Split Mountain holds a very interesting distinction: It is the ONLY 14er in the Sierra that is (partially) in the watershed of the SOUTH Fork of the Kings River. All of the other Sierra 14ers (except Mt. Williamson, which is technically on the east side of the Sierra crest) have their west precipitation drain into either the Middle Fork Kings River (Thunderbolt Peak, North Pal, Mt. Sill, Middle Pal) or the Kern River (Mts. Tyndall, Russell, Whitney, Muir, and Langley). Of course, two other California 14ers, White Mountain and Mt. Shasta, are not in the Sierra Nevada at all.
Congratulations and happy for your 14ers acents in one year. You put in the work , love the sense of humor when I'm watching your videos. Middle Palisade?? Easy work. Keep up the hard work you guys 👍🏼,
Thanks for the great video! I did Split Mtn with my friend a few years ago and I ended up in the wrong notch. It was pretty scary to backtrack back to the fork :) I didn't realize that it was possible to actually hike much higher avoiding loose scree!
Nice! What time of the year did you go? I bet it's a bit more enjoyable with snow (Don't need to deal with the sandy stuff) Yeah it's hard to tell from below, that there's an almost flat area to walk on, just above =)
Wow! In admiration of your partner too. As for the vehicle and it’s “smart features.” Yes, I rented one like that exploring areas of the AT trailheads last year. aagg.
Love your videos. Sad that the 14'er series is almost over. Found it funny your hiking partner was wearing Adidas and what looked like an everyday backpack. If anything it goes to show that having more technical gear doesn't increase your ability, just makes you more survivable.
Thank you, Matthew. I'm sorry to disappoint you but - though the series of these summits will be complete, it's most definitely NOT over =) Yes that was one of Viv's every day backpacks, hah! I agree that, one doesn't always need a fancy backpack / gear to do everything. Sometimes we just have to adapt and use what we have. In the book Peak Persistence, the author mentions a Sherpa on Mt. Ranier who was using a plastic bag over his down jacket. Love that
Ya know, if I remember correctly, there was actually an Outback there when we arrived (If not, another Subi). I think you should be good! Just keep an eye out for rocks that are obviously too large to drive over, and definitely be mindful of where your oil pan is =) New, meaty tires would be good, to help minimize the chances of a flat. Carrying a spare with the tools to change it out would be a good idea as well. Thanks for watching, and good luck!
That’s a pretty fun looking day hike. I know that feeling of relief by finding flat ground after walking across rocks for a while. Cool you showed your car shutting off like you mentioned when a wheel loses traction. Such a strange feature. I feel like looking it up.
@@xxuncexx Ya know, I mainly came across that info on forums. That last attempt, if that last rock moved any earlier, the car wouldn't have made it up. Yeah it sucks; if it wasn't for the power being cut, the car would be perfect as a less expensive outdoor vehicle - reliable, 4wd-ish, good amount of room, all that + pretty good MPG
When I did this in 1976, I tracked down the owners of the ranch that straddles the road near the open-pit mine near the Red Mt. cinder-cone. The caretaker of the ranch worked in the mine. With the owners' permission (a pair of brothers in Oxnard), we were given the keys to the gates by the caretaker, and so had an easy job of shooting up to the trailhead from Tinemaha Camp Ground in a lowly 1969 Toyota Corona.
Did you add up your elevation gain looks like it must be in the neighborhood of 8,000 ft. quite substantial for a day hike, especially over that rugged terrain. As a day hiker would like to give it a try if I thought the road getting there wouldn't be so difficult on my Subaru, guess I'll have to give it a try anyways. I day hiked up Mt. Tom and after the experience I told myself never again, was wondering if you would rate this 8,000 ft. elevation gain hike as that kind of day hike.
Thanks! Wish I could answer your question better but, I'd say, of the 14 miles (based on my GPS), a regular car can make it "most of the way". Sorry I couldn't be more exact - if I was to guess, I'd say roughly 9 or 10.
My apologies, Tony, meant to get it up sooner! You're very welcome. I personally don't know how it's looking now but, some options are - recent social media posts, calling a ranger station and asking about current conditions or - call "Elevation Sierra Adventure", the shop in Lone Pine. John, cool guy (a guide and I believe the owner), may have info on recent trips up. Also there are probably some Whitney forums that might have trip reports as well. In addition, I'd check the weather approaching May, in case there's a spring snow dump. Hope this helps! & I'd love to hear about your trip
Hi Ryan, thanks for subscribing. Wish I had a quick answer to your question but - not exactly. There's a potential trip revisiting 14ers that I'm pondering on, which'll be quite heavy, but I'd like to experience it solo. Not sure when, or if, time will permit, though. With that said - I enjoy adventuring with others, and am open to discussing a potential trip at some point. Feel free to hit me up on IG and we can keep in touch. @YouArdeeKnow
Really enjoying your website!! Of all the 14er’s, which one seemed easiest? Reason I ask is I’m trying to get my girlfriend into hiking up there with me.
What was the temperature up and around Red Lake? Is it Still pretty chill in the mornings and nights up there? Would love to do an overnighter there. From trailhead to Red Lake it only took you three hours?
It looks like it took about 4.5-5 hours to get to Red Lake. This includes 2 generous breaks. Though our pace was fairly easy-going, keep in mind that we were pretty well acclimatized from spending 6 days in the palisades (11k-14k), just a week before (Starlight, Sill, Polemonium). Also, this trip was in September so it would've been much warmer than I imagine it is now - probably more snow as well. But for September, the weather was pretty mild during the late morning. We were able to relax in just our shirts. As for nights, I couldn't say as we headed back to the car. Thanks for watching & I hope this helps!
For camping at Red Lake though, I think it's such a nice area. There's a good amount of spots scattered in the trees. If you end up going, I'd love to hear how it went
Thanks for the response... I am heading up to trailhead tomorrow evening, will hit the trail Friday and either summit Friday or Saturday am.. I will let you know!
