Alpine Skills in the Clark Range

I just returned from instructing an alpine training program for the Outward Bound School, and it was a blast! There were six of us in total, and after leaving Yosemite Valley via the John Muir Trail, we made our way out Little Yosemite Valley and up into the Clark Range. The curriculum included snow travel and camping, and technical skills such as fixed lines and rock anchor-building. We made an attempt on the SE ridge of Mt. Clark but Patagonia-strength winds made us reconsider getting out onto the ridge proper. Big travel days and lots of information to cover made our days quite long, but it was a good chance to push it a bit and have some fun with other instructors.
For now I am figuring out what to do with some big chunks of time off, before the big work season starts in a little less than 2 weeks.


Mike Phillips leads us out of LYV.

South Face of Half Dome as seen in a pond of snow melt.

"Are we there yet?"

Chris Rogers gives a lesson on snow anchors, with Cathedral Peak and Mathes Crest in the distance.

Itamar Cohn builds an anchor during a fixed line drill.



Alisa Koyama takes backcountry cooking to the next level...

Moonset over Moraine Dome

Gnarled Juniper.

Hiking high above the valley floor.

Chris contemplates the immense South Face.