Backpacking

[Bo Diddley]

I really need to get serious about reducing my pack weight but am conflicted about what to omit. I went through my pack and used most of my gear except for rain gear which is always necessary. Maybe I'll start another thread to discuss what people include in their packs.

Train up with a heavier pack on shorter hikes. After your body gets used to it, 60 pounds is routine, and 40 is a piece of cake!

[bluegoose]

Going next weekend. Can't wait.

Just got home from mine. Awesome trip. I’ll write up a report tomorrow.


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[bluegoose]

Great report and beautiful pictures PBW.

My father in law has soloed the Appalachian trail and the pacific crest trail. He has also done the Wyoming section of the CDT. Thru hike of the CDT is planned for next year. They’re all very different hikes and are amazing in their own way.

He did say the Wyoming section of the CDT was one of the more challenging months that he’s ever hiked due to the scarcity of water. One portion was more than 35 miles in between water stops.


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[Paperback Writer]

Great report and beautiful pictures PBW.

My father in law has soloed the Appalachian trail and the pacific crest trail. He has also done the Wyoming section of the CDT. Thru hike of the CDT is planned for next year. They’re all very different hikes and are amazing in their own way.

He did say the Wyoming section of the CDT was one of the more challenging months that he’s ever hiked due to the scarcity of water. One portion was more than 35 miles in between water stops.

Looking forward to your write up. I started out with a goal of backpacking the CDT in the San Juan Mountains - Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness areas. Decided that I would still do that but in sections. So each year I'll pick a trail that leads up to the Continental Divide, hike a portion of the CDT, and then hike out. After that, thinking about hiking other portions of the CDT in Colorado (like Collegiate Peaks) and then doing the same in Wyoming and Montana. Will be picking CDT sections and sticking largely to mountains with ample water.

[bluegoose]

While it was a little later in the season than usual this weekend was my annual trek into the Trinity Alps wilderness. I think this is the 6th or 7th year that I’ve gone. My normal group of guys couldn’t make it this year, so I teamed up with another guy that had a bow hunting deer tag for the same area and wanted to go out.

As you may have heard, we have had the worst fire season in history for our area. We have only seen blue skies maybe 2 or 3 days total out of the last 6 weeks. Just when one fire looks like it is getting under control another breaks out. Things were looking better early in the week and then on Wednesday a nasty fire broke out just north of town that is still totally out of control. I wasn’t sure what conditions would be like up in the trinities, but I was hopeful to be able to escape the smoke for a few days.

Due to extreme fire danger a local logging company closed the access point that we had originally planned to take in to the wilderness, the Stoney Gulch trail. So we decided to take the back door in via the next trail up to the north, the long canyon trail.

We left super early on Friday to head up the mountain, arriving at the trailhead at about dawn. Unfortunately the wind had shifted overnight and it was still super smoky at the start of the hike.



It was a monster hike. We gained over 4,000 feet of elevation in the first 5 miles, with the last 1.5 miles going up those big horse steps that shred the hips and legs. But it was a gorgeous canyon, or at least it would have been had we been able to see through the smoke. It followed a swift moving creek all the way up, going through dense forests of incense cedars and huge ponderosa pines, occasionally opening up to reveal massive, steep granite walls on either side and pristine, berry-filled meadows along the creek.

Once we hit the summit, the smoke started to clear a little bit, which was encouraging. We headed down through Siligo Meadow to the spring-fed creek that I had hoped to camp near. We found a great little spot right next to the water with incredible views of Dolomite Ridge to the north and the Deep Creek drainage to the south. And we had the whole meadow to ourselves. Foot traffic in the area was way down due to the closed Stoney gulch trail to the south and to the lack of running water in the adjacent meadow from being fairly late in the season. We only had one hiker go past our campsite all weekend.




By about noon on that first day, the wind shifted and the smoke blew out, leaving us with bright blue skies for the rest of the weekend. I spent the first day exploring the area. Just down from our camp was this cool marshy bog that was filled with probably a dozen small circle ponds, each no bigger than about 15-20 feet in diameter. There were also scattered clusters of a carnivorous plant called a cobra lily.





That evening I took a 2 mile hike up to echo lake for the sunset. Some scattered clouds had rolled in just in time to light up the skies and provide a brilliant sunset. One of the top 10 best sunsets that I’ve enjoyed in my life.







The next day we did a 9 mile day hike up to and around the Four lakes loop. I had started the loop a few years ago with steelblue, but we became distracted with bagging a nearby summit and never finished the loop. It was a pretty amazing hike, giving probably the most bang for the buck as far as awesome views go of any short hike in the Alps.




A cloudless sky that second night gave us a peaceful sunset, followed by a brilliant night sky, perfect for star gazing. Temps dropped into the upper 30s, making for a chilly nights sleep.



Hike out the next day was pleasant and uneventful. I wasn’t terribly upset to return to town and find that we had missed the worst air quality day of the year, with extremely unhealthy index numbers of 704 causing all of the area schools to cancel classes by mid morning.

Such a great trip. Glad I went, even if it wasn’t what we had originally planned.

[Pelado]

4,000 feet in 5 miles? How long did that take you?

I counted at least 23 miles. What was your total elevation gain?

Did your companion get his deer?

[bluegoose]

4,000 feet in 5 miles? How long did that take you?

I counted at least 23 miles. What was your total elevation gain?

Did your companion get his deer?

The 5.2 miles was just the initial climb to the saddle. It was 7 total miles to our camp. Took just over 4 1/2 hours total with stops. It was a slog.

My buddy and I were both wearing our Garmin watches. The first day we did 360 flights of stairs, the second day was 260 flights, and yesterday was 91 flights. At 10 feet per flight, that was about 7,110 feet of climbing in the 3 days. Total distance traveled for the 3 days per Garmin was 39.4 miles, but that also includes a couple of miles of noodling around the house last night when we got home.

