Norman's 13 (Sierra 14er Link-up)

[agohlich]

Norman's 13 is a logical line connecting the 14,000ft peaks of the Sierra Nevada range in one continuous push, applying the framework of Colorado's Nolan's 14 to the Eastern Sierra. Named for Norman Clyde, this route diverges from the CA 14er record in that it will not include White Mountain and Mt. Shasta, which fall outside of the Sierra Nevada range. Additionally, it requires no car shuttle between the two clusters of Sierra 14ers, opting instead for a stretch of the John Muir Trail.

I will be starting my attempt sometime between 3AM-5AM on September 30th (Saturday) at South Lake, heading south, and will exit at the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead. Along the way I hope to summit all 13 of the Sierra Nevada's 14ers: Thunderbolt, Starlight, North Palisade, Polemonium, Sill, Middle Palisade, Split, Tyndall, Williamson, Russell, Whitney, Muir, and Langley.

Spot tracker link below:

share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0LdrXlYOeqXvsWIiUgsqlTYlNMLrDb4nm

Many thanks and most respect to this community.

Andy Gohlich

[agohlich]

I unfortunately had to bail after the Thunderbolt-Sill traverse, after 5 of 13 peaks. My attempt had turned from a supported attempt to an unsupported fastpack at the last minute due to factors outside of my control, and the extra gear and heavier pack slowed me down quite a bit, more than anticipated. Not sure if it was the heavy pack or some problems with acclimatizing or both, but the altitude weighed more heavily on me during this attempt than it has at any other time. Routefinding became interesting as well with some fresh snow on parts of the traverse..

If anyone is interested in beta please don't hesitate to get in touch -- Norman's 13 is an open project.

[ryruns]

Congrats on the awesome concept and a solid first attempt! I want to offer a few suggestions on documenting your FKT attempts here:

1. Include your first and last name on a post so we know who you are.
2. Post your Strava track(s) so we can see your route (don't forget to set it to "race" mode so it shows total time rather than moving time). Right now your SPOT tracker shows your R2R2R from last week, so it's not very helpful.
3. Document your times to each summit. This will provide a benchmark for future attempts by you and other people.

Best of luck on next year's attempt!

[seano]

Sorry to hear it didn't work out this time. It should be much easier next year, assuming an average- to low-snow winter. Also, if you can make it to Woods Creek for your first sleep, you're all the way down at 8500', so your sleep gear can be very light.

[agohlich]

Oct 24, 2017 14:54:13 GMT -5 ryruns said:

Congrats on the awesome concept and a solid first attempt! I want to offer a few suggestions on documenting your FKT attempts here:

1. Include your first and last name on a post so we know who you are.
2. Post your Strava track(s) so we can see your route (don't forget to set it to "race" mode so it shows total time rather than moving time). Right now your SPOT tracker shows your R2R2R from last week, so it's not very helpful.
3. Document your times to each summit. This will provide a benchmark for future attempts by you and other people.

Best of luck on next year's attempt!

Thanks for your suggestions. There are a few public Strava tracks since I accidentally restarted my watch many times fussing with the navigation functions. I don’t think my tracks and splits are helpful enough to warrant posting here, though. I only made it through Thunderbolt-Sill and my routefinding was fairly convoluted because I was onsighting the traverse. There is more than enough good beta out there on this traverse, including splits from others who have done it much faster (in a day) as both standalone efforts and as apart of lengthier efforts (CA 14ers).

Thanks Sean!

A quick note on style: I’m of the opinion that the Thunderbolt and Starlight summit blocks should be free-climbed rather than aided/lassoed, but all parties should do what they’re comfortable with — it’s no joke up there.