Remote and windswept with no walk up, the quintessential High Sierra peak and scene of one of the hardest US climbs of the 19th century - Bolton Brown's South Face Route (I 5.4) which is also the descent.
The summit consists of a tricky little block overhanging the abyss - classic.
Getting There
This hike is more than an approach; it's a journey unto itself.
Day 1: Hike from Onion Valley (from 395 at Independence) over Kearsarge Pass and down to Charlotte Lake.
Day 2: Take the old shortcut trail (see an old Starr's Guide) from Charlotte Lake to Glen Pass, with wonderful views of the Brewer Group. Descend down the Rae Lakes trail but at the bottom of the pass head NW cross country and over Rae Col and into the magical Sixty Lake Basin, and soon hit the trail from Rae Lakes, follow it for a mile or so deeper into the basin, then scout out a campsite.
On the way out it may be better to take the Sixty Lake Basin Trail past Fin Dome and into Rae Lakes Basin, thence over Glen Pass, Kearsarge Pass, and so to Onion Valley. I've done the hike out in one day a couple of times, so it's doable (about 20 miles).
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