Johanson - Sierra summits: a guide to fifty peak experiences in Californias range of light

Matt Johanson writes about the outdoors for numerous California newspapers and magazines and posts his adventures and musings about the Range of Light at sierrasplendor.com. Sierra Summits is his fifth book. Prior works include Yosemite Adventures: 50 Spectacular Hikes, Climbs, and Winter Treks and Yosemite Epics: Tales of Adventure from Americas Greatest Playground . Matts writing has won awards from the International Center for Journalists and California News Publishers Association. Matt also teaches social studies and advises an award-winning student newspaper at Castro Valley High School. He lives in Castro Valley with his wife, Karen.

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Copyright 2019 Matt Johanson
Photos by Matt Johanson unless otherwise noted
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ISBN 978-1-4930-3644-8 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4930-3645-5 (e-book)

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Printed in the United States of America

The author and The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. assume no liability for accidents happening to, or injuries sustained by, readers who engage in the activities described in this book.

Native Americans discovered and first climbed these mountains.
Though their names are unknown, they occupied my thoughts as I followed in their footsteps. This book is for them.

Mount Ritter made us fight for every foot. On the upper flanks, a sea of dirt and scree set us back one step for every two we took. But my brother and I could not quit on the mountain we climbed for our dad.

Tom Johanson climbed the same mountain with his Scout troop in 1952, when he was just 14 years old. Two weeks and 137 miles long, that journey took him through Yosemite, Ansel Adams Wilderness, and Sierra National Forest. After he died at age 77, Dan Johanson and I set out to re-create his teenage adventure as a tribute to him. The 13,157-foot summit of Mount Ritter provided the greatest challenge of our outing.

Loose rock, thin air, and route-finding challenges tested our resolve, but with thighs and lungs burning, we reached the rocky summit by early afternoon. We felt weary but joyful, and, most importantly, close to Dad. From the mountaintop he had achieved sixty-three years earlier, we called our mom to include her in the moment, drinking in the grand view of the mountains that our family loves.

The Sierra Nevada range runs 400 miles long and up to 80 miles wide. Californias tallest mountains tower above millions of acres of pristine wilderness, encompassing two national monuments, three national parks, and nine national forests. Though Native Americans inhabited this region for millennia, Spanish missionaries applied the name Sierra Nevada , meaning snow-covered mountain range, starting in 1776.

This is where Dad taught us camping, backpacking, and fishing from a young age. Our mom Diane Johanson grew up with special memories from Lake Tahoe and introduced us to that extraordinary place. I grew up in the Bay Area but moved to Tuolumne County for a reporting job at the Union Democrat newspaper as a young adult in 1994. Living in the foothills town of Sonora, I discovered Yosemite and rock climbing and got reacquainted with the pleasures of hiking and backpacking.

Author Matt Johanson and his father, Tom Johanson, enjoy a visit to Yosemite.

All of these pursuits took me to the mountains, and starting in my mid-20s, they often led to mountain summits. I reveled in reaching the airy pinnacles of Yosemites Cathedral Peak, Half Dome, and Clouds Rest with friends and family.

Climbing the 14,505-foot Mount Whitney for the first time in 1997 rates as another special memory. Our group included my cousins Peter and Maggie and my Uncle Ted, Dads brother, who had taught my brothers and me to ski. We pushed ourselves so hard on the John Muir Trail that summiting together felt like an exhilarating achievement.

Tom Johanson and companions summited Mount Ritter in 1952.

That adventure woke me to possibilities beyond Yosemite. I began climbing more peaks of the Eastern Sierra (Lone Pine Peak, Mount Conness, and Banner Peak), Lake Tahoe (Mount Tallac, Pyramid Peak, and Sierra Buttes) and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks (Big Baldy and Alta Peak).

Several summits proved challenging, like Mount Lyell and Mount Russell. These provided hard-earned victories, a few character-building setbacks, and plenty of blisters, bruises, and sore muscles. Im glad I did them, even if I drove home from some swearing Never again!

But I also discovered that abundant other mountains offer rewarding experiences without demanding as much blood, sweat, and toil. Lembert Dome, Ebbetts Peak, and Fresno Dome are examples of this inviting variety suitable for beginners and children. Some attract cross-country skiers and snowshoers, like Elephants Back and Martis Peak. Others provide favorable outings for cyclists or hikers with dogs. The Sierra Nevada range, which conservationist John Muir called the gentle wilderness, really does have something for everyone. For the most part, these adventures are available on public lands for free.

My dad inspired and participated in many other trips, journeying with me on an earlier Mount Ritter effort, to Vogelsang Peak and numerous other destinations, before he died in 2015. The Mount Whitney outing was the last I shared with Uncle Ted, who climbed cheerfully despite a terminal cancer diagnosis, and died the following year. I think they would both be pleased that more bonding moments followed (and continue) involving family and friends in the mountains we love. Mom takes her children and grandchildren on an annual Lake Tahoe vacation. Cousin Peter Johansson hosts a cross-country ski weekend each year at the cabin his parents built. Ive delighted in introducing Yosemite to my goddaughter Linnae Johansson. Cousin Andy Padlo and I have climbed more mountains together than we can count, and my wife Karen and I enjoy visiting Pinecrest Lake every summer.