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Tuolumne 2024: Daff Dome West Crack, Lembert Dome Northwest Books, Phobos, Lucky Streaks

3 Days in Tuolumne

Routes:

- West Crack (5.9, 4p, 700')
- Northwest Books (5.6 or 5.9, 2p, 300')
- Phobos (5.9, 3p, 300')
- Lucky Streaks (5.10c, 6p, 600')

A 3-day 4-route late spring climbing+camping trip to Tuolumne.

Region: California

Elev: 9,000-10,000 ft

Rock type: Granite

Type:

Date(s): June 10-12, 2024 (Mon-Wed)

Partner(s): Nate Arganbright

Related trip reports:

Eichorn Pinnacle (W Pillar)

Fairview Dome (Regular Route)

Tenya-Matthes Crest-Cathedral link-up

Cathedral Traverse: Cathedral, Eichorn, Echo Peaks, Cockscomb, Unicorn

Yosemite/Tuolumne 2007

Tuolumne 2015

Route Overlays

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Intro

For the last two years, I had been working full-time as a data analyst. While I enjoyed some of the benefits of working a full time job (house, security, etc.), I missed the longer climbing road trips of my younger years. So, when I decided to temporarily leave my job to take a full-time 6-month coding bootcamp from mid-June to mid-December, this was the perfect time to build a couple of weeks of climbing road trip into my schedule. Sunny Californian granite was calling. Nate had never climbed in California (!), so it wasn't too hard to twist his arm to join me on a two-week climbing road-trip to experience some sunny Californian granite.

Our first destination of the trip was Whitney Portal, where we enjoyed four days climbing multi pitch routes on the gleaming white granite and hanging out at camp at the Whitney Portal Campground.

The plan for the second destination was The Needles in southern Colorado, where I had climbed in 2017 and 2018 and deemed it one of my favorite places to climb. But when we arrived there after a 4-hour drive from Whitney Portal, we found the gate was closed to access. Dejected, we headed back towards the Sierra East Side and decided to crag in the shade of Pine Creek Canyon for a few days. The rock and quality of the climbing was superb and fun and Nate probably enjoyed this area the most of any destination on our trip, but I found myself craving bigger, higher routes.

Then, Tioga Pass opened for the season, so for our third destination of the trip, we decided to head to Tuolumne for a few days. I had been there a few times before and was happy to return to this land of the granite domes. We climbed in Tuolumne for three days.

Our fourth and final destination of our California adventures was Charlotte Dome. The South Face (5.8, 1500') is a Fifty Classic, and this route had been on my to-climb list for a long time. My friends Erin and Cara (of the Grand Traverse the previous summer) had just climbed it and had a blast, said there was no snow on the approach, and encouraged Nate and I to climb it.

The following page gives route overlays and pitch by pitch photos from our climbs in Tuolumne.

Climbs We Did

CLICK ON ROUTE TO DROP DOWN CONTENT

West Crack on Daff Dome is one of the earliest Tuolumne climbs first climbed in 1963 by Frank Sacherer and Wally Reed. This route climbs a 400-foot crack splitting the west flank of Daff Dome. Except for a few face moves off the ground which are protected by a bolt, the entire route is 5.8 or easier. This route is quite popular due to its moderate grade, fun well-protected climbing, and short approach. But being opening day for Tuolume for the season, we were first on route. This was a good first route of our Tuolume adventures.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd

Pitch 1

5.9

Pitch 2

5.8

Pitch 3

5.8

Pitch 4

5.5

Descent

Rappel + Scramble

One rappel with a single 70

After climbing West Crack (5.9, 4p) on Daff Dome, we still had the entire afternoon. We tried to crag at Low Profile Dome but backed off due to runnout knob climbing we were not accustomed to. We decided that the 2-pitch Northwest Books on Lembert Dome sounded like a fun couple of pitches to add to the day. This route was one of the first techincal climbs in Tuolumne (FA Warren Harding and Frank de Saussure in 1954). Two pitches of varied climbing, moderate grade, and easy access make this a popular route. But we got lucky and no one was climbing it. To add some more challenging climbing to the route, we opted for the 5.9 lieback variation on Pitch 2.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

Pitch 1

5.6

Pitch 2

5.9 or 5.6

Descent

Scramble off

Phobos is a 5-star 3-pitch sustained 5.9 at Phobos/Deimos Cliff. It has an intimidating start, but there are lots of holds and gear placements. The second pitch's perfect double hand cracks on a near-vertical wall are the best steep cracks at the grade in Tuolumne. Sharp hand jams, wild stemming, steep jugs, and endurance climbing make Phobos both feared and sought-after. This is exactly the type of climbing I love, so I led all three pitches of this route. It was a blast. We finished before noon, but I had some bootcamp work to catch up on and Nate needed to work on some estimates, so we spent the afternoon at the Mobile station in Lee Vining using their seating, power, and our hotspots.

Route Overlay

Pitch-by-Pitch Photos

Approach

2nd

Pitch 1

5.9

Pitch 2

5.9

Pitch 3

5.9

Descent

3rd

Scramble back to base of route

For our final route of our Tuolumne adventures, we decided to climb Lucky Streaks on Fairview Dome. I had climbed Lucky Streaks in 2007 on my first trip to Tuolumne. Looking up from the base, Lucky Streaks may look intimidating. However, the rock is covered with knobs making the climbing easier than it appears. The quality of this route rivals the Fifty Classic Regular Route also on Fairview Dome. The pitches are long and the protection bomber. I was happy to climb this route again with Nate.