Keweah-Colby-Cloud Canyon-Nine Lakes
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:26 am
A Day Late and a Dollar Short: 7/20-29, 2015: Keweah Basin Meet-Up (not quite).
I posted this separately because I really did not make it to the meet-up.
I wanted to get to the Meet-Up, have a leisurely trip and see new country. After evaluating numerous routes and selecting one I was ready to go Friday. Weather forecasts kept getting worse. I delayed a day, then two days, then three days! Monday was a “must go” date. Since the Meet-Up was scheduled for the 22-24th, I was hoping at least someone would be there on the 24th. Although little worked out as planned, pre-thinking a zillion options made changes easy so I still had a rewarding trip. Instead of a 65 mile trip, I ended up with a 100 mile trip due to all the detours!
Day 1: July 20, 6 miles, +1400 feet gain, 3 hours. I left town early and reached Lodge Pole at 11:30. Black skies socked in everything to the north. I looked south, saw blue skies, and threw out all previous plans and got a permit to go in Crescent Meadow with plans to reach Keweah Basin via Pyra Queen Col and return via Tablelands. I needed minimally a day of dry weather so the saturated slopes would stabilize. The main part of the storm was supposed to be over. I nixed the idea of parking my car at Wolverton and taking the shuttle to Crescent Meadow; I would simply deal with the car situation when I got out. Good decision as I was chased by black clouds as I hurried to Mehrten camp. At 4PM I set up my tent as rain drops began falling when I gathered water. It then rained solid and steady until well after dark. Even while camped on a sandy slope, the ground still became saturated and moisture seeped in through my old tent floor and I discovered a few more drippy leaks. So I spent the evening wiping up water. I ate two trail bars for dinner. The rain never let up! Never before had I ever peed in my tent vestibule, but there is a first time for everything!
Day 2: July 21, 10 miles, +2400 feet gain, 7 hours. Up at 5AM I skipped breakfast. The skies were still filled with clouds and it was too early to tell if they were thick clouds. By the time I packed up I could see that the clouds were puffy little things and quickly dissipating. Soon skies were blue. I stopped for half an hour at a sunny spot in the trail to dry everything. It was a very hard day for me; pack too heavy, no coffee and one meager trail bar for breakfast after almost no sleep the previous night. Thankfully the High Sierra Trail is no-brainer trail- just plod ahead. As I progressed I met many other soggy backpackers drying out their gear. By 10AM clouds came rolling in from the southwest. By the time I reached Hamilton Lake just before 2PM, it was overcast. A huge Boy Scout troupe and many others were camped at the lake so I found a site well back down the outlet, nestled in the forest. I walked up to the lake but lighting was poor for photos. Seemed like everyone up there was also soggy and drying out. Steady rain began at 3PM, lasting until after 5PM and this time with abundant lightning and thunder. Thankfully it cleared in time for cooking dinner. Several very tame deer came around and I had to chase them away from my dinner.
Day 3: July 22, 13 miles, +3400 feet gain, 9 hours. I left camp at 7:30 and headed up to Precipice Lake, arriving at 9:30. I leap frogged all the way with the big Scout troupe. They were doing the HST in memory of one of their members who was killed by lightning 10 years ago in the meadow west of Mt Whitney. Not your typical Scout group- they were well outfitted in light-weight gear and the leaders were very competent. Again, clouds rolled in and by the time I reached Keweah Gap the tops of the mountains were covered in misty clouds. Decision time; what to do? I was counting on a day of dry sunny weather to relax in Nine Lakes Basin and dry enough conditions to let the passes drain. It looked like that was not going to happen. I decided to detour via the HST to Junction Meadow. I had done this route before and knew I could do it in two days, but did not have the maps. Had I realized the amount of miles, I may have not chosen this route! All day as I hiked east, threatening black clouds chased me from the west, sprinkling on me on Chagoopa Plateau. I was exhausted and the pack still was too heavy. The last two miles to Moraine Lake seemed to go on forever! Nobody was there; I had the lake to myself. Moraine Lake was incredibly low- probably more than 5 feet leaving a long sandy beach. The water quality was horrible- too muddy for a bath so I scooped water from my cookpot and dumped it over me. I both filtered and treated all the water. It cleared and was windy and sunny. As I dug into my bear can, I realized that things were wet. Emptying the can, there was a quarter inch of water in the bottom. Several packages had leaked- most were OK. I cooked one of the unintentionally rehydrated meals and re-packed with the least affected packages on the bottom and the partially wet ones on top to eat first.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ahalla.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ited-1.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ipiceL.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... %20Gap.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... raineL.jpg[/rimg]
Moraine Lake
