Galen Rowell was one of the best-known photographers of the last 30 years, and he has been a major influence on me and my photography since the 1990’s. However, before I knew of him as a photographer I was aware of his exploits as a climbing pioneer, first in Yosemite Valley, then in the high Sierra and eventually in the greater ranges around the world. In July my long time climbing partner, Chuck Porter, and I ventured down highway 395 to the east side of the Sierras to try our hand at climbing a classic Galen Rowell route, the North Arete of Bear Creek Spire (5.8, 10 pitches).
Galen climbed the North Arete in the early 1970’s after he decided it was time to take the climbing skills he had developed in Yosemite to the higher reaches of the backcountry.
To get to Bear Creek Spire we took the Tom’s Place exit off of Hwy. 395 south of Mammoth Lakes and followed Rock Creek Road up to Mosquito Flat. At 10,200 feet, the trailhead is one of the highest in the entire range. Chuck and I began our approach at 4:15 AM hoping to be back at the car in the mid afternoon. The first three or four miles of the hike follows flat trails along numerous lakes in the Rock Creek Valley, a popular backpacking destination. The second half of the approach was more difficult, and involved traversing a couple of miles of steeper talus slopes. All along the approach we had excellent views of Bear Creek Spire sitting in its lofty location at the head of the valley.
We reached the base of the North Arete at nearly 13,000 feet by about 8:00 AM. From here we roped up and began climbing the arete from its lowest point. We had hoped to complete the climbing portion of the day in four or five hours, but quickly ran into sections of the climb that were too narrow to climb easily with packs on. This necessitated climbing some short pitches and hauling the packs past the narrow areas. These delays combined with the affects of altitude stretched our time on the rock to eight hours. However, the rock was excellent and the position on the steep buttress was amazing. The weather was warm and stable, so we were not too concerned about being behind schedule.
Further up we were able to simul-climb the 4th class and easy 5th class ridge to the top. The summit of Bear Creek Spire consists of a small pointed block with only enough room for one person to perch on at a time. Chuck carefully made the last few moves and pulled himself up to stand on the highest point in this portion of the Sierra.
Safely down on the lower angled west side of the mountain we ate our lunch and began the descent, which would prove to be the most strenuous part of the day. The upper part of the descent requires steep down climbing on dangerous loose boulders covered with dirt. Further down the angle lessened and the boulders became more stable, but there was still another three miles of rugged scree fields to cross before reaching the trail. We trudged back to the car right as the last light of the day was fading after 17 hours on the go.
My best landscape photography is often captured in a slow and thoughtful process, spending time finding the right composition and waiting for the right light, as many of Galen’s classic Sierra images were. However, for this trip it was Galen’s love of adventure and climbing that provided inspiration more than his photos. I was more than satisfied with documenting the climb in photographs as best I could while enjoying a day in the mountains with a good friend.