On July 30th, Colin Abercrombie and I toured the Eldroado Ice Cap of North Cascades National Park climbing Primus Peak, Austera Peak and Eldorado along the way. We started at 2 am and finished at 5:40 pm for a 15:40 day. It has been since 2005 that we explored the ice cap towards Austera so it was…
Whaleback, Cloud Canyon & Big Wet Meadow
On July 23rd Joel Lanz and I completed a 50 mile adventure run up Cloud Canyon and Big Wet Meadows to climb Whaleback, one of the most remote spots in the High Sierra. We started at 2:35 am and reached the summit just before 10 am. After 45 minutes on the summit, the return trip…
The Roof of Yosemite – Lyell & Maclure
Last Saturday I climbed Mount Lyell (13,120 ft), the highest point in Yosemite National Park, and nearby Mount Maclure (12,960 ft) via Lyell Canyon and Lyell Glacier. The trip entailed about ~30 miles (22 miles along the JMT and the remainder on snow and rock). The roundtrip time for the adventure run was 8:50, which…
Mount Sill & Palisade Glacier
I climbed 14,159 ft Mount Sill on July 3rd and enjoyed spectacular scenery from the summit and through the North Fork Big Pine Creek. I had previously climbed Mount Sill via the same North Couloir route on July 9, 2009 and that it was time to return! The trail approach along the North Fork Big…
Bear Creek Spire & Mount Dade
I climbed Bear Creek Spire and Mount Dade out of Rock Creek/Little Lakes Valley in the Eastern Sierra as part of a couple days of adventure running over the 4th of July weekend. The lakes below 11k were unfrozen while the lakes above 11k remain partly to mostly frozen. With the onset of warm temperatures,…
Sanborn Trail Quake Half
Last Saturday I ran half marathon at Brazen Racing’s Sanborn Park Trail Quake event. As with most Brazen events, the distance options include a 5k, 10k and half marathon (Brazen Racing primarily focuses on the non-ultra shorter distances with over 20 events per year to chose from). I have heard great things about Brazen races so I…
Willow Camp-Steep Ravine
Another phenomenal hike on Mount Tam, this time the 8.5 mile Willow Camp-Steep Ravine Loop. In terms of sweeping vistas and stunning scenery, this loop is superior to the Steep Ravine-Matt Davis Loop in my opinion. The reason is because it includes 1.8 miles along the Coastal Trail as it traverses a steep grassy hillside…
Ohlone 50k 2011
The Ohlone Wilderness 50k, always arduous but strikingly beautiful, is a classic point-to-point course travelling from Fremont to Lake Del Valle in Livermore. The terrain of this part of the Diablo Range is characterized by gorgeous grassy hillsides, heritage oaks, and gray pine forest. The high ridges leading up to the 3,817 ft summit of…
Quicksilver 50 mile
I had a great day at the 28th Annual Quicksilver Trail Races this past Saturday in the hilly and scenic trails of Almaden Quicksilver County Park and Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Jose. This was my first attempt at the 50 mile distance so coming into…
West Point Inn Pancake Breakfast
The West Point Inn sits high on the slopes of Mount Tamalpais with a commanding view of the San Francisco Bay Area. Close by is Mill Valley, Tiburon, and Angel Island. Most of the downtown San Francisco skyline is visible along with one arch of the Golden Gate Bridge beyond the Marin Headlands. The Inn…
Leor Pantilat's Adventures