BETA PHOTO: Showing Glacier Point Apron in relation to Happy I...
Description
At the east end of Yosemite Valley rising up above Happy Isles lies a massive slab of beautiful granite that slopes up towards Glacier Point. This wall has some of the best slab climbing in the valley, and also some of the worst rock fall potential.
In 1999 Peter Terbush was killed by a massive rock fall while his two partners escaped with lacerations.
With that warning in mind Glacier Point offers moderate classic routes with a very short approach, and shouldn't be missed.
Getting There
From the Happy Isles trailhead parking lot walk up the path towards Little Yosemite. After about five minutes you will see the Nature Center to the right of the trail. Shortly after the Nature Center follow a fairly good path to the right towards the slabs. This will take you up through the forest and rockfall to the base of the wall. The approach from the trail turn off takes about ten minutes.
On the east side of the apron a great finger crack ascends in a rightward sloping direction. Easy protection on a moderate angle make this a classic beginners route.Pitch 1 - (5.5) Go directly up the easy slabs along a left facing dihedral until it is overlapped by a right facing one. Continue up into the crack.Pitch 2 - (5.6) Follow the crack as it slowly slopes to the right. At one point perfect double finger cracks open up.Pitch 3 - (5.6) Cont...[more]
By Mike Morley Administrator From: Oakland, CA May 1, 2007
At approximately 6:52pm on Wednesday, July 10, 1996, a large block of granite, with an estimated mass of 184,000 tons, detached from the cliff between Washburn Point and Glacier Point. My friend Darin MacGillivray and I watched this happen as we were descending the Vernal/Nevada Falls trail after having climbed Snake Dike earlier in the day. The only fatality was a young man standing approximately 100 yards away from us on the bridge at the Happy Isles trailhead.
Glacier Point Apron
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