Climbing Mt. Tom, Bishop, CA

[@paularyken]

My dad mined in those mines up there (Hanging Valley and Tungstar) in the mid 1950s right after he got out of the navy. There were 5 or 6 of them working those mines from early in the morning to late at night. Lots of vivid stories. He used to drive up to the mines from the cabins in an old jeep. He stayed in that cabin you slept in. He said they shared it with an old miner living up there. I am going to show him your video. Thanks for posting!!!

[@mizzyride]

Great job on that beast Mt. Tom. Love your enthusiasm. Made my morning! Gotta get up there again

[@jcrows6627]

I lived in Bishop for 30 plus years. Mt Tom was always mysterious looking place. Robert Herman and I drove up Elderberry Canyon(?) as far as we could then started climbing. Never got close to the top but, it was a different world up there. Dreamed many times of hiking up to the big patch of timber on the upper right side of the mountain. Never could get a buddy to go up with me. Now at my age it's just a dream!

[@maxstephens815]

My father and his partner discovered that mine back in the 30's. Called it the Lucky Boy. Sold it to Shirley Temple, renamed Tung Star, it produced tungsten ore for awhile back in WWII.

[@jcrows6627]

Here I was thinking it was, "sonny boy". I was half right!

[@paularyken]

My dad worked in it and the Hanging Valley Mine in the mid 1950s. Super interesting. I'll tell him about your post.

[@Raychristofer]

Great video brother, I appreciate you posting this because many times we look at distant places on Google Earth and wonder what it's like to be there very rare to get to see it first hand like this. Look like you did this solo also, you're a real Adventurer

[@missinglinq]

Mt. Tom! What a beautiful, massive mountain. What an adventure..., great video.

[@somtimes229]

The cabin is for people heading up that way not squatters haha there's usually wood and food in there for emergencies.

[@bythetimeyoufinishedreadin9083]

Great video. I just attempted it 2 weeks ago but couldn't make it to the summit. Left at around 8 am and made it to that little hump on that ridge at 9:06 from hanging valley. 50 mph winds really do mess with you especially when the ridgeline gets more exposed!

[@LoveMySeagullMosaic]

That was fun. I grew up in Bishop and lived in Rovana, not too far from the base of Mt. Tom. It is still one of the most beautiful parts of the Eastern Sierra I have ever seen and lived in. Congratulations!

[@babyblackbeans]

Thank you for sharing your climb ! Lovely video. I would have been so scared to stay in that shelter !

[@keithpatterson6967]

Great video! My brother and I climbed the prominent ridge from the Rovana side in October about 15 years ago. Got really scary toward the top due to a lot of class 4 climbing up a lot of loose rock and heavy packs (no ropes. Probably not too smart). Talking with some folks at Wilsons Eastside, we were going up really late in the season, but it was still relatively good weather. We slept on a flat spot at about the 11,000 foot level and had brought and used our ice axes heading up some of the snowier sections beyond that. Heading down the scree field to the Hanging Valley area was pretty gnarly! Got down to the Buttermilks at about 10:00pm the second day. One of the hardest trips I've done, but also one I'll never forget! Keep it up!!

[@StephenRT]

Good Job on Mt. Tom! We made the hike to Horton a couple weeks before you and man was it hot. Great Job!!! Awesome Video!

[@mobiltec]

The two cabins at Horton Lake used to be privately owned as was the lake and the mine in Hanging Valley. I used to go up there when the cabin you stayed in was open and not damaged. Since then the property was taken over by the feds and is now wilderness. The cabin you stayed in was locked up which was stupid because it came in handy for storms. Now it's left open due to break ins.. Doubt anyone is living or squatting there. Just food left behind by hikers. Congratulations on bagging the peak. Fun stuff eh?

[@erikaransom7730]

Thank you for this awesome video of your summit to Mt. Tom !

[@garyg763]

Congratulations! Wow, what a climb. Love watching you accomplish your bucket list.....

[@jerryking8475]

Good video. I climbed it in 1978. I remember the last part of the climb. 50 feet. Then stop and suck wind for a while.

[@jonny360]

Great video! Looking for property in bishop at the moment. I think i'll have to put this on my bucket list too!