We saw 7 does and a fawn, but no bucks. Kinda glad, since carrying out 60+ pounds of meat didn't sound very fun.

[Paperback Writer]

The 5.2 miles was just the initial climb to the saddle. It was 7 total miles to our camp. Took just over 4 1/2 hours total with stops. It was a slog.

My buddy and I were both wearing our Garmin watches. The first day we did 360 flights of stairs, the second day was 260 flights, and yesterday was 91 flights. At 10 feet per flight, that was about 7,110 feet of climbing in the 3 days. Total distance traveled for the 3 days per Garmin was 39.4 miles, but that also includes a couple of miles of noodling around the house last night when we got home.

We saw 7 does and a fawn, but no bucks. Kinda glad, since carrying out 60+ pounds of meat didn't sound very fun.

Great trip report and photos. Were those pics take with an mobile device (iPhone?). I'll have to put the trinity alps on my to-do backpacking list. Have always wanted to backpack in the Sierras but will most likely opt for Trinity Alps and not mess with the permit process. It will probably be a few years before I make it to northern California, which is good because I'll need to be in better shape to do that kind of hike.

[BigPiney]

Great trip report and photos. Were those pics take with an mobile device (iPhone?). I'll have to put the trinity alps on my to-do backpacking list. Have always wanted to backpack in the Sierras but will most likely opt for Trinity Alps and not mess with the permit process. It will probably be a few years before I make it to northern California, which is good because I'll need to be in better shape to do that kind of hike.

You are missing out if you skip the Sierras. Seriously.

[bluegoose]

Great trip report and photos. Were those pics take with an mobile device (iPhone?). I'll have to put the trinity alps on my to-do backpacking list. Have always wanted to backpack in the Sierras but will most likely opt for Trinity Alps and not mess with the permit process. It will probably be a few years before I make it to northern California, which is good because I'll need to be in better shape to do that kind of hike.

Yes, took all of those pictures with my iPhone. Trinities really are amazing and are a relatively well kept secret, especially when compared with some of the more well known areas of the northern Sierra Nevada about 3 hours away.

Not all of the trails are as steep as this one. Of the 5-6 different trailheads that we’ve used probably half would be considered strenuous, while the others are pretty moderate. Years ago I took my then-6 year old daughter to an unbelievably pretty lake and she did great. 3 mostly flat miles in, with some moderate elevation gain the last .5 mile up to the lake.

And many trailheads are super accessible. I can be hiking on several killer trails within 60-75 minutes of leaving my house.

[bluegoose]

You are missing out if you skip the Sierras. Seriously.

My life won’t be complete until I get to explore the eastern Sierras.


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[BigPiney]

My life won’t be complete until I get to explore the eastern Sierras.


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Let me know. I can get the permits. Walk in permits are super easy to get.

Kings canyon NP is awesome. I'm planning an epic trip for next year. This weekend is going to be crazy too. I'll find the planned route and post it.

[BigPiney]

Here is this weekend's tentative route: https://awhite4777.pythonanywhere.co...m097/m098/m105

[LVAllen]

Last weekend, we went up to Brian Head with a troop of Scouts, and hiked above Cedar Breaks. Not as impressive as most in this thread, but pretty nonetheless.

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If nothing else, we got to see the leaves change colors, which was nice when you're from the desert.

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[BigPiney]

Backpacking into the Bear Lakes region of the Sierra

This is the High Sierra, only 8 miles of the trip was under 10,000 ft., and we slept 3 nights over 11,000 ft. Altitude sickness here we come.

Overview map: http://awhite4777.pythonanywhere.com...xpOt/m100/m105

Day 0- Friends arrived late after a long day of travel. Made the trailhead at Pine Creek (7400 ft) at 7 pm. We hiked 2.5 miles uphill and luckily were able to find a flat spot to sleep on what used to be a mining road.

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Day 1 - Got up early and hit the trail and continued to climb. Stayed on the trail for another 3.5 miles or so to Honeymoon Lake in Granite Park. There we started on the cross country part of the trip that would last till 5 miles to go on the trip.

Going cross country in the Sierra is really about being able to read the terrain and a topo map. This also enables you to leave most people behind as well. We ended up going over Royce Pass and through the Royce Lakes basin, then over the Royce Merriam Saddle, which early in the season and most years requires an ice ax, but thank you drought. We then descended to just above Merriam lake for a very windy and cold night. Ate dinner early and were in the tent by 6.

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Day 2 - Went over Ruskie pass which joins the upper Merriam basin to the Seven Gables. This was a fairly easy pass, but with snow it would be scary. We climbed a little peak off the pass top see the view from 12221 ft. It was very nice. We descended into the Seven Gables Lakes which were not that great, but the view of Seven Gables Peak is stunning. From there we climbed the drainage to Vee Lake. All I can say is “Wow”. This area was incredible. A huge lake, with amazing views and the travel through the area is super easy.

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From Vee we meandered over to Big Bear Lake (11,500) to camp and were treated to great views, amazing sunsets and no bugs.

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Day 3 - More cool cross country to Italy Pass, where we dropped the bags and climbed Mt Julius Caesar (13,220 ft). Amazing views. Could see Mt Whitney far to the south, the Coast Range faintly across the central valley and the Panamint Range in Death Valley. Class 2 climb with some blocky stuff at the top.

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They then descended into Granite Park and avoided the most used areas by heading over a ridge into the Chalfant lakes basin. Great campsite with a view of Julius.


Day 4 - Time to go home. Descent of a couple of miles to Honeymoon lake, finding the trail a 1/4 mile later and descending 3,000 ft on the trail back to our car.