Tuolumne Bouldering

Over Labor Day weekend we went waterwater rafting at Tuolumne River. The next day we drove through Yosemite on the Tioga Pass and through Tuolumne Meadows. It was my first time there, and it was every bit as beautiful as I had imagined. Driving through we admired all the amazing rock formations, with Elijah and Cole pointing out all the trad climbs along the way.

A little background on Tuolumne Meadows, since I am finding that not a lot of people have heard of it. It is the eastern part of Yosemite National Park, high meadowland with large granite domes, beautiful lakes and rivers. It's full of gentle and smooth curves compared to Yosemite's jagged edges and surfaces. To the east of the meadows lies the great Mono Lake and eastern Sierras. Tioga Pass, or Highway 120, pass through the meadows between Yosemite and Mono Lake.




The rocks here are hard granite, smooth and solid, with beautiful cracks and roofs, and some flakes carving out character on the smooth surface. Despite their polished exterior, there are some parts that have knobby texture. In fact, there were knobby boulders spread throughout, according to Cole. And it was nothing like all the rocks around. So we went and checked it out.

These boulders were indeed the most knobby that I've seen, studded throughout with little knobs that stick out of the boulder surface. They look like large pimples all over the rock, only bullet hard and completely secure. You can just pull yourself up the boulder wall by using the knobs for hand and foot holds. We did some some fun climbing with the knobby boulders. Even the flat top of the boulder is full of knobs, well and also full of marmot droppings. Looks like it's a popular nighttime hangout for the creatures.

Here's a close-up view of the knobby, knobbly surface. The knobs tend to be squarish in shape, about a couple inches wide, so it's great for smaller hands and fingers to grasp and hold on to for leverage.

We couldn't get over the amazing texture of these rough knobby boulders amidst a sea of smooth rock domes. I only wish we have boulders like these locally for climbing. The knobs are like little security blankets assuring me I wouldn't slip off. Although if one were to slide or fall off, the hard knobs would really scratch and bloody up a person.

One side of the boulder also had a nice vertical flake, which I attempted to send (short for "ascend").

I definitely have to come back and do some multi-pitch climbs in Tuolumne - Cathedral Peak is calling out to me.