Backpacking Suggestion Please - Pine Creek TH, late June

[SSSdave]

Some worthwhile destinations, but 3 nights = death march for average backpackers though fine for the exceptionally fit. If you find it more strenuous than expected, just basecamp at Granite Park 3 nights and you won't need anyone's advice for places to day hike to or what to do

(Just back from 6 days in north coast redwoods.)

[schmalz]

To counter some of the advice given there, I think the Bear Lakes Basin Loop (Italy Pass > Feather Pass > Pine Creek Pass or in reverse) is surely doable in 4 days if you are comfortable doing 15 miles a day. I did that loop last year in 3 days. I feel like I could have easily done it in two if I wanted, as I spent half of day one hanging out at Granite Park, and half of day two thoroughly exploring Bear Lakes Basin. Granted, I'm aware that I can cover more miles than the average hiker, but everyone completely discouraging your original plan kind of bummed me out.

[astrogerly]

Agree with @schmalz. Last year we did the lollipop in 5 lazy-for-us days. Very easily could have done it in 3 or 4 days, but since it was a ‘bonus’ trip for us, we had specific areas we wanted to camp and spend extra time exploring and just soaking in the views. Definitely doable in 4 days. Our trip report in on here... http://highsierratopix.com/community/v ... 96#p158496

[c9h13no3]

everyone completely discouraging your original plan kind of bummed me out.

Yeah, advice here does skew towards going slow. Average age of the forum is probably 55+, which creates a very experienced membership that probably isn't at the peak of their physical prime. Just something to consider.

In general, for backpacking, I prefer to go slow as well. You've got all that heavy camping ****, so should probably spend some time using it. But what mileage per day you choose is a personal choice. Most people probably over-estimate how fast they'll go.

[earwigwam]

Hi All: this is a great community, I'm really grateful for all the advice. This goes a long way towards helping me understand the routes and places in this region. Part of the challenge in planning this trip has been translating all of the names of places. People mention a certain lake or pass, and it takes me some time to figure out where it is on the map.

Unfortunately it's not possible to add an extra night. But I do have a few things going for me. I have 4 solid days (dawn on day 1 to dusk on day 4). I'm pretty fit and willing to hike most of my waking hours (except for photography stops). And I will have 2 nights at 8500 ft to acclimate prior to this.

It's an excellent question about whether to carry my pack every day vs set up a base camp and explore. I'm very torn myself. I love making a big loop, covering a lot of ground, and seeing all new scenery as I go. But I certainly see the advantages of leaving my stuff behind and exploring with a light pack.

I'm seeing a lot of suggestions for the following regions. Sounds like I should strive to hit multiple of these.
- Merriam Lake
- The Royce Lakes area
- The lakes south of the French Canyon area (Puppet/Moon/Elba/etc)
- The Bear Lakes area
- Granite Park

I'm liking Paul's train of thought, which was more in the conservative camp. Basically to zig zag to the various spots (Royce Lakes, Merriam Lakes, Moon/Elba) but stay in the viscinity of the French Canyon trail. This would give flexibility to meander wherever I please and take away some of the urgency of needing to hit X number of miles per day. There's a very good chance I end up doing some version of this. He advised against going directly from Merriam Lake to Royce Lakes, but I think I'd want to do that if it's viable.

The ambitious side of me loves the loop that goes Pine Creek TH -> Pine Creek Pass -> Merriam Lake -> La Salle Lake -> Feather Pass -> Bear Lakes Region -> Loop back over Italy Pass or directly to Granite Park? -> back home. Sounds amazing but I'll probably find it's too much for 4 days.

Regarding snow... this trip will be last week of June. 2021 seems like a low snow year but still, I imagine places like Feather Pass will be covered with snow. I want to avoid situations where I've committed to a route and gone several miles just to find sketchy conditons that force me to turn around. I'll have microspikes but I will be solo and looking to avoid risk. And as I said in my original post, I still would really love to climb a summit or two, although snow might pose the same issues.

One other question - is there a good topo map to buy for this region?

Thanks!

[paul]

https://tomharrisonmaps.com/shop/mono-d ... h-country/