TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

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alpinemike
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TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

A fantastic trip who's TR is long overdue..I know! I've been working on writing up my journal so that I can sit down and write this. And now school has started again along with work... I might just post the first 7 days of this adventure and save the rest for another day in the near future. Here's one with lots of twists and turns... Enjoy!

Day 1- Mineral King to Columbine Lake 7.2 Miles
Got into Mineral King around 9:15ish on Monday night. Had dinner & went to sleep. Next morning as I’m sorting food a bear makes some noise & climbs up on a tree. He was a cub, but I still wanted no flavorful encounters so I stowed all the food back into the bear box. After that encounter I went to get my permit from none other than Jeff Lewis the Mineral King Trailhead Ranger, who I met through a mutual friend at my university in Berkeley. We both study the same subject and are both photographers. We talked for quite a while until I was on my way. I wrapped up the car at the TH & set off. The trail was fairly steep & I had about 50 lbs & 14 days of food so it was quite slow going. I branched off & took the Old Monarch Creek Trail. It climbed steadily for what seemed like miles & eventually I hit the Sawtooth Pass Trail. I don’t really know what else to say other than that was the worst pass of my life! It was absolutely horrid- with sand, & steep sections & blazing sun. It was hardly a trail. I reached Glacier Pass & looked out & saw a fair bit of snow. This entire trip I had serious apprehensions about the snow conditions on namely Pyra-Queen Col & Harrison Pass. I was not a fan to see the snow, but I pressed on up to the pass wearily. The pass itself had amazing views-out to the Whitney Range & of course the magnificent Kaweahs. I somehow managed to gather up the energy & climbed Sawtooth Peak (12,343 FT). The climb was mostly class 2 but certainly not trivial at the summit blocks which were interesting class 3. The views were spectacular but I had to get down as light was fading fast. I made it back to my pack to discover it had been chewed on by the ferocious marmots! No real damage but I also noticed 2 large holes in the bottom of the pack as well from wear. My pack is now 4 years old with close to 600-700 miles on it. This is definitely its last trip…I sure hope it makes in about 1 piece. Since I unfortunately didn't climb Needham my goal now was to get to Columbine Lake-which was only .8 miles away & 700 FT down. I noticed at the pass I lost my bandanna on the way back from the climb. I was frustrated to say the least. And as I was taking a film shot my camera said something about the battery. Earlier in the day my pack fell a bit & the mirror got locked up so I had to undo that. I was now concerned about a lack of batteries! And then when things had to get more interesting they did. I broke my hiking pole in half on a bank of snow by Columbine! Fortunately I hadn't broken it on the cornice at Sawtooth. This was bad news as now my tent wouldn't stay up right & I only had 1 pole. This is when I decided someone upstairs wanted me to turn around & restart. After having a delicious chili meal in the dark I decided I would go back over Sawtooth & drive down to Visalia to get what I needed. Oh…how I dreaded Sawtooth once more!!

Day 2- Columbine Lake to Mineral King TH 7.5 Miles
Alas the next morning I grunted my way back up & lost the trail on the way down & ended up on steep sand slopes that were awful. I met one of the MK rangers & we chatted. I took the Monarch Lake Trail down & eventually ended up at the Ranger Station. Jeff was obviously surprised to see me & so I told him the happenings. We discussed getting into Kaweah Basin via a climb of Lawson. I’ll delve into that a bit later. So I made my way down into Visalia & resupplied & was able to find a single heavy pole… It would have to do. I bought a burrito from Chipotle for dinner & had an A&W Root Beer Float because I was hot & certainly it was magnificent. I also went online to buy the new Mariposa Backpack from Gossamer Gear. I then made my way back up the long & relentless windy road & made it back to the campground at almost the same time as 2 nights prior. I forgot to mention Columbine Lake was very stark & awesome & had great sunset light. I ate my dinner & for the 3rd night in a row had to pitch my tent in the dark. I was not a fan of pitching tents in the dark but hopefully the following day I would have better luck.

