Little Bear and Blanca Traverse

This is a mountaineering route requiring ropes and technical climbing to reach both summits, not a hike or scramble. Little Bear's standard route climbs sustained Class 4 terrain through the Hourglass, a steep gully near 13,300 feet with serious rockfall exposure; the connecting ridge to Blanca beyond it adds sustained Class 4 and Class 5 climbing with extreme exposure for over a mile, and retreat is difficult once committed. Many climbers carry a rope for the Hourglass and the traverse's hardest moves. See Climb Mode and Mountain Project for technical beta before attempting this route. The route begins and ends on Lake Como road, typically from the trailhead at 8,800 feet, climbing Little Bear Peak, traversing to Blanca Peak, and returning the same way for a round trip of about 17 miles. From the trailhead, hike the rough Lake Como Road about four miles to Lake Como at 11,750 feet. Leave the road near 11,900 feet, cross a stream, and climb a steep, loose gully to a notch at 12,600 feet on Little Bear's west ridge. Traverse the ridge's south side to the Hourglass at 13,300 feet. Crux: The Hourglass is the first crux: a steep, narrow gully with a high risk of rockfall from parties above. Climb slabs to a choke, sometimes aided by a fixed rope of unknown condition — inspect it before trusting it. Above the choke, two options lead to the summit: a LEFT line (more stable rock, slightly more complex routefinding) and a RIGHT line (steeper start, looser rock, preferable when snow-covered). Pick one and commit rather than switching mid-pitch. From Little Bear's summit, descend north onto the connecting ridge to begin the traverse. Crux: The second crux comes immediately: a steep, exposed Class 4 downclimb to a saddle. If this feels too hard, turn back here and descend Little Bear's standard route instead, since the traverse only gets more committing beyond this point. Crux: The third crux is a quarter-mile stretch of small towers with near-constant exposure and frequent downclimbs; stay on or very near the ridge crest, and look for an optional 30-foot cairned bypass on the left around one tower. Eventually reach Captain Bivwacko Tower: bypass it on its north (left) side along an exposed but passable ledge. Past Bivwacko, climb slabs back to the ridge, cross the relatively level "Highway" — watch for one narrow, exposed section partway across — then descend ledges on the ridge's south side to a notch. Crux: From the notch, a cairn marks a fifth crux: an exposed corner that "goes" despite appearances; scramble onto the wall and around it, then continue below the ridge crest across gullies to the traverse's low point near 13,600 feet, roughly the halfway mark. Crux: The sixth and most sustained crux is the sequence of three large towers guarding Blanca's approach. Bypass the first tower on the right, then climb the second directly, crossing the "Catwalk" — a narrow, highly exposed horizontal section — partway up. Descend to a saddle, climb the third tower, and downclimb its east end to a final saddle below Blanca's summit pitch. The seventh and final crux is just below Blanca's summit: a short, steep section where a loose bypass trail has formed on the right. Stay on the ridge crest and climb the crux directly instead, both ascending and descending. From Blanca's summit, descend the northwest ridge to a junction near 13,400 feet, then follow the shared trail back past Crater Lake, around Lake Como, and down the road to the trailhead.