Wintun Glacier & Valley of The Whitebark Pines

Brewer Creek headwater valley filled with Whitebark Pines.

Above are the ash hills which so bogged down our expedition (two steps up, one step back routine. Up through those ash hills we eventually regained solid footing in the red lava which had solidified into bedrock; but there were also little lava rocks atop it, which rolled like ball bearings of various sizes, all the way to boulders.

You can see the snowfields down which a skier could careen with reckless abandon. But unseen farther to the left are overhanging ice cliffs, where the Wintun Glacier spills over the edge of shoulder shelves, dropping into crevasses.

Around the mountain farther down to the South of this East side is the Konwakiton Glacier, which has its own little surprises.

Woe be to them who plan their trips by photographs, for the physics of optics glass, and even natural vision, prevent effective portrayal of actual height. Through the magic of "foreshortening" we cannot perceive from down low how massive this looming monster is.

In this photo we are at about 1,000 -2,000 feet. (Headwater springs of Sacramento River, on the other side of the mountain, are at about 600 ft.) The top of the mountain is 14,000. The low shoulders of the campsite at the top of this ramping ridge, just beneath these snowfields, is 10,000. So we made some elevation gain, but that last 4,000 feet is a lot steeper.

Have Fun,

MBC