Day 3- Mineral King TH to Pinto Lake 8.5 Miles
This morning there would be no God awful Sawtooth Pass! I would make my way over Timber Gap & Black Rock Pass. I patched my bag as best I could & dropped off my extra food as now I would only carry about 11-12 days of food & was able to ditch my Ursack. Thank goodness… I wanted to lighten the load, since I still had over 9 lbs of camera gear and that didn't include a large DSLR on my neck. I started up the trail & it was not nearly as bad as Sawtooth but still steep & as I made it to Timber Gap I bumped into the most fascinating of people… Mr. Soch, who was my 11th Grade Math teacher. I was elated & I could not believe my eyes. What a grand embrace we had. I went down the trail and then up until finally reaching Pinto Lake. Finally I could have dinner and pitch a tent and it wasn't in the dark! I slept very soundly that night after my delicious Gumbo dinner that I dehydrated and made myself. The night was very pleasant… no lower than about 38-40oF while at Columbine it was below freezing when I had spent the night there!

Day 4- Pinto Lake to Big Arroyo Jct 10 Miles
Today I went over Black Rock Pass from Pinto. Boy… she was a dozy. Not as bad as Sawtooth but still 2,800 FT of elevation gain. Made it to the top in a little over 3 hours.. Which I felt was decent. The views were phenomenal but I think Sawtooth Pass had better views. The view of Spring, Cyclamen & Columbine was probably the best I've ever seen in terms of alpine grandeur. Made my way down & the view at Little 5 Lakes was nice but not as good as expected. Then I made it to Big Arroyo Jct & that’s when things got interesting. I had a feeling sweep over me. The moment I got to the Jct I felt like going into Kaweah Basin was not the thing to do. It was a similar feeling as last year when I was traveling very close the Kaweah Basin. Last year I was in the Kern-Kaweah River Canyon and I had a feeling sweep over me that was very unpleasant and foreboding. I find it rather fitting because of all the stories of how nasty the Kaweah rock is and especially the sinister Black Kaweah that has taken quite a few lives over the years. It seems as though The Kaweahs do not invite me alone. One can say what they will about the mountains but I find that they most assuredly speak to the traveler who will listen to them. I always trust my instincts and for whatever reason they were telling me not to enter into Kaweah Basin. I think I will leave that basin for when I have a partner to travel them with. And then I decided I will be travelling on the HST to the Upper Kern for the next 2 days. I might take the HST to the JMT & go to Tyndall Creek & from there head to the Upper Kern & LSA. I don’t wish to travel through Kern Canyon but it’s a necessary evil at this point. My entire trip was being rerouted for the 2nd time. I had plans to get into Kaweah basin and check out Picket Guard Lake and climb several peaks but alas all of that was going to have to wait another year. I met a large party that went over Kaweah Pass that day. Nasty & horrid as warned! I met 2 other gentlemen that I met 2 days ago who have been climbing in the area. They told me Glacier Pass is completely doable & avoidable of snow. I haven’t decided how I want to get to MK yet. Potentially go over the HST via Kaweah Gap and see Hamilton Lake & Valhalla again & go down into Redwood Meadow area. Tomorrow Kern Hot Springs.. hopefully I find the springs this time.

Day 5- Big Arroyo Jct to Kern Hot Springs 13 Miles
Today was a pretty mellow day albeit a bit long. Around 12-13 miles traveled. Made it in a little over 6 hours. All of this terrain I had seen last year only a couples weeks later in the year so I tried to power through it since I knew it was just getting hotter as the day went on. The clouds really built today & now they seem to be dissipating again. I’m not sure what they are foretelling… but could be in for some thunder in the next 4 days. I finally got to see the Hot Springs. They are essentially a bathtub…but too hot for me. I enjoyed the cold waters of the Kern instead. It got up into the low 80’s here at least. I made up my mind & decided I want to travel to the JMT Jct & travel North from there. I hoped to get to the Tyndall Creek Ranger Station tomorrow which is a lot of uphill & 12+ Miles.

