Thimble Peak - A True Sierra Gem

On my tour to Thunder Mountain at the beginning of January, I peeked over to Thimble Peak and noted it as an interesting project in this area. After reading up on it on summitpost and Bob Burd's page, I knew that getting to it's highest point wouldn't be easy. After Thimble Peak I also planned to visit the Covered Wagon Peak and the Melissa Coray Peak. Since there was some snowfall in the area on the previous day, I took my snowshoes along and was very glad to have them, because I needed them for most of the day.

I start my tour at the parking area right before the gate to Kit Carson Resort off of Highway 88, right next to the lake. It's not an official parking lot, but there are no "No Parking" signs. I first walk along the (gated) Kit Carson Road and then head east to the Horseshoe Canyon Trail. Soon the path is completely covered with snow and it is hard to see and follow it. So instead I just approximately follow it. At around 8000 ft it's time to put on my snowshoes and head uphill on the southern foot of Thunder Mountain. At around 9000 ft I see my goal for the first time today and head straight towards it. A snowcat from the Kirkwood ski resort actually made a track to the ridge north of Thimble peak, which I gladly use to get there. For the last part up to the false summit I then follow the N-ridge.

Once on top this false summit, I can see across a gaping chasm to the higher, true summit. It doesn't look easy at all and I don't even see the whole exposedness yet. Instead of rushing into this tricky climb I take a break, eat and drink something and enjoy the almost windless sunny day. But then I "have" to give it a try to get to the highest point of Thimble Peak. The actual technical difficulty is not all that high (II, with rather good grips), but the thin ridge is extremely exposed and definitely nothing for the fainthearted (T6). As a reward there is a little surprise waiting for me on top, a glass jar encased in a rusty tin can, the summit register, it dates back to 1964!

Climbing back down is less frightening than expected, but unfortunately I rip my pants open on a sharp rock. This alone would not be very tragic, but the fact that this rip set my wallet free and sent it (including drivers license, green -, credit card, etc) somewhere far down into the chasm, is more of a tragedy. So after I'm back down, I also get to climb down the not-so-simple-gorge to "rescue" my wallet and it's content, which was distributed all over the place.

After these (partly unintended) adrenalin rushes I head for a little less excitement. I climb down the southeast ridge of Thimble Peak to the top of a chairlift of the Kirkwood ski resort and then follow the ridge to Melissa Coray Peak. About half way, there is another peak: Covered Wagon Peak, named because somewhere here at around 9400ft, was the highest point in the Sierra to which a covered wagon was taken! The ridge itself includes a lot of scrambling fun, not too difficult, but hard enough. The last part up to Melissa Coray Peak is easy.

After another break I head back to Silver Lake, south of the ridge and Thimble Peak in rather comfortable snow, not too soft and not too hard. Further down the mix of rock and forest makes the snowshoe hike a little annoying, because I have to take off my snow shoes for a few hundred snow-free yards just put them on again, because there's too much soft snow a little later (not just once). Anyway, I make it back to the Kit Carson Resort and finally follow the Kit Carson Road back to my car.