Trip Report from Bear Basin

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Harlen
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Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by Harlen »

Our trip into the Bear Basin area via Hilgard Creek and White Bear Pass went very well, and both dogs and people had a great time.  We spent eight days and nights beginning on Monday, July the 3rd, and I came out yesterday, and my friend stayed on to soak himself in the Mono Hot Springs for another few days.  No damage to us old guys, or the young dogs, partly because we lessened our climbing ambitions due to concern for dog's paws.  We decided against climbing Mount Hilgard, even though we found an easy, dog-friendly path up the east side of the mountain from the Lake Italy outlet, and we scaled back our proposed climb of Seven Gables, and instead hiked up the southwest slope of "The Gables" part of Seven Gables (aka The North Peak, or Peak 12,600' in some accounts). As we suspected, the west side of the True Seven Gables Peak would have been quite an easy class 2-3 ascent for the people, but a lot of awkward rock hopping for the two dogs. Carleton's new Malinois is just one year old, and though incredibly agile, and a tremendous leaper when she wants to, she is still learning to leap around on boulders, and her paws suffered a bit.

"The Gables" were a walk up most of the way, and the view from the summit was as stunning as we thought it would be, having just hiked beneath the 700 - 1000 foot northeastern cliffs the day before, on the way down from the high basin via the East Fork of Bear Creek.  The series of curving stone couloirs offer quite a sight looking down them from above, and would be wonderful to climb, and not nearly so difficult as one might expect- class 3-4 with a lot of exposure, much like the climb up the east face of Seven Gables, which tops out ~200' north of the summit.  The real vertical face of the North Gables is the tallest easterly wall, which is even overhanging in places.  The direct east face climb is graded either 5.9 or 5.10, though I'm sure variations could make it much harder.

We had minimal trouble with the stream-crossings, five times crossing in running shoes, (we carried a single pair that we tossed back to each other) while dragging the swimming dogs downstream of us using climbing rope and a full harness. At the East Fork crossing 3 miles up from its juncture with the main fork, we turned all tails and ran back to the outlet of Lake 10,640 to cross via a waist-deep wade, rather than chance the shallow but slippery and really rushing stream-crossing that the use trail leads one to. The real problem there is that the rocks lining the East Fork at this point are sharp and jagged, and could do real damage if crashed into, and a slip would have precipitated one into faster and deeper water downstream. We needed the wash anyhow, and the lake crossing is just 3/4 of a mile upstream.

We didn't need to make the troublesome West Fork crossing at the 9,500 point, but met a few JMT and PCT'ers who commented on it. Only one guy had fallen in- twice he said- an he had facial abrasions to prove it. He was a bit shaken, and said that he was lucky to have his big partners there to pull him out. We wondered why they all didn't cross linked together, but live and learn eh? Another party said that the best way across was to go 5 minutes downstream to a big log, which can be walked to about halfway across the stream, and that from there the water was less than knee deep.

Thanks to Paul, Druid and others of this forum for their advice on the narrow point along the Hilgard Branch route in. The trail was just as they said it would be- tricky to follow, but well above the stream. We enjoyed that section of the hike very much. Carleton and I reckon this is a great time to be in there, as flowers of many species were in full bloom, with meadows full of shooting star, larkspur, yellow asters of several species, Indian paintbrush, Mariposa lilies, and even some lovely purple brodiaea! The birds are all singing their very best, most catchy love songs, and nesting and fledgling behaviors are in full swing. Some highlights for us naturalists were the howling and barking of coyotes, the explosion of feathers as a Ptarmigan broke from cover, one fine deer, a junco nest full of tiny eggs, and the very near fly-over of a huge Golden eagle, just as we crested the ridge to look into the wild Bear Basin!

I will continue the report with pictures and captions.

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"Bear" and "Smokey" ready to go. They carried just 4-7 pounds depending on the day.

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Lower Bear Creek, with all of its forks and branches joined near the west end of the really lovely Bear Creek Trail.

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Me and the dogs by Bear Creek. Not really a stream for swimming, though Carleton dove in to commune with the fish.

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Wet meadows full of shooting star flowers, generally a good mosquito indicator, though this time we suffered only a little.

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Hiking up the Hilgard Branch just above the tricky narrow section. Below is the very weakest of snow-bridges- these are a real hazard for man and dog- we broke through a couple times just for fun.

