High Sierra Topix

Did a loop out of Shingle Springs (Cherry Lake) via Kibbie Ridge, Many Island Lake, Spotted Fawn Lake, and Flora Lake. Pretty country--lots of big slab granite, lakes, and open forest. The Bartlett Creek route from Spotted Fawn to Flora was the highlight, IMO--a series of lovely hanging valleys with lakes. X-C is tougher (i.e., brushier) at 6,000-8,000 than it is above 10,000--I guess I just have to be reminded of that every time. Also, long approaches through boring country at each end. Still, good trip.

Much longer trip report with pictures (in progress) at my blog.
Part 1: http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/06 ... art-1.html
Part 2: http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/06 ... art-2.html

Nice report from the Sierran Bermuda Triangle. Yes that is an interesting and seldom traveled region, no doubt because the brush adds one additional barrier to cross country travel.

Hiked to all those lakes long ago. And still recall all the brush. I got pretty whacked during this MD weekend too from brush on our first of two one-night backpacks down at the 5k elevation.

The only one of the NE Yosemite lakes I've been back to in the last decade is also my favorite and the easiest to reach...Kibbie Lake. Of course Kibbie has lots of brush too. Years ago on the MD weekend recall looking out from our east shore camp in the evening to all the little campfires on the easily traveled west side. We'd be confident in being the only one's that would challenge the brush thus have the whole side of the lake to ourselves. On my last trip, I noticed the brushy route to round the steep southeast shores was rather beat back from what we used to have to monkey through. ...David

Cool report and pics Tom. Never been up in that area before. It looks very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, y'all. Dave, I just got a quick glimpse of Kibbie from near the trail; it didn't look all that appealing to me, but of course I didn't have time to explore it right then, so I probably missed the best of it.

Part 3 is now posted: http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/06 ... art-3.html

TT,

Great report, I enjoyed reading it. I do have a couple questions for you though. What trail did you exit to from the u-shaped lake? I assume you mean the Kibbie Lake trail because the Kibbie Ridge trail is quite far. If you went from the u-shaped lake to Kibbie Lake, I may just consider that exact same route. Do you think it is possible (without beating myself up) to go up Kibbie Creek from Kibbie Lake to Many Island Lake? Did you or your partner fish? If so please report.

I have 3 trips planned covering the following 4 weeks. Of the 3 trips, this exact area is my 2nd so I appreciate any further info.

Thanks again for the great report,

Flip

Thanks, Ozark Flip! I went out via Kibbie Lake (and I'll have a much more detailed description in the last part of the trip report, which I'm hoping to post tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned). I have no idea if it's feasible to go up from Kibbie Lake to Many Island Lake, but it looks like some pretty convoluted terrain on the map, and I suspect it's probably a brushy nightmare. I don't fish; Lou does, but he bailed on the first day. From what others have told me, the three lakes I stayed at are fishless but the Bartlett Creek lakes might have some good fishing.

Ozark Flip

Following Kibbie Creek to Many Island involves alot of bush especially
the area on the eastern side of the lake and then up the ravine.
When I descended to Kibbie I got into the lake to get around the very
heavy brush. In most places the water was mid-thigh level.
The western side of the lake is easier especially if you get high
over the cliff parts on the northern end of the lake.
I havent tried the other spur creek which drains into Kibbie at the
northern-western end but it doesnt look much better from the maps
though if you stay up high on the ridge you'll probably be fine and
avoid the seriously bushy stuff.
I would probably skirt around at 7000ft and go up to 7200ft until I
got to Many Island Lake.

Ozark Flip wrote:Did you or your partner fish? If so please report.Flip

Tehipite answered all of the route related questions, and here are a few particulars about the fishing. All of the named lakes in that area (Boundary, Spotted Fawn, Inferno, Many Island, Flora) except for Kibbie are fishless. All were once air dropped with fish during the era that NP lakes were air dropped. After cessation of air dropping the lakes didn't have good enough spawning habitat to maintain trout populations. However, fish that were once living in those lakes worked their way downstream and they are able to maintain populations in unnamed lakelets where there are sufficiently low gradient reaches of creek flowing into or out them. That having been said,the finest fishing lake nearby is the easiest to reach: Kibbie Lake. It has rainbows that commonly get up over 15" and probably top out at near 20". You can do a loop through the fishless guys, then down to Flora, then follow what is left (not much of it) of an old trail (dead fall steeplechase in sections makes it all but useless) back toward the real trail that you can then follow to Kibbie. The lakes near Mercur Peak/Kibbie Ridge (Mercur Lakes) are outside the park and are probably still regularly air dropped. They've hosted some plump brookies in the past. Given the wholesale change up with regard to brookie air drops, my bet is that DFG will drop those with rainbow now, or that they have gone fishless.

Okay...Wow! First, thanks for the info. Second, I will certainly be changing my trip plans. I planned on visiting the lakes in that off trail section for the fishing. I am a fisherman who backpacks not a backpacker that fishes. Yea I have been to the top of Whitney and up Half Dome a few times but generally speaking, "If there aren't fish up there, I'm not going!" For years me and a couple friends have studied maps and just gone into areas in seacrh of good fishing. Some trips end very successfully, some trips end in there not being any fish in the targeted area and some trips end in us not even reaching our destination for whatever reason (ususally early season trips). Whatever the case, it is always a good trip because of the total experience.

I have one of them there Tom Harrison shaded-relief topo maps and it looked like I could make it from Kibbie into the lake basin. But it doesn't matter now. I will not beat brush to get somewhere I already know does not hold fish. Especially after just returning from a 4-day x-country trip into the Mokelumne that was very brushy.....had enough of that for now.

My change of trip plans will not include the Emigrant. We have a 3-night family camping trip to Pinecrest planned in about a mounth in which I was going to day hike and do some fishing in the Emigrant where I know there are fish. Now I have the excitement of selecting another spot. Since they scaled back the high country planting many of my books are no longer reliable and I don't know of any new books a person could trust....seemed to me to be one of those "just go there and see for myself" kind of things.

Thanks again to all of you for the info and I'll wait for the remaining part 4 of the trip report. I will also try to make an attempt to post trip reports....I enjoy reading them so.....

Flip