Dragon Peak to Mount Gould Traverse

John Muir Wilderness, CA
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Trip info

Distance10.7 mi
Elevation gain4,400 ft
Route typeLoop
Duration8 hr
CruxClass 3
Quality8/10

Peaks bagged

1
Dragon Peak
SPS
Vagmarken
12,927 ft / Prom. 296 ft
2
Mount Gould
SPS
Vagmarken
13,005 ft / Prom. 1,030 ft
SPS
Sierra Peaks Section
Vagmarken
Vagmarken Sierra Crest List

Trip report

Starting along the Kearsarge Pass Trail.
Keeping right at the fork for the Golden Trout Lake Trail.
View back.
The trail continues to the left. However, we crossed the stream to avoid the fragile snow bridge.
Continuing up the right side of the stream.
View back.
Bottom left: Aadi crossing back over the stream to rejoin the trail.
Class 2 boulder field.
View back.
Entering a marsh.
Stream crossing.
The trail cuts through the marsh.
View back.
Climbing up a minor chute.
View back toward the marsh (bottom right).
Dragon Peak comes into view, center.
Lower, unnamed lake.
Circumventing the lake to the left.
Upper, unnamed lake.
Again, we stayed left.
View back after crossing a snow field.
Starting up the chute to Dragon Pass.
Crossing a snow field to the dryer, north side of the chute.
View back.
Stable, Class 2 scrambling.
View back as we cross a second snow field within the chute.
Staying to the right of the snow.
View back.
Arriving at the mouth of the chute.
View back from a headwall at the top of the chute.
Class 3 crux to bypass the headwall.
Aadi climbing the Class 3 crux.
Dragon Pass, view west.
Fun Class 2 slabs.
View back toward Dragon Pass. Aadi making his way up the slabs on the left.
View east.
Class 3 along the ridge crest.
View back.
Dropping down on the east slope to bypass the large pinnacle on the left.
Contouring around a false summit, aiming for a notch above the snow patch on the left.
View back as I contour around the false summit.
Dragon Peak from the notch. I stayed below the ridge on the left before reaching some exposed Class 3 slabs.
View back from above the exposed Class 3 slabs.
The notorious "airy traverse": an exposed slab with a horizontal crack that makes for good footholds.
View back at Aadi crossing the airy traverse.
Dragon Peak summit.
View east.
View southwest. Mount Gould, our next objective, is on the far left.
Descending the airy traverse on the way back to Dragon Pass.
Staying to the right of this large pinnacle at Dragon Pass. Our ascend route came up from the left.
Easy Class 2 at the start of the traverse to Mount Gould.
View back toward Dragon Peak.
Mount Gould visible left. We crossed this snow field to stay on the ridge crest.
View back along the ridge crest. We crossed the snow field on the right.
Cliff band with a Class 3 weakness, left of center.
View back.
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).
View back at a Class 3 downclimb.
Contouring to the saddle.
View back.
Starting up the west slope of Mount Gould.
Mount Gould summit block visible, right of center.
Class 3 to gain Mount Gould's summit block.
View back as Aadi's climbs the Class 3 section below Mount Gould's summit block.
Mount Gould summit. View southwest toward the Kearsarge Pinnacles.
View back on the descent of Mount Gould. Aadi is sitting atop the summit block.
Keeping to the left of the ridge, initially.
Descending Mount Gould's southeast slope. Nice view of Big Pothole Lake below.
View back up the scree slope.
Joining the Kearsage Pass Trail.
View back as the trail hugs Gilbert Lake.
Descending into Onion Valley.
University Peak from the Kearsage Pass Trail.
Almost back at the parking lot.

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