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A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954), edited by Hervey H. Voge

Warning: This guidebook is for historical reference only. Routes and terrain may have changed since this guide was written in 1954. Bring and use a up-to-date guidebook instead, such as R. J. Secor's The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails (2009). From the original guide book:
A guidebook is not a substitute for mountaineering skill, nor can it make climbing safe for those who do not practice the principles of safety. It is urged that inexperienced climbers avail themselves of the instruction and training given by the Sierra Club or other organizations before attempting difficult ascents.

- Cover and jacket

- Title page

- Contents

- Illustrations

- William Shand, Jr.

- Preface

- Sixteen Photographs

- Introduction

- Area Covered

- Sierra Camping and Climbing

- Safety Precautions

- Route Descriptions

- Classification of Climbs

- Bond Pass to Tioga Pass

- The Sawtooth Ridge

- Bond to Tioga—Other Peaks

- Tioga Pass to Mammoth Pass

- Yosemite Valley

- The Cathedral Range and Eastward

- The Clark Range and Adjacent Peaks

- The Minarets and the Ritter Range

- Mammoth Pass to Piute Pass

- Mammoth Pass to Mono Pass

- Mono Pass to Pine Creek Pass

- Mount Humphreys Region

- Piute Pass to Kearsarge Pass

- The LeConte Divide and Adjacent Peaks

- The Evolution Region and the Black Divide

- The Palisades Region

- Kings Canyon Region

- Palisades to Kearsarge Pass

- Kearsarge Pass to Army and Franklin Passes

- The Kings-Kern Divide

- The Whitney Region

- The Kaweahs and the Great Western Divide

- References and Maps

- Index to Named Peaks

- Index to Passes

About the Editor

Hervey Voge (from
Steve Roper, Camp 4)

Hervey Harper Voge was born June 29, 1910. He earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from University of California, then received a chemistry fellowship in 1935 from the National Academy of Sciences. Voge was a Sierra Club member and mountaineer and started climbing in the early 1930s while he was a student at Berkeley, California. Voge made first ascents of multiple peaks, including Washington Column from below. He climbed with other well-known area climbers of the day, including David Brower, Norman Clyde, Bestor Robinson, Dick Leonard, and Jules Eichorn. Fellow student David Brower joined the Sierra Club in 1933 at the suggestion of Voge. In 1934, Voge and Brower traversed the High Sierra from Kearsarge Pass area to Yosemite, climbing 59 peaks in 69 days. Voge named two peaks, Norman Clyde Peak and Muriel Peak. While climbing peaks, he made a effort to preserve peak registers and record first ascents.

Dr. Voge lived in Berkeley, California. He married and had at least one daughter, Tamara. Professionally, Voge was a chemical engineer for Shell Development. His work includes heading a team that developed a rocket fuel for use in the vacuum of outer space. Voge was issued 25 US patents for his research work. He died in the Caribbean Islands on June 20, 1990.

Bibliographical Information

Hervey Harper Voge, editor (1910-1990), A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra 1st ed. (Sierra Club, 1954), Copyright 1954 by the Sierra Club. LCCN 54014261. 301 pages. Illustrated. 20 cm. Bound in dark blue board with silver lettering. Library of Congress call number F868.S5 S47 1954.

This book first appeared in serial form in the Sierra Club Bulletin. The first edition in book form, used here, appeared in 1954. Voge also edited the 1965 edition, but the 1972 edition (with the title changed to Mountaineer’s Guide) was not edited or authorized by Voge, although he’s listed as a co-author (Am. Alpine J. 22:530).

Book review: Sierra Club Bulletin 39:28 (1954).

Converted to HTML by Dan Anderson, April 2009, from a copy in my personal library. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice is left intact.
—Dan Anderson, www.yosemite.ca.us

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