June 29, 2020

Dome Daddy’s Demise: Backpacking Domelands and Climbing Bart Dome (2D/1N)

Trip Details:

Total distance: 16.3 miles
Total elevation gain: 1,853 feet
Route Type: Cross country out-and-back
Wilderness Area: Domeland Wilderness, Sequoia National Forest
Season: Early (early June)
Permits: None required

June 2-3, 2018

How is it that Domeland Wilderness can hang out all elusive in the Southern Sierra with a name like that? Once I saw it labeled on the map, I knew I had to get all up in this Domeland. My good friend Mike who likes to show up in California with rope and a climbing rack and scare the absolute bejesus of me at irregular intervals, suggested we pop over there and climb Bart Dome.

The road into Domelands is long and winding. We saw no other humans the entire time we were there, which was sort of eerie. We car camped at the Horse Meadow Campground and got started first thing the next morning.

Our adventure begins at the Manter Meadow Trailhead and enters a Dr Seuss fever dream. First, you work your way through a very exposed old-burn forest. You eventually reach a granite crest. Once over it, domes dot the landscape. From the TH, we hiked in about 7 miles to reach the base of Bart Dome. There was one creek on the way in, which we ended up having to backtrack to in order to pump water. There was no water near the dome.

It took us a little longer than expected to find Bart (as ususal), so it was already afternoon when we stashed our backpacks and prepared to climb. Mike started scouting for signs of his beta’s starting location. While we thought we had found the suggested starting point, we actually created a whole new route which I describe here (route description verbatim Mike but he said he would never post it). (We found the original starting point the next day… oops!)

Dome Daddy’s Demise

Started as far right as possible without climbing scree
Went up a series of chimneys and flakes for 80m to a ledge
Traversed free to climbers right to another series of flakes. 5.9 super insanely thin flakes
Climb up flakes and arrive at another ledge
Went up a little and traversed left
Took the base of summit block and traversed right to reach the north side
Took an easy short pitch of very featured rock to the summit
Rappeled N from summit block straight 35m. Passed a cave at 65m.
Reset the wrap, just below the cave, rappeled a full 35m due N landing at a saddle between Bart and another smaller dome to the N of Bart dome.
3rd class hiking back to the south side of the dome.
Singles of a trad rack to #3. #4 would have been helpful. Single 70m rope. Used 30ft of extra webbing in case our webbing tots up there.
GPS track to help you find da dome