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Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 7:29 am
by Snow Nymph
Friday, 18 May 2007 (day 1 of 3)
Onion Valley to Kearsarge Pass

PHOTOS: http://snownymph.smugmug.com/gallery/28 ... #154789834


My 2nd Friday off on the 9/80 schedule! :-) I went to Onion Valley to acclimatize for our hike Saturday. I felt the altitude around 10,700', slowed down and spent 2 hours at Kearsarge Pass (11,760'). Total hiking time was 4-1/2 hrs, plus 2 hrs at Kearsarge Pass. Two years ago I got sick (altitude) doing Mt Inyo (same area). I wanted to be ready for Keynot and this really helped.

The rest of this weekend was in the desert and will be posted in "Beyond the Sierra Nevada"

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 8:00 am
by CinnamonGirl
nice photos Snowy. can't wait to get up there.

awww a nap in the wountains... sounds so beautifully relaxing. i would love to do that one of these days. but peak bagging doesn't always allow for that kind of break. gotta make some time for it once in a while.

sweet dreams!

CG

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 8:17 am
by giantbrookie
I had a bad record with altitude sickness in that area as a kid; this brings back memories. On two trips in the early 70s I really got bogged down. On one trip we were doing Mt. Gould and I totally ran out of steam a bit above the pass. I sat down and my dad made up our "rocket fuel" of that era: Lipton sweetened ice tea mixed with snow. The magic elixir worked well for me, and the entire family eventually made the peak (mom, dad, and younger brother, too). The other time I recall trying Independence with my dad. I sat down on a ledge high above Robinson Lake, then blacked out. It was really a strange experience. I recall looking toward University Peak then seeing this black curtain (or maybe more like a wall of black dripping paint) descend over my view as if a stage scene was closing. My recollection is that after I came to we turned around and headed back to Onion Valley.

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 9:13 am
by maverick
Thanks for the pics SN. Good to see the lakes are starting to finally
thaw.

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 11:40 am
by hikerduane
I hope altitude sickness never hits me or hard. I live and work at 4000' or higher, so spending the night at or close to a trailhead isn't as much of a big deal as some of our group here who live at 1' above sea level. :lol:

Nice pics SN/

Posted: Mon May 21, 2007 9:28 pm
by tomcat_rc
what a difference a week can make on the conditions - did I really see snow and ice there last weekend

Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 8:00 am
by Snow Nymph
Having every other Friday off will help. I just have to schedule the big hikes on my long weekend so I have a day to acclimatize. It was great doing it this way! I felt a little bit on Friday, but Saturday I felt great!

I couldn't believe the ice on Gilbert lake was gone! It was pretty warm out. Makes me wonder what Mammoth is like now. They close this weekend.

Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 8:40 pm
by quentinc
Snowy, so nice of you to post pictures of a snowless (almost) pass! I wonder if I'd be able to get over Glen Pass the first weekend in June, just using ski poles.

Posted: Wed May 23, 2007 9:08 pm
by Snow Nymph
I talked to Cpt Ugly Beard that day, doing the PCT. He said there's a well worn path thru the snow. He was able to cover 25 mi/day. He was headed over Glen Pass on Friday. I think you'll be ok in June. Good luck!

Posted: Thu May 24, 2007 9:46 pm
by quentinc
Cool. And in my current state of conditioning, I might have to settle for 25 miles in 4 days. :)