Late-season Sierra rock

I've taken a few weekend trips to the Sierra before winter truly sets in. First up was Lover's Leap in the Tahoe area with Mike. We've done a fair amount together, and he's really come along as a trad follower and now climbs way harder than I do.On Saturday, we went up a bunch of Lover's Leap moderate classics on the Hogsback and East Wall. I think Pop Bottle takes the cake as the most fun we had. On Sunday, we did a fair amount of anchor practice before Mike took the sharp end for the first time on Deception. This was also a blast and Mike did a fantastic job on his first trad lead.Last weekend, I headed up to Yosemite to take new climbers McKee and Nick on an adventure. We met up with Zach and Emily to toprope on Glacier Point Apron and then climb the Grack.On Sunday, we awoke and left the Valley early in the morning and started up the icy trail towards Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne. By mid-morning it was warm, but the substantial amount of snow and the expansive views gave the high country a winter feel.We roped up covering snow and slabs to the knife-edge ridge between Cathedral and Eichorn Pinnacle. Zach made a nice lead around the corner while I finished the spectacular short route. A wild rappel brought us all back together. We descended during a spectacular sunset and we reached the cars as darkness set in. Thanks everyone for the mountain fun!