W6/NS-103 Mokelumne Peak

Mokelumne Peak is the most prominent peak in Amador County, and probably has the best views of any peak in the county. The peak is in the middle of the Mokelumne Wilderness, and requires a long hike to reach it from any direction. I chose to start at the Tanglefoot Trailhead, to the west of the peak. I followed the directions on the SummitPost page, and they took me right to the start.

There was a lot of information at the trailhead.

The trail starts off easy, climbing over a small hill and by some swamps before descending into Tanglefoot Canyon. This was about 500 feet down, and the trail down reminded me of New Hampshire, with lots of loose rocks.

First view of the peak, across the canyon.

At the bottom, the trail begins to deviate from the one printed on the Forest Service maps. The trail cut across the canyon floor, then started climbing up to Moraine Lake. There are a lot more switchbacks on this section than indicated on the map. I think that they made the climb up to the lake more pleasant.

Break time at the lake.

I stopped and took a break at the lake, and the sun seemed like it wanted to come out, but it didn't. There were some ducks flying and swimming around, and plenty of mosquitoes. I had to put on some bug spray before continuing. From the lake, the slope is more gentle, and the trail required fewer switchbacks.

Time to step off the trail.

I continued up the trail until I got to about 8000 feet. Here I found a good spot and stepped off the trail. I saw no reason to go over the sub-peak, so I aimed for the col between the peaks. I found it was easier traveling if I stayed in the trees. At the col I started following the ridge up to the peak, and got my first real views.

The peak is getting closer. Only a few hundred feet to go.

At around 8800 feet the trees ended, and shortly after the boulders started. This made the final climb up to the summit more interesting. Most of the rocks didn't move, so it was easier than if it had been loose scree. Finally, 3.5 hours after leaving the trailhead I made it to the summit.

Looking back at the ridge I just walked up.

There is a small windbreak at the summit, with space for two or three people to sit in. It wasn't very windy, so I sat on the edge and had a comfortable seat.

Marker at the top.

The summit canister was empty, so I took a piece of paper out of my notebook and left it. I think there are some mice on top that have eaten the last one. After taking in the view I got set up. I had barely any cell service, just enough to send out a few texts.

Antenna setup, looking south.

As I was setting up, the sun came out, and it was great. I could see the Sierra crest to the East, and I could make out Mt Diablo in the Bay Area, Mts St Helena, Cobb, and Konockti up in Lake County. With my HT I had no trouble hitting the N6NFI repeater in the Palo Alto foothills. I started on 30 meters, and got 16 contacts. Calling on 20 and 40 resulted in nothing. I also called for a while on VHF and UHF, and was surprised not to get any responses. This seems like it would be a great peak for VHF.

Looking North. The peaks to the left are in the Desolation Wilderness, near Tahoe.

After I was done operating, I just sat around for another two hours enjoying the view. It is easily the best view I've had so far in the Sierra. I could have stayed up there all day, but I knew I had a long hike back to the car. When the sun started threatening to go behind the clouds again, I decided to leave.

Some lakes below the peak.

I retraced my steps back down the ridge and to the trail. I found the trail again a little above where I had left it, and started following it back. I stopped at the lake again for a break before the 1000' descent to the canyon floor. The entire way down I had been dreading the climb back out of the canyon, but it wasn't as bad as I feared it might be.

One of the meadows I walked by.

Partway up the climb on the other side I heard a large animal crash through the bushes. Not sure what it was, I stopped and made some noise, then cautiously continued up the trail. I came around a bend and saw that it was just a deer, so continued up the trail. The deer wasn't that smart, and kept running down the trail in front of me instead of turning off and running into the woods.

Small peak at the top of the climb back out of the canyon.

Back at the top, it felt like a really long walk out of the woods and back to the road and my campsite, but I made it eventually, tired but pleased with the hike.

My campsite, near the trailhead. I had to keep moving my chair to stay in the shade.

Trailhead: Tanglefoot Trailhead, end of 8N14E. The last section on "E" was a bit sketchy in my sedan, but would have been no problem with a little more clearance.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail down into Tanglefoot Canyon, then back up the other side. At around 8000', leave the trail and skirt around the sub-peak, then follow the ridge up to the summit.
Red Tape: None.