About This Route
Cathedral Peak's Southeast Buttress is a Tuolumne Meadows gem: 9 pitches of 5.6 granite fingers to 5.10 summit block, 600 feet total, pioneered by Allen Steck in 1950. Alpine purity with short approach from Tioga Road; ideal intro to Yosemite trad.
Safety Considerations/h2>p>NPS stats highlight experienced climbers (60%) in accidents; here, crux block's hollow flake has snapped, mimicking rockfall perils (10% fatalities). Leader falls prevalent on runouts; protect knobs religiously. Weather: Tuolumne thunderstorms brew afternoons, avoid per NPS storm protocol (off peaks by noon). Heat stroke risks at elevation; 45 near-misses noted. Scenario: 2018 soloist whipped on p6, self-rescued via downclimb. REI Co-op training: practice Yosemite taper jams on local basalt. Leave No Trace: camp 100 feet from lakes, no fires above 10,000 feet./p>h3>Essential Gear
Essentials: Black Diamond Camalots (0.4-2, triples pink-yellow), Metolius finger nuts, 60m Edelrid rope, Petzl William carabiners (24), Black Diamond Dawn patrol jacket for wind. Pack Osprey Talon 22 daypack.