Day 6- Kern Hot Spring to Wallace Creek Jct 12.3 Miles
Another long day all the way to Wallace Creek instead of Tyndall Creek. I was just too tired to make it the rest of the way. Had an early start this morning & then I had a bit of a mishap. I fell into the creek! It was the first crossing at 7:30 in the morning…It was darn cold. Everything seemingly got wet. Fortunately the camera & film were safe. My fleece got wet & so did my other socks & of course shoes. I lumbered my way to Jct Meadow with wet feel in a little over 2 hours which was a fast pace. Started to dry things out there & had some lunch. The trail was quite hot, dry, & exposed after Jct Meadow (Kern). The views were amazing on the trail though looking back towards the Kaweahs. The mosquitoes at Wallace Creek were almost completely unbearable. The worst I had ever seen anywhere in the Sierra up till this point. It was a pleasant evening chatting with lots of High Sierra Trail hikers and JMTer's. It was the most people I thought I would see for a while since the next few days I would be in the Upper Kern Basin and making way to Lake Reflection via Harrison Pass.

Day 7- Wallace Creek to Lake South America 7.7 Miles
A much mellower day with less miles and less uphill. 2 years ago I attempted to do the entire JMT with a friend of mine. We unfortunately did not make it past Muir Trail Ranch and thus I never got to see the 2nd half which I've heard is more spectacular than the first half. Well finally I got to see the area below Forester Pass and the Bighorn Plateua. The views are phenomenal. Bighorn Plateau is just unreal. The Great Western Divide, The Kaweahs, The Whitney Area are all around you. I loved travelling into the Upper Kern Basin. I fell in love with the vastness and grandeur. LSA was gorgeous to me, especially with the views at its outlet. It may have been the most epic spot in the entire range I had stood at! It got quite cold there since it was still fairly early in the season and I was in my sleeping bag as soon as the sun set.

To be continued...
Never put off a backpacking trip for tomorrow, if you can do it today...
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

Here's some photos from the first 4 days.
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by hikerdmb »

Beautiful photos Mike.
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

Day 8- Lake South America to Vidette Meadow 11 Miles
The previous day I had decided I wanted to see Forester Pass instead of going over Harrison Pass like I had planned to. I don't think there would have been an issue with snow but I just decided that since I had wanted to do Forester for several years now here was my opportunity. This would set me back an extra day and would cause me travel considerably more miles to Lake Reflection, but I didn't mind. I was excited to see all the terrain that I've heard about around Forester. So...once again my plans had changed for the 3rd time this trip! I bailed early in the morning & crossed the unnamed 12,000FT+ pass. It was very steep going down & up the day before. The trail was essentially nonexistent. I contoured around Caltech Peak & met up w/the JMT. I soon made my way up to Forester Pass. The views were incredible on my way up. I even saw a frozen lake. The trail itself is an engineering marvel since it is literally blasted out of the cliff. I made my way to the top in excellent time & before noon. At the top the magnificence was unparalleled. On the North there were so many ranges & mountains visible one could hardly believe it. To the South the basin lay below & the jagged Kaweahs were visible. Soon a massive amount of people arrived & it was definitely a party. I met a bunch of PCTer’s who I travelled down the pass with a good way. I glissaded down the only formidable snow slope & it was quite fun. I wanted to pull out my ice ax since I had been carrying it with me but I figured it was overkill. One of the funnier stories from the PCTer's was about the biggest trail hunger ever. He said he ate 3 large pizzas on one rest day. I just couldn't believe that amount. I continued down the trail toward Vidette Meadow. The views back toward the divide were just amazing. I eventually got down to Vidette Meadow & the views were exceptional & of course so were the mosquitoes. Eventually I made it to the area around the last Bear Box and soon was joined by a couple who were finishing the Rae Lakes Loop. They were on their honeymoon enjoying the majestic Sierra. I couldn't think of a better place to honeymoon!

