High Sierra Loop-Need Advice

[wearechampions]

Hi-

I would like to take my sons to the Sierras next summer and am thinking about doing the west to east traverse from Sequoia NP to Whitney. I've looked into shuttle options and am wondering what wisdom/advice is out there concerning a loop in the event I decide to avoid taking a shuttle. What are trip recommendations? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

[maverick]

Hi Wearechampions,

Welcome to HST! Please give us a little more info about yourself and your boys experience levels, so we can recommend routes accordingly: http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... f=1&t=4205

[wearechampions]

Hi Maverick-good questions. I'll do my best to answer.

Backpacking experience-- Between level 2 and level 3. We have done multi-day backpacking trips along Lake Superior in Minnesota and also in Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario. The latter was a seven-day canoe trip in the wilderness but we did some portaging as well. We also climbed Mt. Elbert in Colorado. Not a difficult climb, just a long day and good experience with altitude for us Illinois flatlanders.

Terrain--Between level 2 and level 3. We have all done some rock climbing, mainly indoors, though. I haven't had to do any river crossings and as for snow travel or glacier crossings, I did a climb of Mt. Shasta years ago and that is my only experience with crampons and an ice ax. I know the snow pack can be a major factor and anticipate planning the trip for late July or August.

Main interest-- Forests, mountain scenery and climbing.

Trip duration--I am looking at a trip of 8-10 days. I am not sure how many miles we should plan on per day. My sons are strong and fit but will be 13 and 15 years old and have limited experience in the mountains.

Altitude--We have not experienced any issues with altitude sickness but again, our time at elevation has been minimal.

Route logistics--I prefer a loop or a point-to-point. Area interest-I am most interested in Sequoia and Kings Canyon area and possibly traversing the Sierras.

Dog--As far as bringing a dog, that is possible. We have a Jack Russell terrier who has camped and hiked with us before.

[maverick]

Terrain--Between level 2 and level 3. We have all done some rock climbing, mainly indoors, though. I haven't had to do any river crossings and as for snow travel or glacier crossings, I did a climb of Mt. Shasta years ago and that is my only experience with crampons and an ice ax. I know the snow pack can be a major factor and anticipate planning the trip for late July or August.

You may need to be flexible with your timing, if we expereince an above average snow year again, the creek crossings could be very difficult, if not impossible on some routes, way into August, and mosquitoes could also be very bad into late August again. Snow could be an issue too. You may want to finalize your route sometime next Spring.

Trip duration--I am looking at a trip of 8-10 days. I am not sure how many miles we should plan on per day. My sons are strong and fit but will be 13 and 15 years old and have limited experience in the mountains.

8-10 days of food, is a lot of weight to put on a teenagers back, hope you intend to train for this hike, strength training and hitting the trails with packs months before you trip. You may consider doing some shorter trips if you cannot get in the training in, something like the Rae Lakes Loop or the Mineral King Loop, which are shorter trips (5-7 days), use the "search feature" to check out some of the TR's to these areas.

https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/ ... s-loop.htm
http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... op#p100600
http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... op#p126981

Dog--As far as bringing a dog, that is possible. We have a Jack Russell terrier who has camped and hiked with us before.

No dogs are allowed in national parks.

[wearechampions]

Thank you very much. Good point about the weight of the food for a trip of that length. As for timing, I can be flexible on that. I understand that much depends upon the snow. Also, thanks for the tip and links about the two loops you mention. I will check them out.

[lambertiana]

How many miles per day do you prefer to do? There are a number of potential routes for a west-to-east trans-Sierra trip to Whitney, ranging from 55 miles to 71 miles for the more popular ones. Any of those would be easy to do in 8-10 days. If you want to include Whitney in a loop, that complicates things. Some options start from popular trailheads where it is harder to get a permit.

With proper food choice, food weight will not be a huge problem. You just have to choose food that has high calorie content for the weight/bulk. I have taken scouts as young as 14 on such trips and they did fine carrying the food. On a nine day loop that I did last summer in SEKI, my total food weight when I started was under 15 pounds, and I had a pound left when I got home. Of course, I live at 300' and when I go high I lose my appetite, and I have to be picky about the food that I bring so that I can at least semi-enjoy it. Some things that I can't stomach at home are somehow delicious at elevation, while some things that I love at home just gag me at elevation.

If a trans-Sierra route to Whitney with a shuttle won't work, there are a number of loops in SEKI that offer great scenery. The above-mentioned Rae Lakes loop is a good one (but popular), and I would recommend a side trip to East Lake and Lake Reflection to fill that out. The East Lake/Lake Reflection area is one of my favorites. There are a number of loop options out of Mineral King that are really nice, too (I have done two).

[Lumbergh21]

Another questions for you. Is Whitney important and the reason that you mention the High Sierra Trail or are you more interested in just the Sierra in general? If climbing Whitney is important, then the easiest (best, IMO) way to do that is to start at a trailhead on the eastern side of the Sierra rather than starting in SEKI. There are some nice potential hikes starting on the eastern side that you could finish by exiting over Whitney. You wouldn't be doing a loop, but it is easy to get a hitch down to Lone Pine from Whitney Portal and then use the ESTA bus to get where you need to go from there. Since I assume you won't be driving from Illinois, you'll need to use public transportation anyway.