2021 Sierra High Route?

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gregw822
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2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by gregw822 »

I've been a member for years, but was never a prolific poster, and I haven't been around much since moving to Oregon a number of years ago. The High Route has niggled at me for years. I was ready in 2020 until the pandemic and an untimely hamstring pull took that plan off the †able.
This is my year. I've done several of the passes: Cirque, Potluck, Knapsack, Puppet, Feather and Gabbot. I've done several solo trips, including the JMT in '18, just to find out if there's enough juice left in the tank. I'm 67. So, I leave Aug. 5, going solo, with a 24-day itinerary. I'm training furiously, the dehydrator is humming, and if thorough preparation is any compensation at all for advancing years, I'll be well-served. Anyone else for the SHR this year?
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by balzaccom »

Wow. Good on ya! We had plans to tackle some larger trips in the Sierra this summer, before our grown kids convinced us to meet them in Yellowstone instead. So those trips will have to wait for another year. And since I've got about a year on you, it isn't going to get any easier...
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-R ... 0984884963
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by Lumbergh21 »

Good luck! I don't have enough confidence in my own abilities to do it solo or anyone else who would want to do it with me, so I doubt I'll ever hike the SHR, maybe just bits and pieces here and there as parts of other trips. I did see a couple of guys in their 70's a few years ago, as I was headed up to Lake Italy and they were headed down from the Bear Lakes to VVR. They started at Roads End and were ending at VVR, planning to do the rest the following year.
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gregw822
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

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My adult daughters freaked when they figured out "He's really going to do this!!!" One of them, however, has agreed to help with the shuttle, probably so she can weep in despair at the trailhead. And my wife figures I'm going no matter what, so she might as well just buy in and support me. (She's a gem.) Honestly, I don't know if I can pull it off, but I do have the skill set and the experience required. Maybe not the knees or the endurance, but the only way I could be better prepared is if I could shave a few years off the clock. Not likely, so I'd best get on with it before it really is too late.
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by Harlen »

Hey Greg,
Trolling through your posts, eg., "Kern River," I get the idea that anyone with the good fortune to meet up with you, will be treated to all the fish they can eat! Your experience, and obvious knowledge of fly fishing is impressive to woeful spin-casters like me:
Greg writes:
Ah! The Sierra Bright Dot. I haven't fished that one in years. I like the old flies. I've tied up some Gray Hackle Yellows and California Mosquitos for this trip. If my dad wasn't fishing one of those, he was fishing the other. I'll tie some Bright Dots to go with them.
We also admire your choice of wild routes... into the beautiful Milestone Basin, and the like. Did you make it in there Greg, circa 12 years ago? Kudos to you. You may be starting this year on the one section of the SHR I have yet to do (plus that darn col that crosses Glacier Divide--what's it called?*), and am really hoping to get to this summer-- Copper Creek, and on to Lakes/Dumbell Basins. I for one would love to meet up with you! Hopefully, Ian.


*This pass I'm pointing a ski pole at:
DSCN0533.jpg
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Last edited by Harlen on Sat Nov 27, 2021 1:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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gregw822
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by gregw822 »

Nice! I'm no Wandering Daisy or Giantbrookie, but do a trip or two a year for a couple decades and you see a few places. I did get into Milestone. Loved it Beautiful, with an intimate feeling about it. I did not however, get the Kern trip in last summer. In March I was doing a training run for the SHR, feeling pretty good about being so awesome in March! I got exactly what I deserved. Tripped over an exposed root and landed with gruesome hammy injury. I was determined, dammit, to get a trip in, nonetheless. If I couldn't do the High Route I'd go fish the Kern. It was unrealistic. I couldn't run on the leg until November, and although it's almost back now, that side is still a little weaker than the other, a year later.
When we moved from Hermosa Beach to Oregon, I transitioned into doing a lot more fly fishing and river rafting. Both are outstanding in our state. I just finished a year as president of the McKenzie Flyfishers, a job I was honored to have and glad to be rid of! A quick tale: In '19 I brought two of our members to the Sierra to fish for goldens in Humphreys Basin. One of my buddies is a retired fireman. You wouldn't have believed that a grizzled character like that would grin like a 10-year old boy, just from holding an 8" fish in his hands. This, from a guy who catches 18" rainbows about as as often as he goes fishing. The man is GOOD. It was such a treat! There's nothing like showing someone the Sierra for the first time. I took those boys over Puppet Pass. Heh heh heh. If they'd known that in advance...
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

