After a rest day around Bridgeport, it was time to begin the 2016 Sierra Challenge. I have not done one of these since 2013, and the event has grown despite the peaks becoming even more secure. Coming off time by myself in the spectacular north Cascades and the Pacific volcanoes, it took some adjustment to start hiking the bland dregs of northern Yosemite with a crowd. On the other hand, the nights are cool and clothes dry here.
I greeted some familiar faces in the predawn at Twin Lakes, then took off with the crowd at 6:00 through a sea of giant RVs. After a photo a bit up the trail we began to split up, with one guy running ahead, and the rest finding their pace up the pack trail. I got passed by everyone when I stopped to put on sunscreen, then passed them back one by one, catching up to the rest as they sat at the supposed junction with an old trail leading to a lake below Hunewill.
Bob had already done most of the peaks to the east, and wisely decided to return via the sand. Since the others decided to continue east, and I had nothing better to do in Bridgeport for the better part of a day, I did likewise. We descended some obnoxious class 2-3 to the saddle with Victoria, then traversed across some loose chutes north of the serrated ridge to reach its west face. The face was much more stable than it looked, and I made good time to the crest, passing Eric and Jonathan headed in the other direction. From there it was an easy traverse to Victoria’s summit, then on to Eagle, passing through a strange stripe of volcanic rock along the way.
From here it was about 3500 feet straight down to my car by the lake. I headed east a bit, then turned south on a sort of ridge leading in the right direction. Following game trails, I settled into a ravine that went from pleasant sand to increasingly dense and rigid brush. After a traverse right and a couple of desperate brush battles, I ended up on an open, brushy sand-slope with just enough game trails to make it miserable but efficient. I emerged from the wilds to find that Bob had been back about an hour, time enough to swim and start work on the Challenge spreadsheet. After finding the showers closed, my hiking clothes and I took a quick swim as well, after which I hung out eating and watching the others trickle in.