[@belladessa2650]

Thanks for Some helpful tips ,, Made the summit several days ago after being at sea level the day before ,,,, 7 am With a low clearance vehicle we were several miles shy of the Horton lakes trailhead gate but got up to the lakes in about an hour and half in good clear cold hiking temps , switch backs from the lake went up forever but a mild incline ,,, Who in the hell thought they could build a mining road up that slope ??? Made it to the mine at 11:10am , and the summit at 2:05 pm ,, The 3rd chute to the north was a good tip , Beautiful Views ,, Spent 20 minutes checking the panorama, well worth the work ,,,although I came close to tapping out 200 feet below the summit , I found solid footing next to the rock ridges and got a second wind ,, checked out the register notes and descended which was a study in wreckless rock surfing and a core workout , traversing east of our accent we aimed for the saddle down the switch backs , Got to Horton Lakes at dark 5:30pm and walked in the bright full moon light without our head lamps all the way to the car at 7:30 for a 12 1/2 hour round trip ass kicker day hike ,, expecting a 2 day down time recovery ,, for a 63 year old , I have checked Mt Thom from 395 for decades but I will never look at it the same now ,, I recommend the challenge to all Eastern Sierra adventurers,,, PS the bears ripped through all the canned goods left in the cabins an made a mess

[@jandbpct]

BD. AWESOME! Yeah, I believe a real ass kicker by adding the extra miles and vertical from your car to the lakes. And, you are so right, as every time I drive north of Bishop, I look over at that mountain and say to myself, "Hey, you sat right up there at the top!" Hike on!

[@ronbo747]

I did the climb on 9/1/2013, just missed you!

[@alexstenzel]

Thank you for posting. Great video. Gives you a good sense about the route.

[@davidtate166]

Very good.beauiful country.will a 150 ford truck be ok.on the old mining road?

[@VANIDADES9]

0:00-0:33 is the view of Mount Tom from Bishop. 0:33-1:01 is the view of Mount Tom from Rovanna, the old mining town I've been telling you about that I lived in....

[@Yeahmannnn]

thats not from rovanna thats either from swall medows or paridise, you can actually see Rovanna in the picture

[@VANIDADES9]

You're right. Appreciate the correction, as I haven't lived there since 1997...

[@TEAMAGEPRODUCTIONS]

Great video dude!

[@JosephWarner]

Awesome video, I'm doing the same hike this summer. Did you happen to get any video of the inside of the mine?

[@Eventwow]

i was born and still live in bishop i still haven't been up there

[@MarchelloGoBro1]

Крутой видос. Есть куда стремиться. Мы в августе взошли на Эльбрус. А знакомых наших с МЧС эвакуировали. Это был полный *****))

[@HikeLighter]

love the video!

[@rodjava]

Great vid! But I miss Jan.......

[@stripervince1]

'the love shack 'might belong to bubba. it said no trespassing. id be careful falling asleep there.

[@brunochambre]

the final section going uphill from the Tungsten mine was no fun at all

[@TheLostAdventuress]

Amazing

[@namor216]

awesome vid! thanks for the beta, its on my list for future climbs! but who would 'thumb down' this video? the loveshack owner? haha

[@MidsierramusingBlogspot]

@3:08 you list Horton Lake at 10,900'. It is 9,900'.

[@exploreinyocounty7940]

Nice!

[@Kevin_Ho70]

Jack, great video! How did you take the 360* photo at the end? Then, you added the mountain and city descriptions post edit?

[@jandbpct]

Kevin, I took a bunch of stills and stitched them together using a stitching program (Microsoft Image composite editor - Free!). My other software (ProShow, $$) allows me to "Pan" and hold the entire panorama image wherever I wanted and add titles. I went online to find out which mountains were which. Someone else id them for me.

[@terrybouch9483]

took me two tries did in august 2018

[@jcrows6627]

Wonder how many folks have had the opportunity to outline the, "sleeping Indian" up there?

[@davidtate166]

Off the grid .he wont mind .make a friend.😀

[@jeffersonsmith6109]

Wait...Mt. Tom is a she? How so?