Backcountry Explorer

Embedded into the backcountry areas of Zion National Park, the Sierra Nevada, Death Valley National Park, and the Mojave Desert, Courtney Purcell's ramblings have also taken him all across the country and the world. From hiking, climbing and peakbagging in the Rockies, the Andes, the high volcanoes of Washington and Mexico, into the depths explored in spelunking, and the canyoneering of the Colorado Plateau, here you'll find trip reports, route beta and "stuff" relevant to the world of...

Laurel Mountain via the Northeast Gully

Laurel Mountain is an 11,000+ foot mountain nestled against the crest of the Sierra Nevada not far off of Highway 395 north of Bishop, California. It also happens to be the home of the first roped rock climb in the Sierra. The route - the Northeast Gully.

Rick Kent and I decided to climb this classic and historic route one Sunday morning. With an easy technical rating, we blew off ropes and went for it. No worries - it was a blast. A ton of scrambling, a few short technical sections, awesome coloration, and expanding views as we climbed! One of my favorite Sierra climbs ever!

As we made our way up the mountain, the sun warmed our backs and views over to Mount Morrison opened up. Mount Morrison, afterall, is where Rick and I had met in the summer of 2004. He'd been on his way up, me on my way down, and we bumped into each other and chatted a few. The rest is history. We've enjoyed dozens upon dozens of hikes, climbs and canyoneering adventures together since. Climbing trips to the Cascades, the Andes, Mexico, we did our first technical canyon together...good stuff!

(And now Rick's headed to Denali while I sit at work - cuz I hate expedition climbing)

Soon reaching the summit, the views expanded on over to Bloody Mountain and the peaks above Mammoth. We sat on the summit to enjoy a bite to eat.

The day before, we'd climbed the southeast face of Mount Emerson. Finished that stupendous climb, I'd proclaimed it the finest Sierra route I'd ever done. Now I wasn't so sure. This rivaled it.

Eventually packing up, we started down the standard hiking route up the mountain. While not an aesthetic route, it was quick. We were back at our vehicles at Convict Lake within a couple hours. There, we enjoyed the sun and soaked our feet in the cold waters of the lake. Another fine weekend in the Sierra Nevada!

*Photos courtesy of Rick Kent

...those moments when time stands still. The catalysts are as varied as the individuals who pursue this path: a meteor shower; a night sky so star-filled that it snatches your breath; another rise of the sun over distant mountains vast and untouchable; dodging a rock careening crazily down a gully; a desperate icy struggle through whiteout and ground blizzard down to the safety of camp after an unsuccessful summit attempt; standing atop a mountain with a friend, the whole world at your feet, a blinding sun blazing out of a flawless sky, taking the time to watch that sun dip below the horizon even though camp is still many miles and many thousands of feet distant; stumbling over boulders and through brush in the darkness; watching the starlight and the storm wrest for possession of the night sky, seated on a narrow ledge beside your rope-mate with only the clothes on your back for shelter, shivering the night away, knowing that, sometime in a distant place you cannot now touch, the world will once again grow bright, the sun will rise, and you will look out on the infant day with new eyes.

-Bruce Binder

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.

-Edward Abbey