South Chief, Table Mtn [added: snowy success!]
Posted: February 3rd, 2018, 11:37 pm
Wasn't sure what to do today, so threw a bag together and pondered it on the drive up the gorge. Decided to poke around the Greenleaf Slide a bit. Followed the Two Chiefs trail to Greenleaf Creek, but the creek crossing was a bit tricky, so I decided to do it another day (lower water, or from the other side).
Explored all over, but the thing that really caught my eye was the south end of the Table Mountain cliffs. Barely visible through the clouds, and accessible (I hoped) via talus slopes. Up I went. Pretty straightforward. I gained the top of the cliffs and discovered it was actually a fairly well-defined ridge. Continued up until I reached what I assumed had to be the South Chief, which I've been wanting to visit for a few months now. Confirming my suspicion of where I was, I spotted a cliffedge headed north, presumably towards the North Chief. Because it was so cloudy, one might feel some uncertainty, but I figured there was noplace else on Table where the topography would look like that. Sadly, at the most interesting part of my hike, it started raining in earnest, and continued through the brushiest part of my hike. Of course, that may have been related to elevation more than just bad luck.
Continued north to the North Chief, until my west-side traverse brought me to a ridge that looked consistent with the mossy rocky ridge that leads from Heartbreak Trail to the North Chief. I took a chance and dropped down that ridge until, lo and behold, I ran into Heartbreak Trail. Although I was moderately certain where I was the whole way, I'll admit it was very comforting to hit an actual trail, and a known one to boot. Followed it down to PCT, exploring here and there along the way.
One of the mysteries of the day was how I manged to miss Sac/Pap rocks, but I now realize (looking at the map) that my ascent took me between Sac/Pap and South Chief. Visibility was so poor, I didn't realize at the time how it all fit together.
South Chief is now on my return-when-it's-clear list, so I can see the views from my route. I bet it's an outstanding view of Table Mountain.
Explored all over, but the thing that really caught my eye was the south end of the Table Mountain cliffs. Barely visible through the clouds, and accessible (I hoped) via talus slopes. Up I went. Pretty straightforward. I gained the top of the cliffs and discovered it was actually a fairly well-defined ridge. Continued up until I reached what I assumed had to be the South Chief, which I've been wanting to visit for a few months now. Confirming my suspicion of where I was, I spotted a cliffedge headed north, presumably towards the North Chief. Because it was so cloudy, one might feel some uncertainty, but I figured there was noplace else on Table where the topography would look like that. Sadly, at the most interesting part of my hike, it started raining in earnest, and continued through the brushiest part of my hike. Of course, that may have been related to elevation more than just bad luck.
Continued north to the North Chief, until my west-side traverse brought me to a ridge that looked consistent with the mossy rocky ridge that leads from Heartbreak Trail to the North Chief. I took a chance and dropped down that ridge until, lo and behold, I ran into Heartbreak Trail. Although I was moderately certain where I was the whole way, I'll admit it was very comforting to hit an actual trail, and a known one to boot. Followed it down to PCT, exploring here and there along the way.
One of the mysteries of the day was how I manged to miss Sac/Pap rocks, but I now realize (looking at the map) that my ascent took me between Sac/Pap and South Chief. Visibility was so poor, I didn't realize at the time how it all fit together.
South Chief is now on my return-when-it's-clear list, so I can see the views from my route. I bet it's an outstanding view of Table Mountain.