Mt. Spencer - North Ridge

1 Aug 1997 - by John Dalbey

Just as we hiked into the Evolution Basin from the west, Mt. Spencer caught our eye. Evolution lake lay placidly before us, and handsomely crowning the landscape beyond is Mt. Spencer. The peak isn't particularly noteworthy by mountaineering standards. Certainly dwarfed in size by it's giant neighbors, Mendel and Darwin, yet Spencer's north face is very appealing to the climber's eye. It has a classic pyramid form and the clean granite looks very inviting.

There was no mention of any climbing routes on the north face in the Secor guidebook, so the next day we set out to see what we could find. We discovered a great line on what might be called the north ridge or buttress. It involved about four hundred feet of 4th or easy 5th class climbing. We stayed mainly on the most exposed, direct line to the summit. It was very fun climbing on good rock. The view from the top was great, as we could see the Evolution Basin spread out below us.

Mt. Spencer isn't a destination peak, but if you are passing through the Evolution Basin, don't miss it.

Photo

Mt. Spencer as seen from Evolution Lake Our route ascended the left skyline.

jdalbey@calpoly.edu


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