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The Ordovician Ogopogo Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in The Ordovician Ogopogo

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	Ordovician Ogopogo, The T 5.7 5a 15 V+ 13 MVS 4b PG13
	Wineglass Arete T 4th 1 2 I 2 M 1b

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Elevation:	9,541 ft	2,908 m
GPS:	37.54053, -118.81281 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	2,309 total · 36/month
Shared By:	Derek Field on Aug 26, 2019
Admins:	Chris Owen, Lurk Er, Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes Page Updates (admin only)

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Description

The Ordovician Ogopogo is a charming little feature on the far northwest spur of Mount Morgan North, near the mouth of McGee Creek. This prominent fin of golden quartzite rises from a sea of psychedelic marble slabs, offering surprisingly solid rock quality compared to the junk found on White Fang and company. In terms of metamorphic effects, the rock looks and feels like a half-baked quartz sandstone - it was described this way by Rinehart and Ross in the original 1958 USGS survey (Rinehart and Ross, 1964). There's enough calcite to generate the characteristic weathering pattern known as rillenkarren - shallow vertical runnels which are super fun for rock climbing and happen to take nuts really well. There's a certain novelty to climbing a 450-million-year-old sandstone fin in the Sierra Nevada.

Getting There

Approach: about 60-90 minutes. Park at McGee Creek trailhead. Walk the low trail alongside the creek. After ~0.7 miles, this low trial will take a turn to the right and start climbing uphill to join the main trail. Just before it does so, leave the low trail and go cross the creek. Search for a well-placed log which spans the creek and allows one to shimmy across. Once on the other side, follow talus ribs up and right into the main marble chute/couloir which becomes quite narrow and may have snow in spots. Keep your eyes peeled for a single, minor side-gully which leads directly to the base of the ridge. Scramble up and left on rotten blue marble (sketchy 3rd class) to the starting ledge, which is on the left side of the buttress (see photos for orientation).