Sawmill -> Pinchot -> Taboose 7/2017
Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 6:55 am
Some have the ability to describe various life experiences with a traditional 'romantic' flavor - like Muir. I'm more mechanical, so my reports are typically in the fashion of: I hiked from point A to point B. It was bitchin', here's my stats; you should check it out. So, without further ado, here we go:
I don't know how to embed a Google spreadsheet, so I just took a photo:
Sawmill and Taboose are two of the four notorious east side passes; the other two being Shepherd & Baxter. While they are all respectively strenuous and difficult, there's a reason they exist: they provide an immediate injection into the very heart of the High Sierra. No pvssy footing around, no foreplay, just wham bam thank you body.
I haven't hiked Baxter, but have done Shepherd 6 times, Taboose twice, and now Sawmill. From my perspective, Shepherd and Taboose are more similar, in that they traverse the north sides of large granitic canyons. That means that in addition to a very steep elevation gain/loss profile, you also get a lot of baking exposure over difficult, rocky terrain. For bonus points, both also have ledgy, snow/ice coverage at the very top.
Sawmill, OTOH, is sort of a Jekyll & Hyde: it starts out the lowest, it has the largest total elevation gain/loss, yet after the initial 3.5 miles in the desert, it follows creeks under tree cover the entire way to the top. So, it's both cooler and softer on the feet. Think of it this way: take what is perhaps the easiest of the east side passes - Cottonwood - and turn it on its side. That's my impression of Sawmill: very steep, tremendously physically demanding, yet lacking the leg/knee/foot punishment of Taboose & Shepherd.
Waiting out the heat near the Sawmill TH - I got going around 5:15pm.
Did I mention the tree cover? Sawmill meadow:
Ah yes, beautiful Sawmill lake:
One other observation - I've seen various reports/comments that the top of Sawmill is sketchy. Like all things, it's probably contingent on conditions, mental state, etc, but IMO, the top is a giant nothingburger. The few snowfields were a sick, sad joke compared to Pinchot & Taboose.
I don't know how to embed a Google spreadsheet, so I just took a photo:
Sawmill and Taboose are two of the four notorious east side passes; the other two being Shepherd & Baxter. While they are all respectively strenuous and difficult, there's a reason they exist: they provide an immediate injection into the very heart of the High Sierra. No pvssy footing around, no foreplay, just wham bam thank you body.
I haven't hiked Baxter, but have done Shepherd 6 times, Taboose twice, and now Sawmill. From my perspective, Shepherd and Taboose are more similar, in that they traverse the north sides of large granitic canyons. That means that in addition to a very steep elevation gain/loss profile, you also get a lot of baking exposure over difficult, rocky terrain. For bonus points, both also have ledgy, snow/ice coverage at the very top.
Sawmill, OTOH, is sort of a Jekyll & Hyde: it starts out the lowest, it has the largest total elevation gain/loss, yet after the initial 3.5 miles in the desert, it follows creeks under tree cover the entire way to the top. So, it's both cooler and softer on the feet. Think of it this way: take what is perhaps the easiest of the east side passes - Cottonwood - and turn it on its side. That's my impression of Sawmill: very steep, tremendously physically demanding, yet lacking the leg/knee/foot punishment of Taboose & Shepherd.
Waiting out the heat near the Sawmill TH - I got going around 5:15pm.
Did I mention the tree cover? Sawmill meadow:
Ah yes, beautiful Sawmill lake:
One other observation - I've seen various reports/comments that the top of Sawmill is sketchy. Like all things, it's probably contingent on conditions, mental state, etc, but IMO, the top is a giant nothingburger. The few snowfields were a sick, sad joke compared to Pinchot & Taboose.