Day 4: July 23, 15 miles, +1600 feet gain, 9 hours. Sunrise was spectacular with lingering little puffy clouds turning pink –orange- yellow then white. I left at 7:30. The trail switchbacks to the Kern River are really annoying. You seem to go back and forth forever never descending! It took 2.5 hours to get to the Kern. The trail then, is very rocky and slow going. By the time I hit the bridge I was already tired. The river was way down, in spite of the recent rains. As I passed Kern Hot Springs, I was tempted to stop but someone was in and I did not have time to wait and still reach Junction Meadows. If delayed I would not be able to get to Keweah Basin in time for the Meet-Up (well, I missed it anyway!). I kept running into two pleasant young fellows who were doing the HST. Side creeks were running high and I had to wade three. Wallace Creek had a log, but by that time I was too tired and my shoes were already wet, so I simply waded. When I reached Junction Meadow I saw two fellows camped. I went up and asked if they were going to Keweah Basin. It was Jimr and his friend! We had a mini-meet-up right there.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... stream.jpg[/rimg]
Kern River by the bridge
Day 5: July 24, 6 miles, +3200 feet gain, 9 hours (including 2+ hours fishing along the route). I was hoping to run into Hobbs since Jimr said he was returning to Junction Meadow. Instead two young fellows caught up with me. They were also going to Keweah Basin but were not High Sierra Topix members. They were a bit confused as to routes, so they followed me to the start of the ledge route. They got ahead of me and when I caught up with them at the lowest Picket Lake, they had run into someone who said everyone had left Island Lake. It was noon, and I spotted a nice fish in the lake, so decided to stay here and fish for a while since I had obviously missed the Meet-Up. I caught two fish and put them in a zip lock bag with water. I walked up Picket drainage fishing rod in hand. The next lake up also had fish, but they were small. I caught one but put it back. The middle larger lake also had small fish. After trying to catch one of a minimal size, I gave up. I then tied my pole onto my pack and headed up the saddle and down to Island Lake. I set up on the ridge between Island Lake and the next small lake upstream. Then I walked around Island Lake and looked down the waterfall. Nobody was camped at Island Lake. I cleaned and cooked my fish and enjoyed the evening. I had planned on fishing Island Lake just in case there may be fish, but there were no sign of fish at all so I just enjoyed the views.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... icketL.jpg[/rimg]
Lowest Picket Lake
I posted this separately because I really did not make it to the meet-up.
I wanted to get to the Meet-Up, have a leisurely trip and see new country. After evaluating numerous routes and selecting one I was ready to go Friday. Weather forecasts kept getting worse. I delayed a day, then two days, then three days! Monday was a “must go” date. Since the Meet-Up was scheduled for the 22-24th, I was hoping at least someone would be there on the 24th. Although little worked out as planned, pre-thinking a zillion options made changes easy so I still had a rewarding trip. Instead of a 65 mile trip, I ended up with a 100 mile trip due to all the detours!
Day 1: July 20, 6 miles, +1400 feet gain, 3 hours. I left town early and reached Lodge Pole at 11:30. Black skies socked in everything to the north. I looked south, saw blue skies, and threw out all previous plans and got a permit to go in Crescent Meadow with plans to reach Keweah Basin via Pyra Queen Col and return via Tablelands. I needed minimally a day of dry weather so the saturated slopes would stabilize. The main part of the storm was supposed to be over. I nixed the idea of parking my car at Wolverton and taking the shuttle to Crescent Meadow; I would simply deal with the car situation when I got out. Good decision as I was chased by black clouds as I hurried to Mehrten camp. At 4PM I set up my tent as rain drops began falling when I gathered water. It then rained solid and steady until well after dark. Even while camped on a sandy slope, the ground still became saturated and moisture seeped in through my old tent floor and I discovered a few more drippy leaks. So I spent the evening wiping up water. I ate two trail bars for dinner. The rain never let up! Never before had I ever peed in my tent vestibule, but there is a first time for everything!
Day 2: July 21, 10 miles, +2400 feet gain, 7 hours. Up at 5AM I skipped breakfast. The skies were still filled with clouds and it was too early to tell if they were thick clouds. By the time I packed up I could see that the clouds were puffy little things and quickly dissipating. Soon skies were blue. I stopped for half an hour at a sunny spot in the trail to dry everything. It was a very hard day for me; pack too heavy, no coffee and one meager trail bar for breakfast after almost no sleep the previous night. Thankfully the High Sierra Trail is no-brainer trail- just plod ahead. As I progressed I met many other soggy backpackers drying out their gear. By 10AM clouds came rolling in from the southwest. By the time I reached Hamilton Lake just before 2PM, it was overcast. A huge Boy Scout troupe and many others were camped at the lake so I found a site well back down the outlet, nestled in the forest. I walked up to the lake but lighting was poor for photos. Seemed like everyone up there was also soggy and drying out. Steady rain began at 3PM, lasting until after 5PM and this time with abundant lightning and thunder. Thankfully it cleared in time for cooking dinner. Several very tame deer came around and I had to chase them away from my dinner.
