Sierra Nevada - Ansel Adams Wilderness

On July 4-6, 1969 Explorer Post 360 and guests (Gil Beilke, Don Deck, Roy Wagner, Gordon Lee, Whithead, Wendel Stewart, Isabelle Beilke, Steve Palash, John Butler, Steve Henderson, Broadfoot, Ralph Drollinger, Foulds, Broadfoot, Vicklun, Rayfield, Franberg, Lindwall, Immenschuh, Wyatt, Gilliam, Foster, Roger Getz, Anderson) set out to climb either 13,149' Mt Ritter or Banner Peak.

Beautiful weather. No mosquitos except at Agnew Meadows - no problem crossing San Joaquin River despite down bridge and high water. Shadow Creek Falls beautiful. Camped below Lake Ediza with snow all around. Lake Ediza, Garnet, Thousand Island, etc. frozen.

Gil Beilke & I climbed Mt. Ritter. Ten of the group, lead by John Butler and Steve Henderson, climbed Banner Peak. Great Trip.

Mt. Ritter is the highest mountain in Madera County, California, in the Western United States, at an elevation of 13,149 feet. It is also the highest and most prominent peak of its namesake, the Ritter Range, a subrange of the Sierra Nevada in the Ansel Adams Wilderness of the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Mt. Ritter is the 15th highest mountain peak in California.

Mt. Ritter is made of strikingly dark rock and is quite prominent due to its height and isolation. It is in the middle of the Ritter Range, which includes neighboring Banner Peak and the Minarets. The prominent and memorable shape of the Ritter–Banner pair is visible from high elevations far to the north and south in the Sierra Nevada.

Mt. Ritter was named by Josiah Whitney, chief of the California Geological Survey, for Carl Ritter, who had been a teacher of his when he was a student in Berlin during the 1840s.

1969 was a heavy snow winter so there was still a lot of snow in the Sierra on July 4 weekend as seen in these pictures.

Along trail on the way to Shadow Creek
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Trail on the way to Shadow Creek - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Damaged bridge over San Joaquin River
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Looking back at Mammoth Mountain - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Mammoth Mountain from Shadow Creek trail
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Shadow Creek - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Shadow Lake - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Mt. Ritter, Banner Peak over Lake Ediza
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Banner Peak from Lake Ediza - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jull 1969

Shadow Creek at Lake Ediza - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Saddle between Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak from Lake Ediza
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jull 1969

Route to Mt. Ritter from Lake Ediza - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Lake Ediza, Mt. Ritter (far right) - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Saddle between Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak, deep suncups
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jull 1969

Gil Beilke, deep suncups, Mt. Ritter - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Mt. Ritter - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Gil Beilke approaching the ridge to Mt. Ritter
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Don Deck on summit of Mt. Ritter - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Banner Peak from Mt. Ritter - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Toward Donahue Pass and Mount Lyell from Mt. Ritter
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Shadow Lake, Owens Valley, Gil Beilke from Mt. Ritter
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

View southwest of Mt. Ritter along Minarets toward San Joaquin Valley
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

VIew northwest toward Yosemite from Mt. Ritter
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Mammoth Mountain (far left), Iceberg Lke, Minarets from Mt. Ritter
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Lake Ediza, Gil Bielke on the way back to camp
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Mt. Ritter over Shadow Creek from camp below Lake Ediza
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1969

Here are pictures of Mt. Ritter from various locations on other trips.

Lake Ediza Sunrise, Ritter Range, Mt. Ritter, Banner Peak - Ansel Adams Wilderness
© 2021 by Stephen LaCasse - Fine-Art Print available -
Click on image for larger view

Banner Peak, Mt. Ritter (rear), Banner/Davis Pass, Mt. Davis
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1958

Mt. Ritter and top edge of Banner/Davis Pass
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1958

Route to west side of Mt. Ritter from Lake Catherine
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jul 1958

Mt. Ritter, Banner Peak over Garnet Lake
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Aug 1966

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Jan 1971

Mt. Ritter, Banner Peak from trail to Lake Ediza
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter from trail to Lake Ediza - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter and Ritter/Banner saddle from trail to Lake Ediza
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter from trail to Lake Ediza - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak on the way to saddle
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Looking back at Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak as we headed for Minaret Creek
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak as we headed for Minaret Creek
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak from below Iceberg Lake
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak as we headed for Minaret Creek
Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Minarets, Mt. Ritter, Banner Peak from slopes leading up to Mammoth Pass - Ansel Adams Wilderness - Dec 1973

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak from near Clark Lakes
Ansel Adams Wilderness - May 1977

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak over a Clark Lake
Ansel Adams Wilderness - May 1977

Mt. Ritter and glacier over Lake Catherine
Ansel Adams Wilderness - May 1977

Banner Peak, saddle, Mt. Ritter and glacier over Lake Catherine, Gordon Lee
Ansel Adams Wilderness - May 1977

Mt. Ritter over Lake Catherine, Gordon Lee
Ansel Adams Wilderness - May 1977

Banner Peak and Mt. Ritter from Mulberry Peak
Ansel Adams Wilderness - May 1977