High Sierra Topix

Thanks Buck. You havent posted any trip reports or photos lately,
taking the this season off?

Hi Maverick! Well, my little 17 month old boy has been keeping me busy, ha ha! My trips have consisted of going to zoos, parks, grandpa's, etc. I only went on one backpacking trip this year and that was leading a Boy Scout troop, and this weekend I'm going kayaking but it's also with our Boy Scout troop. I'm building a video/audio studio here at home so I'd like to get into high-def video production soon, wilderness adventure stuff, so I'll be active in the wilds soon enough. I'm "gearing up" and enjoying time with my family in the meantime. So, that was a long story to say, "yes, I've pretty much taken the season off".

Maverick-
Great shots! I had to cancel on a trip to the area earlier this year but I'm definately rescheduling! Beautiful trip. Thanks.

Thanks Trailtrekker06, its a beautiful place with all the solitude and
adventure you can ask for.

Rereading your report, got my maps out, just need to get the right map, the T Harrisons JMT map pack doesn't cover enough and I left my others at my moms and I was going to study them this weekend while I am sick.

Hi HD
I used the "Kings Canyon High Country Trail Map" by Tom Harrison, if you have any
questions about any particular part of the route Ill be happy to help.

I hope I find enough shade back in there. Should be interesting, no compass. Doing a loop out of South Lake, I don't want to go down to the river, past Dusy Basin, so I guess over Knapsack Pass the first or second day, wanted to hit that area coming out and the upper Dusy Lakes area after reading you tr. I'll get to see it both ways now. The TH map is the one I wanted to get, glad you had the same. I went thru my TH maps and I have all I think around Mammoth-Whitney except the Kings Canyon High Country, but that is how you accumulate them, one at a time. I have a two piece set I bought years ago, sold by a nonprofit outfit, funny, there northern Sierra ends at Mammoth Mt. It has been a great set of maps, maps of the southern, central and northern sections, gives me a great overview of territory I may want to cover on any given trip.

Hi HD

If your experienced with x-country travel then navigating without a compass
will be no problem, I've never used one, and the only reason its in my pack is
for the mirror(signaling).
Knapsack(class 1) is an obvious dip in the ridge and Thunderbolt Pass (class 2)
has some talus on both sides and some small cliffs on the south side, just ascend
to the pass from the largest lake over the talus and above the cliffs.
Your best bet is to checkout lower Dusy and then go over Knapsack to Barrett Lakes
and then exit thru Thunderbolt Pass back into upper Dusy to the big lake, plus
going over Thunderbolt Pass will be easier with a lighter pack.

A few years ago when I did the South Lake-North Lake loop, I was eye balling where Knapsack Pass should be as Steve Armstrong over on Backpacker magazines forum had been that way a few times on his SHR trips. Looking at my map last night, I thought I might stay high after going over Bishop Pass, or at the least, not drop down too much. I still need to make notes on your trip and try to find the lakes/passes on my map. A lot of "I hope I can get over that ridge" hiking. Some places it looks like the last bit will be steep. I will have a pack weight of a little over 30 lbs. I'm thinking. Not much I can leave out, except my chair, and I may kill for a place to sit before the trip is half over. Right now it looks like a night each at:
Palisade Basin
Upper Basin
Lake Basin
Dumbbell Lake
Amphitheater Lake
Dusy Basin
Ruwun Lake

Would like to stay one more night, so all this may change with a day added in the middle somewhere.

HD
What route are you planning to take to get from Palisade Basin to Upper
Basin and then to Lake Basin?
You could go over Potlock Pass (class 2) from Palisade Basin and down to
Palisade Lakes, then follow the JMT to Upper Basin and use either Frozen Lake
Pass(class 2-3 w/ice axe) or Vennacher Col(class 3) to get into Lake Basin.
Dumbbell Lakes Pass(class 2) into Dumbbell Basin and Cataract Creek Pass(class 2)
to Amphitheater Lake and down to hook up with the JMT.
I would not recommend doing these routes unless you have x-country experience and
are in great shape because doing so many x-country passes require alot of
physical endurance!
If you get injured in these areas being found or seeing someone else to help is
highly unlikely especially in the Dumbbell area. Potlock area and Lakes Basin
gets some useage, but not crowds of people.