Day 3: July 22, 13 miles, +3400 feet gain, 9 hours. I left camp at 7:30 and headed up to Precipice Lake, arriving at 9:30. I leap frogged all the way with the big Scout troupe. They were doing the HST in memory of one of their members who was killed by lightning 10 years ago in the meadow west of Mt Whitney. Not your typical Scout group- they were well outfitted in light-weight gear and the leaders were very competent. Again, clouds rolled in and by the time I reached Keweah Gap the tops of the mountains were covered in misty clouds. Decision time; what to do? I was counting on a day of dry sunny weather to relax in Nine Lakes Basin and dry enough conditions to let the passes drain. It looked like that was not going to happen. I decided to detour via the HST to Junction Meadow. I had done this route before and knew I could do it in two days, but did not have the maps. Had I realized the amount of miles, I may have not chosen this route! All day as I hiked east, threatening black clouds chased me from the west, sprinkling on me on Chagoopa Plateau. I was exhausted and the pack still was too heavy. The last two miles to Moraine Lake seemed to go on forever! Nobody was there; I had the lake to myself. Moraine Lake was incredibly low- probably more than 5 feet leaving a long sandy beach. The water quality was horrible- too muddy for a bath so I scooped water from my cookpot and dumped it over me. I both filtered and treated all the water. It cleared and was windy and sunny. As I dug into my bear can, I realized that things were wet. Emptying the can, there was a quarter inch of water in the bottom. Several packages had leaked- most were OK. I cooked one of the unintentionally rehydrated meals and re-packed with the least affected packages on the bottom and the partially wet ones on top to eat first.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ahalla.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ited-1.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... ipiceL.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... %20Gap.jpg[/rimg]
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... raineL.jpg[/rimg]
Moraine Lake
Day 4: July 23, 15 miles, +1600 feet gain, 9 hours. Sunrise was spectacular with lingering little puffy clouds turning pink –orange- yellow then white. I left at 7:30. The trail switchbacks to the Kern River are really annoying. You seem to go back and forth forever never descending! It took 2.5 hours to get to the Kern. The trail then, is very rocky and slow going. By the time I hit the bridge I was already tired. The river was way down, in spite of the recent rains. As I passed Kern Hot Springs, I was tempted to stop but someone was in and I did not have time to wait and still reach Junction Meadows. If delayed I would not be able to get to Keweah Basin in time for the Meet-Up (well, I missed it anyway!). I kept running into two pleasant young fellows who were doing the HST. Side creeks were running high and I had to wade three. Wallace Creek had a log, but by that time I was too tired and my shoes were already wet, so I simply waded. When I reached Junction Meadow I saw two fellows camped. I went up and asked if they were going to Keweah Basin. It was Jimr and his friend! We had a mini-meet-up right there.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... stream.jpg[/rimg]
Kern River by the bridge
Day 5: July 24, 6 miles, +3200 feet gain, 9 hours (including 2+ hours fishing along the route). I was hoping to run into Hobbs since Jimr said he was returning to Junction Meadow. Instead two young fellows caught up with me. They were also going to Keweah Basin but were not High Sierra Topix members. They were a bit confused as to routes, so they followed me to the start of the ledge route. They got ahead of me and when I caught up with them at the lowest Picket Lake, they had run into someone who said everyone had left Island Lake. It was noon, and I spotted a nice fish in the lake, so decided to stay here and fish for a while since I had obviously missed the Meet-Up. I caught two fish and put them in a zip lock bag with water. I walked up Picket drainage fishing rod in hand. The next lake up also had fish, but they were small. I caught one but put it back. The middle larger lake also had small fish. After trying to catch one of a minimal size, I gave up. I then tied my pole onto my pack and headed up the saddle and down to Island Lake. I set up on the ridge between Island Lake and the next small lake upstream. Then I walked around Island Lake and looked down the waterfall. Nobody was camped at Island Lake. I cleaned and cooked my fish and enjoyed the evening. I had planned on fishing Island Lake just in case there may be fish, but there were no sign of fish at all so I just enjoyed the views.
[rimg]http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg23 ... icketL.jpg[/rimg]
Lowest Picket Lake