Completed a successful loop from Mosquito Flat/Mono Pass to Paiute Pass/North Lake this past week. On day three after reaching Salie Keyes Lake my buddy Greg and I scrambled up the southwest slopes of Mt. Senger, an infrequently visited SPS peak off of Selden Pass. It was a steep but pleasant scramble (about 1700 feet in 1.5 miles), as the bottom half was compacted pine straw in the forest and above tree line it was consolidated decomposed granite with periodic medium sized rocks. The final 200-300 feet was a fun boulder scramble that required a handful of class 3 moves, though I am sure one could find a way through that final stretch that would have kept it simpler. I have seen some trip reports that say the view is not that great, but I disagree. In my opinion this ranks up there with most any view I have had in the Sierra Nevada. Views all the way to Ritter/Banner to the North, with a great view of Seven Gables and the peaks around Italy pass in the foreground, and stunning views of Marie Lake and Three Island Lake down below. To the south one could see Mt. Humphreys, Glacier Divide, and the peaks surrounding Evolution Valley. If we would have had more time we could have spent an hour sitting there soaking it all in. And a bonus, I found RJ Secor's summit register entry from 1995...pretty damn cool. We had the entire mountain all to ourselves, and it seems this peak is rarely visited. We were only the 7th and 8th entries in the register in 2023 (and three of those previous entries appeared to be from one climbing party from a day earlier in August). If you happen to be passing through here on the JMT it is certainly worth a visit if you can save the energy. Here are some pics:
View to the north:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PZIahceTLRsMEYRrQyolWL_PV5iyMnRw/view?usp=sharingView to the northeast (Seven Gables and Three Island Lake):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/156W9hqi_JmxwrE7nVH0PJPERy2GpaPgl/view?usp=sharingView to the south:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x6tw5zP2IgsuASEZ6XSWyWSfu02ZeF3k/view?usp=sharingSecor's summit register entry:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1puTibHgnNyEK7dzfpuxd_N6oo8Ofyf18/view?usp=sharingIn general the JMT was pretty pleasant. As you might expect there was a lot of water flowing everywhere, but the creek crossings were managable. Only had to take off the boots and wade across in bare feet once (about two miles north of Selden Pass/Marie Lake). Mono Pass had a couple of large patches of snow up on the flat that were easily traversed in boots, Selden Pass had one patch of snow on the north side that could be avoided with a minor detour, and Paiute Pass had one patch of snow on the south/east side that was also easily traversed in boots. No microspikes needed in this section of the wilderness. The mosquitos were hit and miss, and the head net came in handy a few times, mostly at camp or at breaks while not moving. But I have seen worse so not too bothersome.
We started two days after the tropical storm, so the air quality was the best I have ever seen since I moved here in 2010. Absolutely phenomenal. And no issues with the roads to/from North Lake/Mosquito Flat. Get out there and enjoy it if you can.
