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Lembert Dome is conveniently located right across the river from Tuolumne Meadows Store.
The best routes are on the NW side, including Warren Harding's 1954 classic, Northwest Books.
Routes: NW Books (I, 5.6)
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Date: August 25, 2006
Party: Paul and Dietrich Belitz
Route: NW Books Variation
Equipment: Alpine rack to Camalot #3
Time: 90 minutes
Comments: Great warmup climb for the first afternoon
Trip report:
The plan had been to climb the east face of Mt. Whitney, but despite wasting a lot of time in Lone Pine we could not get a permit. So we opted for Plan B and kept driving north.
There were only a few hours of daylight left by the time we arrived in Tuolomne Meadows, and we decided to do NW Books on Lembert Dome again as a warmup. I led the first pitch with the classic undercling section, Paul took the second pitch and decided to go for the crack variation. He placed a lot of gear on those 20 feet, but made it free and soon disappeared in the direction of the large ledge. I followed, managed to get the gear out without hanging, and soon we scrambled up the third class slabs to the summit. Across the valley we saw Cathedral Peak, our objective for the next day.
Dietrich approaching the crux of the first pitch. |
Watch me on this one! |
Paul in the thick of the 5.9 crack. |
That's a good cam! |
Paul on the ledge. |
Starting up the third-class section to the summit. |
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Paul and Dietrich just below the summit. |
Date: August 27, 2005
Party: Paul, Dietrich, and Monique Belitz
Route: NW Books
Equipment: Double set of stoppers, Camalots to # 3.5
Time: 2 hrs on the route
4 hrs roundtrip from the parking lot
Trip report:
After warming up on the Bunny Slopes, which also let the shady NW Books warm up, we set out on our first Yosemite multi-pitch climb. Fifteen minutes from the trailhead a huge ramp leads up the W Face of Lembert Dome to the base of the climb. Paul took the first pitch, and soon disappeared behind the prominent buttress. Monique followed trailing our second rope, then I with the pack, which turned out to be quite a nuisance on the chimney move near the top of the first pitch. I led the second pitch, which starts with hard-to-protect face moves to avoid the 5.9 dihedral straight ahead. A full rope length brought me to a huge ledge, and the remainder of the climb was a third-class scramble to the summit. A climbers trail leads around the north side back to the start.
Very nice climb. Short and easy, but amazingly varied, requiring all sorts of techniques.
NW Books climbs the left side of the prominent buttress. |
Paul leading the first pitch. |
Monique following the first pitch ... |
... and approaching the chimney move. |
Dietrich belaying at the top of the second pitch. |
Monique and Paul on the ledge at the top of the second pitch. |
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Monique on her way to the summit. |
Dietrich on the true summit. |
All three of us on the summit. |
NW Books Variation (I, 5.9)
