SSSdave wrote:Shepherd Pass is at 12040, 5600 feet higher but the trail requires another 800 feet due to up and downs.
[EDIT 7/16/2016 - I revised Sawmill distance from 7.5 miles to 9.2 after I came across a TR that had actual recorded way-points from Woods lake.]
A couple of years ago, I was curious enough about the 4 bad boys that I put a little chart together measuring summit, total distance, gain & gain/mile. Here's my summary:
Baxter 12,303' 7.5m 6,266' 835'/mile
Sawmill 11,348' 9.2m 6,755' 734'/mile
Taboose 11,417' 8.4m 5,971' 715'/mile
I've been up Taboose & Shepherd, but not Sawmill or Baxter. I've been up/down Shepherd enough (6 times) to know that it's actually 4 hikes in one:
- initial approach gains just 400' over the first mile ie the 4 creek crossings
- switchbacks up to the saddle gain 2,420' over 3.5 miles or 691'/mile
- descent to Keith creek drops 590' over 1 mile
- final ascent gains 3,511 over 4.5 miles or 780'/mile
If you average it all together, you get a misleading picture, especially the total gain from the TH @ 6,300' to the pass @ 12,041'. So, the way I now look @ Shepherd is to just add the two climbs together. That is, I take out the 1 mile easy approach stroll via the crossings and the 1 mile descent. My new stats now look like this:
Total gross gain: 5,931'
Total miles: 8
Gain/mile: 741'/mile
This puts the gain/mile Baxter, but ahead of Sawmill & Taboose. If you consider just the last leg from Keith creek to the pass, the gain/mile jumps to 780'/mile.
Once you hike the trail, these numbers will make a lot more sense in depicting how the trail actually physically feels as you climb (or descend). In fact, the boulders are so hard, the final headwall is so steep, and the scree so loose (it's just a use trail at this point, one that changes due to slides, cuts, etc), that even narrowed down averages don't fully depict how long/difficult the final leg is from the Pothole.
Even with all that, it's a great way to get into the Sierra. Not that many people on the trail itself, and unlike the 3 others, you can completely miss coming near the PCT/JMT. That is, Baxter has its lakes, but then you have to descend down near Rae to go elsewhere. Sawmill has its lake & Woods, but it too requires you to come down if you want to go somewhere else. Taboose probably gets you more places, but Shepherd takes the cake: you can head directly south over Rockwell pass to WLB & Wales (bypassing the JMT/PCT altogether), or you can head east to upper Kern, GWD & Kaweahs.