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Descent off Tahquitz

Original Post
cyrus · · Menifee, CA · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 30

In a couple weeks, I am taking two of my teen-aged kids up the trough. We would like to continue up to the summit rather than go straight down the friction route.
Once there, I know we could take the north gully down, but that would take us further away from our bags at lunch rock, is there a hike down the south side that would get us back around to lunch rock?

pkeds · · Broomfield, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 30

hike back/downclimb after summiting to where the trough tops out and go down the friction route? the only two ways off of tahquitz that i know of are the north gully and the friction route other than rapping.

Dhayan Roark · · Crowley Lake, CA · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 10

If you start the friction route from the top of tahquitz it avoids the steep, exposed part and just meets up with the winding trail down the hillside/talus.

cyrus · · Menifee, CA · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 30

dhayan, is it easy to spot coming from above?

nathanael · · Riverside, CA · Joined May 2011 · Points: 525

From to lunch rock I would just go back to the friction route descent, it's not really out of the way. However if you're uncomfortable with the bit of exposure on that you can definitely do what dhayan recommended. I haven't done it but it looked pretty straightforward to find a route to the trail below the friction route.

x15x15 · · Use Ignore Button · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 275

if you want to summit lilly rock, its pretty straight forward to go down to the north gulley descent, but once at the top/ saddle of the gulley, just head down the opposite side and soon you will hit the spot where the friction descent hits bottom... then you are on your way.

Dhayan Roark · · Crowley Lake, CA · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 10

Yes it should be pretty easy to find since it is the trail that most hikers take to get to the top. If you just make your way into the saddle then start heading down there should be an obvious trail that skirts around the south side of the rock.

Chris Owen · · Big Bear Lake · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 11,617

You can just follow below the summit ridge of the Rock to the notch between it and Tahquitz Peak, then instead of taking the North Gully, go right and join up with the trail which passes under the Friction Route and follow that around Open Book etc back to Lunch Rock. I like thos better than the Friction Route personally.

(In other words like the previous two posts advise.)

Jan Tarculas · · Riverside, Ca · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 917

I've summited tahquitz a few times after climbing routes on the north face. It is easy to head down the summit and go climbers right towards where the friction descent ends and join the trail back towards Open Book area and back towards Lunch Rock.

If I don't plan to go back to the base of the routes I climb (mostly when I climb on the north face) I always just rack at the car and bring a small pack for food/water. So much easier and faster that way

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern California
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