These photos may be viewed as a slide show or an indexed list. There is also a 1981 Mount Conness Trip Map (BIG, 300K).

This is an appreciation of Mount Conness, a prominent peak located on the eastern border of Yosemite National Park, on the Sierra Crest. With a distinctive toothy appearance, Mount Conness (12,590') is easily seen from the Tuolumne Meadows area to the west, and from the Hoover Wilderness north of Saddlebag Lake. The mountain is named for Senator John Conness, a key figure in the legislation creating the Whitney Survey, which mapped the Sierra Nevada.

The first time I really noticed Mount Conness was in June of 1975, on a hike down the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River. Near Glen Aulin, there is a tremendous view of the mountain, as you look up Conness Creek. In August of that year, my friend Paul Smith and I spent a couple of days exploring the Conness Lakes Basin, near Saddlebag Lake.

I returned to that area in 1981 with another friend, Terry Whitman. On that trip, we first climbed North Peak, which is right next to Conness. The next day, we began an attempt to climb Mount Conness. We climbed to the head of Conness Glacier and were examining a couple of snow bridges across the prominent bergschrund. Just then, a roped party consisting of two married couples arrived and tried to cross. They invited us to join them. Terry declined, because he lacked an ice axe. Neither of us had crampons, either.

I tied in to the rear of the party. After looking at one snow bridge and deciding against it, the group reversed direction and suddenly I was the leader! I crossed on another snow bridge, without incident. The deep blue appearance of the glacial ice and the crevasse were daunting. This glacier is a mere postage stamp, compared to Rainier's Muir or even Shasta's Whitney, but it appeared larger than life to me!

After crossing the snow bridge, I led the group around a rock ledge above the bergschrund and stepped out into a steeply sloping snow chute. Climbing quickly, I made deep kick steps for those following me. One of the couples was an elderly German pair, and the wife began chattering, in her native tongue, "Otto! I'm going to fall!" Thankfully, she didn't fall, as I am here to write this account. However, I stayed in an arrest position all the way up the class 3 chute.

We gained the east ridge without incident, and it was an easy class 2 scramble from there. On the summit, we shot a bunch of pictures and had a snack. The view down the east and west faces was pretty impressive. On the way down, the two couples went back to their camp, which was located several miles from ours. It was fun to descend the Conness Lakes Basin alone, including a long glissade. From the top, it was easy to avoid the bergschrund. Having the immense basin to myself was like being in a huge cathedral.

I visited the area again in 1985, by myself. On that trip, I ascended to the east ridge and contemplated a solo summit attempt. However, a big lightning storm was approaching from Mount Dana, to the south. When my hair began to stand on end, I decided to go back down to the trees.

My wife and I came back to the area in 1986, on our honeymoon. The mosquitos were very bad at that time, so we limited our stay to the waterfall area below Conness Lakes Basin. I shot what would have been 36 great pictures, only to find there was no film in my camera!

I took my daughter to the Saddlebag Lake area in 1995, when she was three. We had fun hiking around Greenstone Lake and looking at Mount Conness and North Peak. The three of us went back there in 1997, with another hike around Greenstone Lake.

Enjoy my photos! You can view them as a slide show or an indexed list. You can also see hi res versions of some of these images. Here is a map from the 1981 trip (BIG, 260K).

In 2006 I got a nice email message from Richard Conness, the great grandson of Senator John Conness, with compliments about the hikes and photos on this web site.

In 2007, I climbed Mount Conness again, with Kathy Wing and other fine folk. Here are photos from the 2007 ascent.

Best Regards,

Frank R. Farmer

ffarmer