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Brodiaea- probably Brodiaea elegans.

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Above the Hilgard Branch, very near the outlet stream of Lake Italy.

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Lake Italy, with Mt. Dade and Bear Creek Spire left to right.

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We camped near the outlet, looking up at Mt. Hilgard and debating whether or not to hike up it. In the foreground is the casting and cursing area- how does one catch a fish anyway?!

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Heading up the valley toward White Bear Pass- the low point left of center. Frozen Brown Bear Lake at lower right.

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White Bear Lake is just below the crest of the pass. The twin peaks of Mt. Gemini in the background.

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Sliding down into Bear Basin from the pass. The view is to the south-east, with the feathers of Feather Peak on the right skyline.
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Last edited by Harlen on Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:46 pm, edited 15 times in total.
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by Carne_DelMuerto »

Thanks for the report! Headed there in 2 weeks and it will be interesting to see how much has changed. I will report back.
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by giantbrookie »

Thanks for posting this. I was really looking forward to seeing how things looked up high in this area.
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Trip Report from Bear Basin- Under the Shining Mountains

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The weather was very kind to us so far- one very brief but strong hail storm on our third day. When the clouds darkened we wrapped our packs in ground sheets, dressed up in rain-gear, and headed out from under the trees, and then it stopped. In the days that followed we had some thunder in the late afternoons, but no rain to speak of, but the clouds were spectacular! I sometimes complain that there is not enough weather in the Sierra- too many blue sky days compared to the brilliant sky-shows of the Rockies for instance. We really enjoyed all the cloud displays on this trip, and didn't really mind that it didn't dump rain on us.

On the other hand, perhaps because I have been traveling so much in the winter and spring lately, I find that I am really missing all of the lake waters, both in Bear Basin, and on our last trip up in Humphreys Basin. But as soon as we came down to the Vee Lake level, and saw the amazing turquoise melt zone colors, and looked up at the shining peaks, we again appreciated the snowy wonderland we were in.


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Me and the dogs gazing at an unnamed mountain- how nice.


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Frozen Big Bear Lake and Mount Gemini.


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Melt zone at the margin of Big Bear Lake.


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"Bear" in Bear Basin, with Feather Peak and Feather Pass to the east. Feather Pass is the low saddle below and right (southwest) of the peak.


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Our high camp, where we were serenaded by a lone coyote... just barked at us really. We will try to include the audio/video tape we made of it. Finally located him with binocs, across the lake from us, tilting his chin way up- then a second later we'd hear the yapping.


Of course the dogs stood at rapt attention, and finally barked and howled with him/her?


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Frozen Vee Lake and Seven Gables.


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Mount Gemini, with an intriguing pass on the northern shoulder of the mountain.


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"Smokey" cavorting on a still solidly frozen Vee Lake.


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Mountains of clouds!


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Our two-night camp at the outlet of Vee Lake. Seven Gables hanging over us to the west, and a brilliant view of Feather Peak in the east; our two favorite peaks in view all day!


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More casting practice- please help us Giantbrookie!... Old Ranger?!!


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Alpenglow on the eastern rim of the basin.
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Last edited by Harlen on Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:36 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by SirBC »

Thanks for the report, you got some great photos too. I love seeing those dramatic clouds against blue skies. I'm hoping to head to this area in early Sept., hopefully with a little less snow :)
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Harlen
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by Harlen »

Great BC,
You will be the one to see all the lakes. My wife and I really love to camp at either end of Vee Lake- the outlet end is tight, and feels right under 7 Gables, and the east side is quite open, and you gaze across the big lake at the Mountain. There are some nice rambles you can do around the basin if you stay a few days. Best of luck.
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by Carne_DelMuerto »

Good lord, what a wonderful thread. Love the photos.

By the way, a friend and I called that unnamed peak (in the photo with the dogs) "Hambone" when we first explored the region in 2001. I'm not expecting the name to stick, but putting it out there in case anyone has naming rights.
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Final Part of Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by Harlen »

Our last hurrah for this great trip was to circle Seven Gables around to the west, and hopefully climb it for its wild view.
We descended the basin via the notch below Vee Lake's west end- which is a strange place to put a use trail- had to lift the dogs over a few drops; it's more a matter of racing to catch "Bear," who is recklessly confident in his down-jumping ability.