It depends if you are a "purist" or not. But, if not, no need to feel you have to do it south-to-north just as the book says. And 24 days to do it is still a good pace. I did it in 30 days, with two logistic car travel days days. The big slow-down was 11 days for the the mid section when my husband joined me and we fished a LOT and went 3-5 miles a day.

I mixed it up, north to south from Twin Lakes to Mammoth, then south to north from North Lake to Mammoth, then south to north Roads End to North Lake. I liked the north-to-south start because I had food stashed in bear boxes at Tuolumne Meadows so only had to carry 4 days food to start, plus avoided that rigorous 5000+ feet gain right off if starting from Roads End. I just walked through Tuolumne, picked up my food, took a shower and went on down the trail 4 miles to camp. The middle section south to north also has an easy start, going in Piute Pass. Low elevation gain, and lots of camping areas so you can start slow and easy and build up miles as the days go on. By the time I did what is normally the first leg (Roads End to North Lake), I was well acclimated and the start was a piece of cake.

I also used a couple of illegal campsites. I never felt compelled to push myself too much just to reach the "legal" sites. Once, I just was not able to do the mileage, the other time I stopped to camp due to a severe storm. Do what you have to do in order to stay safe and not injure yourself. We older folks need to listen to our bodies and set the pack down if needed.

One real advantage was that I had already done almost 80% of the route on various other trips, so had most of the off-trail route finding fine tuned. In spite of repeating most miles, just doing it in one continuous time frame made it feel like an entirely new route to me. Although a bit less safe, I really enjoyed going solo because I could go my own pace, focus totally on the route, and not worry about anyone else.

Good Luck! Have a great trip.
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gregw822
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by gregw822 »

Thanks for the perspective. You know, I have been just obsessed with doing the SHR exactly as described by Roper, going by myself and doing it all in one piece. I have not been able to come up with a good reason why these parameters are so important to me, but they are, nonetheless. Your words will, however, will prompt a self-examination. Always good to dig into motives and preconceptions.

Another thing is that the SHR seems difficult but somewhat tamed. I expect to look down the back side of Frozen Lake Pass and, at the same time, be both comforted and disappointed to see a use trail. Plus, of the 30 or so backpacking trips I've done over the years, all but a handful have been in the Sierra, and almost all of those within SEKI or the John Muir Wilderness. (Kings is my favorite of the Big Three NPs). My comfort in the Sierra in general probably also gives more confidence than is warranted. I discovered your book on the Winds and realized that if I displaced the SHR to an unknown range, I would be much less confident about the trip. That's a good thing to recognize. I think i need to try a hard trip outside the Sierra. So, I just ordered a copy of the book. If all goes well this summer, I'll pick a trip in the Winds for summer 22. I have actually said on more than one occasion: "I can't go to Europe. I still haven't been to the Winds." I think it's about time.
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gregw822
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by gregw822 »

Speaking of illegal campsites, how did you manage the bit between Tuolumne and Cascade Lake?
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Re: 2021 Sierra High Route?

Post by CAMERONM »

Funny I do not remember any concern for "illegal" camping for the entire route. Perhaps I was just blissfully ignorant.
It should be pretty obvious that no one can be cited for miscalculating or otherwise needing to stop for an unplanned reason.
In France they often discriminate between "camping" and 'bivouacking". If you set up at dusk and split at dawn, that is considered bivouacking, and is allowable in otherwise controlled areas.
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