Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

June 29th, 2024 at 7:30 AMJohn Muir Wilderness, CA

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Info

Distance

10.7 mi

Elevation gain

4,400 ft

Route type

Loop

Duration

8 hr

Crux

Class 3

Quality

8/10

Ecoregion

Peaks bagged

1

SPS

Vagmarken

12,927 ft / Rise 296 ft

2

SPS

Vagmarken

13,005 ft / Rise 1,030 ft

SPS
Sierra Peaks Section
Vagmarken
Vagmarken Sierra Crest List

Report

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Starting along the Kearsarge Pass Trail.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Keeping right at the fork for the Golden Trout Lake Trail.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — The trail continues to the left. However, we crossed the stream to avoid the fragile snow bridge.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Continuing up the right side of the stream.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Bottom left: Aadi crossing back over the stream to rejoin the trail.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Class 2 boulder field.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Entering a marsh.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Stream crossing.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — The trail cuts through the marsh.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Climbing up a minor chute.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back toward the marsh (bottom right).

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Dragon Peak comes into view, center.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Lower unnamed lake.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Circumventing the lake to the left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Upper unnamed lake.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Again, we stayed left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back after crossing a snow field.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Starting up the chute to Dragon Pass.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Crossing a snow field to the dryer, north side of the chute.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Stable, Class 2 scrambling.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back as we cross a second snow field within the chute.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Staying to the right of the snow.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Arriving at the mouth of the chute.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back from a headwall at the top of the chute.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Class 3 crux to bypass the headwall.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Aadi climbing the Class 3 crux.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Dragon Pass, view west.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Fun Class 2 slabs.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back toward Dragon Pass. Aadi making his way up the slabs on the left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View east.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Class 3 along the ridge crest.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Dropping down on the east slope to bypass the large pinnacle on the left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Contouring around a false summit, aiming for a notch above the snow patch on the left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back as I contour around the false summit.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Dragon Peak from the notch. I stayed below the ridge on the left before reaching some exposed Class 3 slabs.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back from above the exposed Class 3 slabs.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — The notorious "airy traverse": an exposed slab with a horizontal crack that makes for good footholds.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back at Aadi crossing the airy traverse.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Dragon Peak summit.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View east.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View southwest. Mount Gould, our next objective, is on the far left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Descending the airy traverse on the way back to Dragon Pass.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Staying to the right of this large pinnacle at Dragon Pass. Our ascend route came up from the left.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Easy Class 2 at the start of the traverse to Mount Gould.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back toward Dragon Peak.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Mount Gould visible left. We crossed this snow field to stay on the ridge crest.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back along the ridge crest. We crossed the snow field on the right.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Cliff band with a Class 3 weakness, left of center.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Staying left of the ridge crest. Somewhere ahead we got cliffed out, and crossed over the ridge via a narrow, Class 3 chimney (not pictured).

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back at a Class 3 downclimb.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Contouring to the saddle.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Starting up the west slope of Mount Gould.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Mount Gould summit block visible, right of center.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Class 3 to gain Mount Gould's summit block.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back as Aadi's climbs the Class 3 section below Mount Gould's summit block.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Mount Gould summit. View southwest toward the Kearsarge Pinnacles.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back on the descent of Mount Gould. Aadi is sitting on top of summit block.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Keeping to the left of the ridge, initially.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Descending Mount Gould's southeast slope. Nice view of Big Pothole Lake below.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back up the scree slope.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Joining the Kearsage Pass Trail.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — View back as the trail hugs Gilbert Lake.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Descending into Onion Valley.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — University Peak from the Kearsage Pass Trail.

Trip report photo for Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse — Almost back at the parking lot.

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