We casted the lower lake of the string of Seven Gables Lakes, and low and behold these two strange slippery creatures, which had fins where their arms and legs should be, actually bit our casting deals, and came all the way up out of the water?! We didn't know what to think- never seen such strange behavior! We decided to get their reckless genes out of the lake- so we ate them. There is no need to skin these strange animals, we could eat pretty much the whole thing minus a few guts. It must have been some sort of very rare and primitive lifeform- we had certainly never seen them before!

Down, down the East Fork of the Bear Creek, which drains the entire basin. A half mile or so below lake 10,640' we ran into a shallow, but very fast-moving stream-crossing. With the dogs an unknown element of our crossing gear, we decided to bag it. We went back upstream to the outlet of that little lake. It was waist deep, and cold, but an easy crossing; so we stripped down to nothing below the waist, and still had to stretch and lean to keep the lower half of our backpacks out of it.

We made it easily down the rest of the way, always staying on the true north/right side, till the flats at the bottom of the valley, where we had to struggle across the East Fork again, this time in thigh deep, medium strength water, to reach the lakes to the west of Seven Gables Peak. We camped above Lou Beverly Lake, though Sandpiper Lake would have been a much preferable viewpoint. We found this out the next day, when almost immediately after setting out, a sharp pyramidal peak, with a three-quarter-circle cirque for a neighbor climbed into view! We couldn't place this great looking mountain, though we had both camped nearly under it at the upper end of Marie Lake in years past. We were seeing the very best side of Mt. Hooper! That circular cirque next to it is the mountain just west of Selden Pass.

The next morning we set off, not sure if we were headed for the highest peak- Seven Gables, or to the northern satellite peak we call "The Gables." The dogs paws called it, along with Smokey's current fear of giant boulder travel. It's just a class 2 hike up the main peak from the west, but the upper couple hundred feet looked like an awkwardly big sharp talus slope. The hike up "The Gables" on the other hand was very casual terrain right to the top. And what a crazy, gut-clenching view down the various chutes!! We tied the dogs to their ropes, and held them back, and then enjoyed the view down. What's that quote from Edward Abbey? The one about staring into an abyss? Interestingly, I think that there is some very reasonable third-class climbing that could be done nearly to the top of those chutes- see my notes elsewhere at the beginning of this TR. There is nothing about it in Roper's Climbers Guide strangely- how about you Wandering Daisy? Do you know anything about it?

So we all made it up and down with no problem, except for startling up the startling Ptarmigan! We nearly made the 14 miles out, on again off again with shoes at least three times. Once again, we truly enjoyed the low country travel down the Bear Creek Trail, mainly due to the raging, jade-green river scenes. Best of luck out there, Harlen.


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"Sky Pilot" in full bloom.


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This is the lake that had the 2 slippery creatures in it.


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Carleton and Smokey last day at Vee Lake camp.


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Bear below Sandpiper Lake, with Mt Hooper in the distance, and still frozen Marie Lake just visible below it.


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Descending the rocky gully below Vee.


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One of the "Gable ends."


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The smoothest chute between two "Gables."


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"Gaze not too long into the abyss, lest the abyss stares into thee!" Ed Abbey.


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After the "lake crossing" ... it was about that deep!


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What a great pair of dogs!
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Last edited by Harlen on Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:37 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Harlen
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by Harlen »

"Hambone," "Carne delMuerto?" Our dogs love you already!
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Re: Trip Report from Bear Basin

Post by cgundersen »

Hi Harlen,
Fabulous report! Whilst up there last autumn, I had the good fortune to catch a Golden Eagle in flight and watch it head for a perch (nesting site?) on the flanks of Feather Peak (symbolic choice, no?). It was the first time in memory that I'd seen one of those big birds touch down. And, I'm not sure this will help, but a couple years back, a buddy who does fish (my wife no longer does) caught a huge brown trout in Brown Bear Lake and he was using caddis fly larvae (which you can collect in ponds later in the season) as bait. He threw several smaller fish back and we munched the big guy. And, for a slightly different perspective on the snow level, here's what the final stretch up 7 Gables pass (that saddle you mentioned adjacent to Gemini Peak) looked like last year (it's a very forgiving climb and back in the day, my wife caught some very large rainbows in Three Island Lake after having appreciably less luck at Vee). I'm sure the advice from the expert fishing contingent will be much better than this.
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