Enchanted Gorge / Goddard Canyon / Rimbaud Pass

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aufsess
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Enchanted Gorge / Goddard Canyon / Rimbaud Pass

Post by aufsess »

Anyone have experience going through these areas? I am considering a trip that would start at Florence Lake go down Goddard Canyon and then up through Rimbaud pass and into LeConte and possibly go back up into Ladder / Hester Lake area to head to the Muir Pass and Evolution Area. The Enchanted Gorge is an option too, but from the trip reports online it seems like you end up either swimming across Disappearing Creek! or crossing questionable ice bridges or possibly both -- not to mention bushwacking through stinging nettles. I think there is also a hot springs near Florence Lake, which would be a bonus!
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maverick
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Re: Enchanted Gorge / Goddard Canyon / Rimbaud Pass

Post by maverick »

Getting up to Rambaud Pass is scree city and both sides of the pass are solid
class 2 with lots of loose rock.
Stay out of Rambuad Creek drainage and you'll avoid the nasty bush while
descending to Grouse.
Going up to Ladder by following the streams northern side is easy but steep.
Hester can be reached by climbing over a class 2 pass near Lake 11654.
Make sure you are very comfortable with x-country routes, and in excellent
condition because there is a lot of climbing involved, definitely not for an
inexperience backpacker!
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Jimr
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Re: Enchanted Gorge / Goddard Canyon / Rimbaud Pass

Post by Jimr »

I've been down the whole length of Goddard creek. While the top half is a beautiful, wide canyon with easy travel, from the lowest lake just above 10K, down to the Middle fork Kings River is very rough work. Narrow canyon with many stream crossings. It took us 16 hours and two days to get our packs down the 6 or 7 miles of downhill to Simpson Meadow. If you do this, I would suggest you stay high on the western slopes for the first half of the stretch where you leave the lowest lake. Stay above the slanted, rocky outcroppings as they appear to be a good downhill to the creek, but they all end on cliff. Once you hit an obvious ravine between two mountains, you can get down to the stream if you want. If you do, there will be much stream crossing and moving into the wooded areas to get down to where it meets up with Disappearing creek from Enchanted Gorge. From there, it is a nice walk through forest that may still be fire scarred (I was there in 1989) down to Middle fork Kings River.

Best regards,
Jim
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
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