Tinker Knob - at last (almost didn't make it a third time)

This was already my third attempt to get to the top of Tinker Knob. Even though there are no real technical difficulties to get to the highest point of Tinker Knob, I managed to miss this goal twice already. One attempt failed last December when I started at Goose Meadows Campground (on 89). The idea was to walk up the ridge on the northern side of the Deep Creek Valley and down on its southern side. However, the thick bushes (in connection with some snow) were against this plan and I had to turn around after about 2 hours of extreme and unpleasant bushwack. My second attempt was a few weeks ago here, where I started on Donner Pass and had to turn around on the icy north face of Anderson Peak, because I didn't bring my crampons with me. In order to make sure that I wouldn't fail a third time, I chose the southern access for this attempt - from Squaw Valley via Granite Chief -  and Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). What was supposed to be a "no-brainer" turned out to be quite an adventure anyway, this time because I turned my brain off for a while and did something I haven't "done" in a long time: I got lost...

I start my hike in Squaw Valley and follow the well marked Granite Chief Trail. It winds up on the northern side of Shirely Canyon. At an altitude of around 7300 ft the trail follows the base of a rather steep rock wall in southwestern direction and then takes a wide turn northeast. On the US topo map which I have with me the path then goes directly to Mountain Meadow Lake via the little saddle (approx. 8000 ft) south of the lake, which I intended to take.

What I don't realize is that the Granite Chief trail continues west to a little saddle north of P. 8436, where it meets the Pacific Crest Trail. This trail is not indicated on the outdated map I carry with me and due to snow patches on the ground, I don't even realize that there is a branch off which I should have taken. So I am under the impression that I walk north, but in reality I walk west. When I reach the saddle north of P. 8436 at around 8200 ft, the path is not visible any more because the snow cover is continuous. I look around and through the forest I can recognize what I think is "Tinker Knob". In reality I don't look northwards to Tinker Knob but westwards to Needle Peak which actually has a similar shape like Tinker Knob.

After a while the ridge I'm following steepens up and turns somewhat left (now southwest, I think it's northwest). for some reason it doesn't feel right any more because I seem to remember that I somehow should have walked down to Mountain Meadow Lake instead of keep going up. So I take out my map to study where I am (In reality I have long "left my map" because I only printed the parts I needed). Nothing makes sense on the map so I take out my compass to make sure what I think is Tinker Knob is north. And oh surprise it's not. However, since this is the first time I'm using my compass in the Sierra Nevada, I see on the map that the magnetic north is 14 degrees off the geographic north. I correct that difference in the wrong direction (!) and almost end up north... So I keep walking the wrong direction for another few minutes until I realize, I have to do a "complete reset" and re-think, because the map really doesn't match with what I see in the terrain.

In order to do this reset I walk up to the ridge and  try to get an overview. This is easier said than done due to the numerous trees which block the view. Anyway I can see enough to finally realize that I am walking in the complete wrong direction. The "real" Tinker Knob is almost 180 degrees the other way. Oh my, I wouldn't have thought that on this easy hike, which should have only followed paths, I could have gotten completely disoriented. Anyway, now that I know where Tinker Knob really is, I turn around and first walk back the way I came and later down to the clearing north of Mountain Meadow Lake. There I take a break and still can't believe how this happened. After I eat and drink something I then keep walking north (this time for real) and soon find the PCT which eventually takes me to the northeastern base of Tinker Knob (I take a few shortcuts instead of following all the switchbacks).

The easiest way to the highpoint from here follows more or less the north ridge: T3, easy class II, but pretty much everything is posible. I take another break and enjoy the nice view and the fact that I'm finally on top of Tinker Knob. Since I lost too much time during my meanders, I have to turn around and can't pay a visit to Anderson Peak as planned. For my way down I decide to climb down the south face to get  back to the PCT. Even though it's rather steep it doesn't pose any real difficulties (T3+, class II), but there are a lot of unpleasant loose rocks. Once on the PCT, I head back the way I came and walk to Mountain Meadow Lake and the saddle south of it to get back to Granite Chief Trail and Squaw Valley.