“The importance is not how you get from peak to peak, but that you get to all three peaks”
I took this description to heart and decided to put some classic FKT tactics to use! Reading about FKT routes like Long’s Peak and Half Dome (which have historically been done via unconventional or unmaintained trails) inspired me to try to find the shortest point to point distance on this one. I’m not sure about the legitimacy of choosing a route like this, but it was an awesome day either way!
I started my watch at the R1 lot and ended it at the Firestone sign on the corner. Due to unfortunate timing, I lost a full minute at the Santa Rosa / Highland stoplight which was a major bummer. I chose to cut some distance off of Bishop by using the climbing access trail to get to P-Wall and then followed a low 5th class gully for ~60ft before catching another climbers trail up to the summit blocks. On CSL, I followed the drainage on the northwest side of the peak (before the neighborhood on foothill starts) and took this to the main trails. I honestly think I lost some time on Bishop going this way because of the steepness / technicality of the route, but who knows. I also took a pretty silly misstep on the M trail coming down from CSL and wiped out into the dust. Got a little scraped up, but mainly just lost the flow.
This was my first time doing the tri-tip after 5 years in SLO... I’m moving away in about 5 weeks so I felt like I had to try it out! Stoked to see what times people throw down on this thing in the coming years.