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Hello,

Anyone got intel on the E/NE ridge of Peak 12,640 to the NNW of Mt. Johnson? Wondering if it's a more enjoyable route from South Lake to the top of Treasure Col to avoid the endless moraine below.

I would have thought someone that had been up Johnson before would have chimed in by now?

Anyway, I haven't been up Johnson or on the ridge you describe, but I have seen it. I was above Treasure Lakes during the first week of July (this year). I know that rubble pile looks awfully demoralizing, but that ridge just looks like more work and rubble in the sky (YMMV).

If you go, I sure hope you'll let us know. I intend on heading up there again at some point in the future (maybe next year).

In this photo, you cannot see Johnson or the subject E/NE ridge. This is looking up the beginning of the moraine which leads to Treasure col. The upper most Treasure lake is to my left about 25 yards.
https://flic.kr/p/JoyWnZ

Edit to add a GE view showing where the above photo was taken for perspective.
https://flic.kr/p/KhcKnA

Thanks SJD. I went up that moraine a few years ago, so definitely hoping for an alternate route. Johnson is my destination, and I'll be descending the S/SE side (i.e., into the moraine). So if I can at least avoid it on the way up, that would be good.

I guess I'll eyeball it when I'm there and see if it looks more enticing.

This is the best I can do... Sorry, but there will still be a lot of blanks along your intended route. These are from the summit of Mount Johnson in 1985.

The beginning of the ENE ridge of 12640+ (lower left) with South Lake beyond:

Peak 12640+ is the light colored peak at the middle left of the image. The upper ENE ridge is to the right:

Peak 12640+ and part of the connecting ridge to Mount Johnson (lower middle):

I hiked up that miserable boulder field from Treasure Lakes to climb Mount Johnson. I don't blame you for seeking an alternative, but SJD might be right about the ridge you're interested in. It does look like a lot of work, but now that I've seen these pictures again after all these years, I'd probably be quite interested in what the summit of 12,640+ was like.
Hope this helps...

Hey - great photos boyblue, thanks for posting them up.

So, as you guys indicated, there's no possibility of the the ridge route saving energy/time relative to the moraine. It looks to be at least class-3, and there would be an extra ~400ft of climbing (and descending to Treasure Col) involved.

Turns out you can mostly avoid the moraine on the way up by staying to the very right, somewhat elevated. Much easier terrain. Which made traversing the entire moraine on the way down much more acceptable.

12640's ridge looks fun though. I'll be putting it on the list for next year.

So two years later I finally tried this ridge.

Ascending it at its very beginning from the north seems to be class-5 any way you slice it. I came at it from the east, slightly south of where it begins. It's a class-3 scramble up the slope to gain the ridge. The ridge itself is pleasant class-3 for a while, but about 1/3 of the way to Peak 12,640 you come to a notch, and on the other side the ridge becomes super exposed and looks to me like class-5 -- well beyond my budget. It looks like the latter third might go back to class-3 but I wasn't close enough to tell for sure.

Oh well. The next ridge over to the west looks like it might be doable the whole way.

Hey tb, thanks for the update. Seems you had a good day out regardless of the choss pile back there. I was up there last year in July when there was still some snow covering most of the talus making for easy travel. I thought of your thread here as I ascended on the same ridge, but just for a short stretch until I dropped back into the valley on the way up.