High Sierra Topix

Did a 5-day mostly off-trail trip out of Florence Lake on the LeConte Divide. For various reasons, I radically downsized my (overly ambitious route); still, we got into some spectacular country, did some interesting and challenging cross-country, and didn't run into any other hikers.

Longer trip report (with pictures):
Part 1: http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/07 ... art-1.html
Part 2: http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/07 ... art-2.html
Part 3: http://tehipitetom.blogspot.com/2007/07 ... art-3.html
Complete set of pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomhilton/ ... 665262646/

Thanks TT for the trip report and pic's.
Ward Mnt Lake is a pretty lake that I havent seen for decades
and still looks enticing as ever.
I agree RR Basin is not very exciting compared to others, though its a
good place to find solitude.
Your original trip was going to be to the lakes north of Mt. Henry
inside the SEKI boundries, correct?
Where were you planning to to enter SEKI from? Climb the shoulder
and down to the lake at 10440 and then head south towards the lakes
north of Henry?

maverick wrote:Thanks TT for the trip report and pic's.
Ward Mnt Lake is a pretty lake that I havent seen for decades
and still looks enticing as ever.
I agree RR Basin is not very exciting compared to others, though its a
good place to find solitude.
Your original trip was going to be to the lakes north of Mt. Henry
inside the SEKI boundries, correct?
Where were you planning to to enter SEKI from? Climb the shoulder
and down to the lake at 10440 and then head south towards the lakes
north of Henry?

I was going to go over the shoulder NE of Bonita Lake, and go south from there.

While we were at the ferry landing, though, we talked to a guy (Richard Ross, his family is one of the three with inholdings in the Muir Trail Ranch area) who showed us on the map where an old mining trail traversed around the ridges to the northernmost lake. Looking at it from Lake 10200, I could see how it might go. Might be something to explore in the future.

One way or another, I do plan to get back in there someday.

Did he have anything to say about the lakes and the area itself?

maverick wrote:Did he have anything to say about the lakes and the area itself?

We didn't get into it...it was after 9 am, already starting to get hot, and I was eager to get moving (and he had places to go as well). But I would bet good money that they're pretty spectacular.

I always expected Ward Mountain Lake would be a beauty. Penciled out routes up there and about Mt Shinn years ago but never acted on it. Your mosquito report mirrors what I found this week on my trip into the Sequoia NP high country. Less mosquitoes than normal but still enough to often be annoying. I actually tend to get bit more because I don't bother to put on DEET or watch for them so every once in awhile one would dine on my exposed back of my hand or wrist. After a few days my wrist was getting rather itchy. ...David

Hiking from Courtright on Monday 7-1, I stopped at Disappointment Lake for a brief swim and saw my first other hiker of the day jump in across the lake. On the way up to Hell-for-sure lake to camp another dude was coming down, and hadn't seen anybody.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6186844


Nobody all the way up Goddard canyon until the bridge to Evolution Valley, and nobody all the way to Blarney. I lost the trail trying to get back over to Courtright from Florence; went in circles for 2 hours. Even though I could see Maxson Dome, I didn't want to stumble over logs all the way, so I went back to Florence and caught a ride.

The lady at the store couldn't remember a hotter day in decades. Another hiker was there who blew out his knee coming down from Sally Keyes on his way from Yosemite to Whitney, and had to catch a ride, too.[/img]

Great report. I've never been into that area, so it's great to be able to hear and see it through your report and pictures. Thank you for sharing.

That heat has been a killer lately - can't seem to escape it. I know when I went into Sphinx Lakes on June 30th I felt dead by the time I reached the first lake and revised my trip too.

Great report and Pics! One of these days I hope to make it up there.

Strider wrote:. I lost the trail trying to get back over to Courtright from Florence; went in circles for 2 hours. Even though I could see Maxson Dome, I didn't want to stumble over logs all the way, so I went back to Florence and caught a ride.[/img]

Lol, was that the jeep trail that connects the two or was it going up the hill at Florence Lake to meet that trail? I took a wrong turn off that trail heading up the hill from Florence and it took a while to realize it - and I'm usually fairly good at following faint paths!