Horse Packing

Hiking to Whitney the casual way: Cottonwood to Whitney from the West Side

July 26-31: One of the more relaxed trips that Sierra Mountain Center offers is a horse-pack supported, five-day long, hiking trip to the summit of Mt. Whitney via Horseshoe Meadows and Cottonwood Pass. Don't be fooled by my casual discription of the trip - we hiked 8-13 miles per day, every day. But for me, the trip is a great way to take a break from lugging 45-lbs packs up/down steep approaches, so I savor five days where I'm just expected to walk, chat, and cook. Max and the horses and mules from Cottonwood Pack Station ferried our gear across the back of the crest - thanks Max! And thanks [...]

By SP parker|2019-06-06T07:24:08-07:00August 13th, 2009|Alpine Climbing|

Black Kaweah with Linda Emerson 8/13-17/07

In a range of mainly granite peaks Linda seems to be collecting the loose ones. Last year we did Devils Crag and other peaks of the Black Divide. This year it was Black Kaweah. Black has a reputation as hard to get to and hard to climb. Not because of any 5th class rating, but because of it’s looseness and difficult route finding. On the other hand it has a summit register going back to 1924. That alone is enough to make anyone want to climb it. We drove to Wolvertson and meet our packer ‘Rowdy” (who was actually pretty quiet) from Horse Corral packers on the 13th of August. [...]

By SP parker|2016-12-23T19:52:43-08:00September 21st, 2007|Alpine Climbing|