Detail (center of the photo).
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| Bright and sunny morning. Our goal for today, the summit of Banner Peak, from the campsite. | |
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| Up we go! | |
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| Approaching snow in a U-shaped glacial valley. | |
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| A mountain meadow along the way. | |
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| We will cross over the Glacier Pass (right), and climb Banner from the west. | |
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| A grave site on a small meadow above the tree line. | |
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| This is a rarely visited place, far away from Pacific Crest and John Muir trails. The few climbers who come near this meadow on their way to Banner Peak usually just pass by, hurrying towards the pass that will lead them to their destination. | |
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| Stone cairn with a bronze plaque. A forgotten grave site of two climbers who died on Banner Peak in the summer of 1934. Read the story about Anna and Conrad Rettenbacher if you would like to learn more. | |
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| A needle and a steep snowy chute leading to a Mt. Davis plateau. Possible goal for another expedition. | |
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| Looking down the glacial valley. | |
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| Looking up the glacial valley. | |
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| Approaching the steep part of the pass. Thousand Island Lake is way behind. | |
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| Snow and talus. Just a hundred yards more, and we will reach the pass. Crags on the Banner Peak shoulder are on the left side of the picture, and the summit of Mount Ritter above the snow on the right side. | |
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| Detail (center of the photo). | |
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| Lake Catherine (11034 ft) on the other side of the pass. We plan to cross the ridge just above the snow field that touches the lake. The ridge hinders the view of a half of the main Ritter-Banner glacier.
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| [Part 2] | [Part 4] |