After an aborted attempt at this route 4 years ago, which was followed by a few years of not being sure I’d ever run again and a surgery, I came back to take a crack at this route for some closure. I did this as part of a training weekend, fitting in another couple hour run in Tuolumne on the way home. I’m sure someone with more fitness could take another hour or two off this time, but I’m quite content with how this went overall.
I did this East->West like Eli and Jessica, and I convinced a friend to help support me by hiking supplies up to Glass Mountain and meeting me by the end with the car. I saw no water along the route except what we brought. I stopped to refill water and restock gels from my support atop Glass Mountain, and again at the water cache I left myself at Crooked Meadows to refill water and empty the sand from my shoes before all the running on solid ground. Scoping out roads the day before was helpful given we had a 2wd not-high-clearance car, as we found some ways are OK but others are not. We opted to park 3-4mi from the Bald Mountain Lookout for the end due to some deep sand, so after finishing I still had to walk a bit. The route was 100% clear of snow, and temperatures were warm but not terribly hot.
The initial climb up from Watterson Troughs was a real treat. Partially runnable at a nice grade, fairly solid footing, and great views right from the start. The road peters out between Cone and Wilfred, at which point the real fun began. The off-trail connection from there to Crooked Meadows was generally loose and gravely/sandy, often quite steep, and pleasantly open – running was generally possible for modest uphill and all downhill grades. This section had the real killer scenery, too: as advertised, unobstructed views of the Sierras, Whites, Crowley Lake, Mono Lake, and more. As the linkup goes on, you trade scenery for speed, and the first several steep peaks give way to more rolling loose terrain. Eventually I reached solid footing again on forest roads for the last ~10 miles, by which time some fatigue had set in. Sure, the last bit is a slog, but I thought the rolling meadows and ghostly burn zones were scenic in their own way, and you can really make up time on the packed surface. Overall, great route, great weather, great day. The views were killer, the terrain was interesting but not technical, and the solitude was serene. Thanks to Emma for the support, and to Jessica and Eli for the beta on this cool linkup!
Approximate splits:
- Cone Peak – 1:31
- 2:06 Wilfred Peak – 2:06
- Kelty Peak – 2:47
- Glass Mountain Ridge – 3:12
- Glass Mountain – 3:40
- Glass Mountain North – 4:05
- Sentinel Meadow Peak – 5:24
- Bald Mountain – 7:53