FKT: Mike Toffey - Mt. Starr King (CA) - 2021-09-23

Athletes
Route variation
up & down from Happy Isles
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Unsupported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
7h 20m 12s
Report

Beautiful smoke free day. left the bridge at Hooy Isles and headed up the JMT, Panorama Trail, and Mono Meadow Connector before leaving the trail a little after 5 miles. I encountering some heinous bushwhacking guarding Mt Starr King almost immediately after leaving the trail. Went through 3 bad bushwhacking sections on my way up but was able to keep it to 1 bad segment on my descent. After the bushwhack I went right over the summit of peak 8574 and got my first view of the Northeast route up Starr King. Easy crack and slab climbing took me up to the summit where I signed the register and took a few quick pictures. I then downclimbed about 1/3 of the route to an old piton and did a 60m rappel from there. Untied at the end of the rope and scrambled down about 20ft to a cordelette rappel station and did 1 more 60m rappel to the end of the rope which deposited me at the toe of the climb about 15ft off the ground for one more easy downclimb. Ran around peak 8574 on the way back and found a slightly better route back to the trail. Was just about out of water so the entire run back from here I was just dreaming of refilling water at the Vernal Falls footbridge. Refilled once I got there and then jogged back out to the bridge at the Happy Isles Trailhead. All in all it was a really fun day adventure that I’ll definitely be repeating in the future.