Day 9- Vidette Meadow to Lake Reflection then back to East Lake 7.7 Miles
Here was Day 9... my last day on the trail for several days since I would be crossing Longley into the South Guard Lake area the following day and then going up Cloud Canyon back to 9 Lakes Basin the next few days. I completely forgot I needed to cross Bubbs Creek to get to Lake Reflection. I took my pack off & crossed first without it to test the water so to speak. I bumped into some rangers at that time. They crossed w/no issues although the current was swift & the water was icy cold. They were patrolling the East Lake area. I eventually crossed with my pack. It was definitely by far the most dangerous crossing I've ever done & probably in the top 5 most dangerous things period. It was easily thigh to almost waist deep and I'm about 6 feet tall. Any higher and I would not have attempted it at all. If I had fallen in the swiftest part it would have been a challenge to get back on my feet. As I was making my way up to East Lake I noticed my pack not feeling comfortable. All my straps were maxed out. I had lost enough weight to make the pack not fit anymore! I trudged my way up & finally made it…hurting badly. I concluded that this could end my trip. I don’t want to have a hurt, sore back for my July trip (which would be my longest adventure yet of 37 days). Going over 3 cross country passes with substantial weight & a pack that didn't fit did not sound like a fun time to me. I adjusted the pack & it felt slightly better but still not right. I made my way to the other side of East Lake & took another break. It was becoming clear to me I couldn't go on… my back was aching too much. I decided I’d stay at Lake Reflection & head out Cedar Grove/Roads End tomorrow. My final change to this trip.. a total of 4 times that I had to change the route! I made my way up to Lake Reflection…The trail was faint & ducked most of the way. It was rough & hard to follow. In 20 years if few parties keep visiting it the trail will be almost nonexistent. I fell down at one point right on my ass & a rock or branch really jammed me & I also cut my hand. It was quite painful to say the least. I trudged up to Reflection & immediately decided I wasn't staying there…The mosquitoes were the worst ever...even worse than Wallace Creek which I thought couldn't get any worse. I took a few photos & bailed back down to East Lake. I was definitely hurting & tired when I got here. I made some delicious Gumbo for dinner. My back was not happy with me but hopefully it will ease a bit after tomorrow. Tomorrow it’s about 12-13 miles or so to Roads End- but all downhill. Hoped to get an early start so I could hitch out of there tomorrow & make my way into Mineral King the next day. This would become my most interesting hitching adventure...

Day 10- East Lake to Roads End 12-13 Miles
So I awoke around 6:30 & noticed it was quite dark. I got out of the tent & saw it was clouded over. It looked as though a storm was brewing! That was quite exciting to me. I made it down to the crossing in great time & the crossing was cold but no harder than the day before. I then ventured down the canyon for what seemed like eternity. It drizzled once but eventually the clouds began to clear & the sun came out. I bumped into few people until eventually I stumbled across a family from Michigan. I hinted at my situation & they offered to give me a ride to Grant Grove. I was very grateful as that would bring me one step closer to my car. We made our way down the switchbacks & I saw the grandeur & beauty of Kings Canyon proper. It was almost like Yosemite but without the hordes of people. We eventually got to their car & my seat was the trunk with my backpack, someone else's backpack and some luggage. That was a new experience… never ridden in the trunk of a car before. The views though were unparalleled. Kings Canyon is just gorgeous. Eventually we made it to Grant Grove & now I had to hitch it to Lodgepole. I got some cardboard from the visitor center & made my sign for Lodgepole. And then I stood by the road & eventually sat. It was truly a different experience. This truly was hitchhiking. Several people stopped & apologized they weren't going that far. Eventually after close to 2 hours I gave up & sat back down at the market. I figured tomorrow I’d walk to the Generals Highway & have better luck. It was then that a couple saw my sign on my pack backtracked & said they were going that way tomorrow at noon. I was stoked! They were going to LA so they’ll probably drop me off at Three Rivers & hopefully Jeff (my friend who's the ranger at Mineral King) can get me there. Immediately after 2 guys who were sitting nearby struck up talking to me & one of them bought me a beer! I was surprised & so taken aback at the generosity. We chatted for quite a while about backpacking & the like. Then after that wonderful experience I met Steve who works as a technician for the park in the Grant Grove Area. We started talking at the market & he told me he’d give me a breakfast in the morning. I couldn't have been happier! Such awesome experiences in one day. I definitely do no regret leaving the trail at all. I was thinking yesterday that I not only had pack issues but I also was ready to be back for a bit. The mosquitoes were getting to me, the lonesomeness was definitely getting to me & that I want to have fun when I’m out there. I don’t want it to be a struggle. I made the right choice no doubt.

