Thor Peak (12,300 ft)

12/19/04

Log

08:31am - Started hiking up the road to the Portal
08:53am - Reached the trailhead
09:16am - Reached North Fork Lone Pine Creek
11:08am - Reached LBSL
02:34pm - Reached summit of Thor Peak
02:48pm - Left summit
04:04pm - Returned to LBSL
05:16pm - Returned to Main Trail
05:35pm - Returned to trailhead
05:58pm - Returned to vehicle

Stats

Time from vehicle to summit: 6 hrs 3 mins
Time on summit: 14 mins
Time from summit back to vehicle: 3 hrs 10 mins

Notes

Second successful summit

Parked 1 mile below the Portal at 7750 foot elevation (Portal is at 8300).  Last 
mile of the road had portions of clear ice.  Elevation gain from this lower
parking location was 4550 feet.

Hiked up the bowl from LBSL.  Went directly up the bowl this time instead of
turning left and hooking around under the section of reddish rock.

Brought snowshoes but didn't use them.  As expected a packed down trail
was present all the way to LBSL.  The path this time crossed over a snow bridge
to the south side of the creek and then climbed steeply staying away from the
creek and the willows.  Used crampons most of the way up the North Fork.

Snow from LBSL on was dreadful.  It was mostly an inch of crust on top of 3 feet
or more of soft powder.  Sometimes the crust would support your weight but
usually it wouldn't.  Thus, with each step you would punch through the crust
and then be up to your waist in snow.  VERY slow going through this kind of stuff.
Surprisingly the bowl above LBSL was rather hard and smooth once you got up higher.
This section was great for crampons.  It got soft again and then turned to patchy 
snow toward the top of the bowl.  The snow on the upper flat portion of Thor was
the worst.  Again, it was crust on top of deep soft powder.  The trick on this
occassion was to avoid this snow field by staying toward the right where there
was a sandy strip that was mostly free of snow.

On this occassion crampons and trekking poles were essential.  Snowshoes might
have been helpful a few times but weren't really necessary to reach Thor due to
the packed down trail.  Beyond LBSL or if you don't stay on a packed down path
snowshoes were mandatory.

Due to the low angle of the sun this time of year I was in shade nearly the
entire day.  The bowl above LBSL doesn't get any sun this time of year.

Go lighter next time!!!