. The class 3 is fairly beefy, the sort of stuff I wouldn't tackle with a backpack unless it were stripped down significantly. This is what the crest looks like from the east (BB is on the far right), and the west side doesn't look much easier.

Last year I have done the traverse from Tinemaha to Split, to Prater, to Bolton Brown, to Birch and back out to the desert. Part between Prater and Bolton Brown was spicy at one point but not for too long. Seemed like it could have been avoided by taking another gully, but who knows. It is very doable for a mortal. Just be careful with loose crap.

Good Luck.

We took 2 days to do this loop. Parked in the owens valley kind of between Birch and Tinemaha and left at around 11am or something (kind of late). We brought useless crampons and ice axe too as I remember. And my pack was on heavier side (I used to not know how to pack light back than). First day we got over Tinemaha and camped on the snow under. Next day we did Split, rest of the peaks and hiked out. 2nd day was long for sure. Really sucks traversing at around 13K all day with a heavy pack. If you pack light it is very possible to make a cool loop out of it and enjoy it. Make sure to remember where the car is parked though haha.

<remembers seeing two headlamps thrashing their way down Birch as I was driving by on 395>

exactly...it was a long second day!

3Deserts wrote:So maybe the thing to do is take two nights, and find a decent bivy spot somewhere closer to Birch, no?

I can pack light, no problem there.

If you want to do this traverse than yea that would make things easy (2 nights). There is plenty of bivy opps along the route. You can stay in the bowl under Bolton Brown on the way to Birch. Or at the col. Last day all you will have to do is get up that last 1000ft or so up Birch and get down. Way down takes quite a while, you will be happy not to rush it.

Check out the 2006 Sierra Challenge report from Bob Burd (Mt. Prater day). Most of us did Split but Bob multiplied our efforts several times over by doing this traverse.