Day 11- Grant Grove to Mineral King and then back to South Lake Tahoe
This last day of this adventure was pretty fun like so many others. I got up early and got my breakfast from Steve and then waited in front of the Post Office and Market all morning. The couple picked me at noon. At Lodgepole I tried to call Jeff but found out he was out on a hike that day! Just my luck… so I now hoped someone would pick me up at the Jct in Three Rivers. I thought I left my phone at Lodgepole as we were driving down but alas it was under my hat. They left me at the Jct at some point after 3 or so with some food and some beer. I thanked them as much as I could and thus they left. It was a toasty 90+ degrees there in Three Rivers so I cracked open my beer and it hadn't even been 10 minutes when a lady pulled up and asked a hilarious question… “I’ve never done this before but are you a nice person?” I couldn’t help but laugh..so I answered that I hoped I was. She was very nice and gave me a ride all the way to the TH. We got along great. She even offered me a shower at her cabin in Silver City. As I got to my car it was glorious to think that I had finally made it to my car after 2 days of hitchhiking and over a 100 miles traveled! And my car started… so no marmot issues! I met a couple there who were there for the first time going to explore the area the next day or so. I went back to take my shower and anticlimactically the water didn't work in the shower. The cabin though was fantastic. No electricity and just propane. She invited me back another time. I then went to finally grab my burger and pie at Silver City. And who should I bump into but the couple at the TH a little while back. They were so kind and paid for my meal and beer! I couldn't believe how many nice, generous people I had met in just a couple days. Really gave me some faith in humanity no doubt. After a full dinner I was satisfied and then my journey back home began on the long windy Mineral King road. I got lost a bit in Sacramento and rested a bit at Fresh Pond around 2 in the morning until I finally came back home around 3 A.M. or so. What a day that was… started in Grant Grove and ended up back in Tahoe!

Hope you all enjoyed reading about this adventure as I did experiencing it and writing it up! I have lots more to share about this Summer's trips.. since I have 37 more days to write up most of which I traveled with RoguePhotonic. And I know you all want to hear about that... :)
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

Here are the rest of some pictures from the last couple days...
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

Thank you David. I hope you had an excellent summer of backpacking.
Never put off a backpacking trip for tomorrow, if you can do it today...
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by maverick »

Hi Mike,

Thank you for posting this wonderful TR and pretty pictures! :thumbsup:
Looking forward to the future TR's. :)
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by BSquared »

Great TR and pictures, Alpine Mike! Thanks so much for posting.

A couple of questions related to a potential future trip to the upper Kern w/entry via Kearsarge Pass:
1. As you're leaving Lake South America, you refer to crossing an unnamed 12,000 ft pass. Is this just the trail that heads from the lake? On the map it looks like a pretty dramatic descent leaving the lake, but not much of a climb going from the lake.
2. You mention contouring around Cal Tech peak, which does look like a good idea for the Forester-bound hiker leaving L. South America. How was that cross-country? Think it would be reasonable the other direction, too?

Again, thanks for the wonderful TR!
—B²
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Re: TR Great Western Divide June 17-27 2014

Post by alpinemike »

Hi BSquared glad you liked the TR and photos. To answer your questions:

1. I'm attaching a map that is centered on the trail I was referring to which is the trail that you mention. The uphill from the lake is very mellow and not more than 150 or so feet. But going down that trail or up from the South to get to LSA is quite steep and sandy. The trail is sometimes non-existent as it's irregularly maintained (if at all). But this possess no concern for a backpacker than can just grunt up a sandy trail.

2. The cross country around Caltech Peak was honestly as easy as a trail with mostly decomposed granite and some small talus, so I would definitely see no reason why you couldn't do it going south from Forester and hooking around to get to LSA like that.

Hope all that helps.
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