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Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:59 pm
by TenderPaw
First off, Hello everyone.

I was recommended to check out your site for some site specific information from friends over at backpackinglight.com.

I will be spending the summer hiking in the Sierra’s from July to October.

A couple of questions I have;
I am thinking of spending a day in the Sixty Lakes Basin, the following day head over the King Spur at the southern most lake in Sixty Lakes Basin. Spend a day exploring Gardiner Basin working North West along the basin.
From here is where I'm looking for advice. I want to hike north to Woods Creek. There are two drainages just north of Gardiner Basin, if feasible I would like to get over the ridge just west of Mt. Clarence King, and then follow the river out to Castle Domes Meadow.
Is anyone familiar with this area?

Looking for any accounts of hiking to Amphitheater Lake from south side of Mather pass? I’m looking to see if I can bypass Mather pass by going over the ridge to Amphitheater Lake then north cross country to meet up the JMT at Palisade lakes. Has anyone attempted this?

Thanks in advance.

Re: Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:40 pm
by maverick
First of all welcome to HST!
Second please read the announcement section on top "SUGGESTIONS FOR REQUESTING
TRIP ADVICE" and give us some back ground info about yourself so we can recommend
according to your experience level. Thanks Mav

Re: Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:56 pm
by Sierra Maclure
All I can say is that I'm jealous. I love that area. :thumbsup:

Re: Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 11:20 pm
by lostcoyote
"From here is where I'm looking for advice. I want to hike north to Woods Creek. There are two drainages just north of Gardiner Basin, if feasible I would like to get over the ridge just west of Mt. Clarence King, and then follow the river out to Castle Domes Meadow.
Is anyone familiar with this area?"

i have been atop that "pass" to which you refer.... about 1 mile west of clarence king at ~3560. i did not descend the pass. i only went up there to snap off a photo of the west side of clarence king. there was a huge frickin cornice with about a 30 foot drop which looked to be around a 70 degree angle. from there, it looked ok... lots of talus to the base where some small lakes are.... so plan for an alternate if you get there and it looks nasty. this route puts you at 2540 on woods creek.

an alternate might be to go either another 1/4 mile west to the pass at ~3410 and descend northwest to a small lake (3150m) follow the creek to woods creek at 2290m... or even go further west about 1/2 mile on that curving ridgeline where it is also about 3400m and descend to the same lake in a northeast fashion.

if none of them pan out, at least you have visited a place where you'll find solitude.

here's a shot:

Image

Intro

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 12:10 pm
by TenderPaw
Good morning all,

A little bit about me,

I’ve been living at the lake (Tahoe) since 1990. I spend my time daydreaming about the mountains and solitude when I’m not actually out in them.
I have a base weight of 13 pounds. I'm big fan of Henry’s TT and golite products.
A couple of hikes under my belt are;
Tahoe Rim Trail, 14 days re-supply every couple of days. Group counter clockwise.
Tahoe-Yosemite Trail 14 days re-supply at Kennedy Meadows. Solo NOBO
John Muir Trail 21 days re-supply at Red’s and Muir Ranch. Solo SOBO
Spent a week slowly kayaking around the Lake. With the misses also counter clockwise
I’ve been walking around the woods since I was a teenager almost all solo trips. I’m very familiar with Desolation Wilderness on trail and off as is most of the world it would seem on any given weekend…
I have three cross country routes in Desolation and Mokelumne that consist of 3-5 days each 25-50 miles (I walk really slowly). Mostly ridgeline and peak bagging planned for this July with as much time as possible in between hikes at the beach.
Aug 1st my girlfriend and I will spend 21 days walking the JMT SOBO.
I was/am contemplating the Ropers HSR next; logistics are playing a big role here. More to come on this!
Once I hit Tuolumne Meadows around Sept 20 or so I will take the TYT/PCT north home.
And then New Zealand here I come.

In a nut shell like most here I can’t get enough the Sierra!

Thanks for listening and advice.

TenderPaw
:partyman:

North bound ?

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:11 pm
by TenderPaw
I’ve been seriously considering Roper’s HSR for my Sept hike. I’ve got Harrison’s topo’s for the entire route and have highlighted the route out (He definitely did his homework…) using his book. I will be in Lone Pine around Sept 21. I am thinking of taking a day off and then just start walking north until I get home.

Problem 1, getting to roads end is an issue so if time is not a concern why not start on the east side. I could take the HST west and then re-supply and start the SHR NOBO.

But when I look at the maps a route like this looks hard/fun/big time adventure;

Kearsarge pass -sixty lakes basin, gardener basin, down to woods creek.
Take woods creek to west to Muro Blanco follow it north to Cartridge Pass.
Lake Basin – