High Sierra Topix

My Aug trip plans are destroyed! I popped a ligament in my ankle (again!) and can't do the off trail jaunt I had planned. I haven't done an on trail trip in years except for the JMT! Maybe it will be fun...
We leave in a couple weeks tho so I have to scramble to pick something out...I think my ankle can take 7-8 miles/day on any trail as long as it is a trail and I don't have to be rock scrambling. And I was going to go out longer but I think I better keep it to 5 days this month. West side access closest but willing to drive to east...ideas anyone? Thanks, Dee

I'm surprised nobody has responded to this, but the roughly 40 mile Rae Lakes loop out of Cedar Grove (end of King's Canyon) should not kill your ankle and even though it tends to be a bit busy, it's a great loop. If you want more up and down (and perhaps a bit more distance), try Sawtooth Pass out of Mineral King, and circle back via the Little 5 Lakes, Blackrock Pass and Timber Gap (and, if you're feeling better toward the end of that loop, you can cut off the Timber Gap portion by climbing from Spring to Cyclamen to Columbine Lake and back out; there's nothing too daunting at the end of that detour, and Cyclamen is pretty cute).
cgundersen

Ouch! Sorry to hear that, Dee.

I don't have any great ideas for on-trail trips--like you, I usually do the off-trail kind. Maybe Silver/Goodale Passes loop?

- Sunset Meadow-Rowell Meadow-Lost Lake-Silliman Pass-JO Pass-Sunset
27 mile loop.
- North Fork of Big Pine Creek, Lakes (19 miles)
- Northern Loop out of Bridgeport near Twin Lakes (41 mile)
- Rae Lakes Loop(40 miles)

The third hike will give you the most solitude.
Hope you recover soon!

Don't forget that a lot of off trail is no more likely to twist an ankle than many trails. While lots of trail sections are soft, many are rocky, too. So while really big talus boulder hopping is probably not in the cards (although that has the advantage of being able to see all your foot placements), there is quite a bit of off trail type of terrain that aren't any more of an ankle stability problem than trails. If you're like me, think about the times you've rolled your ankle hiking. I'll bet the vast majority of those times are on trail. In fact, I can only remember rolling my ankle on trails, even though I spend a very large amount of my time off trail. I believe the reason why this occurs is that one tends to relax more because of the trail whereas one is more alert off trail to foot placement. Knees are another matter. I've done far more knee tweaks off trail than on.

Anyhow for a nice easy trail plus easy off trail trip one option I'd recommend would be some sort of Humphreys Basin-French Canyon trip. The off trail wandering in the French Canyon and Humphreys Basin area is very gentle and more fun (for off trail enthusiasts) than being trail bound.
A west side trip with very pleasant and easy cross country (and gets you to some seldom traveled country) that would be very doable for a bad ankle would be Wolverton to the Tableland (with options to visit various pocket basins as desired). The cross country is slabs, grass, small talus, where foot placements are easy and visible.
Another west side trip that mixes mostly trail with some very easy off trail would be Bear Basin from the Bear Creek Diversion Dam.

Bummer about the ankle! Good luck with healing the ankle! I haven't done much backpacking lately, so I'm no help.

Great ideas guys, thanks! I'll be perusing the maps!!!
Snow nymph...not much backpacking lately? You ok???
I too haven't gotten out much this season. My honey started his own business this year. He is doing great! But...he doesn't want to take time off. Thank goodness I have my horses...and I live right across from a state park that is spectacular!
Thanks again guys, I'll check out these trips!
Dee

LOL@snow nymph!!

I would think twice about Sawtooth Pass. When I did it there was no trail...it was cross country and steep.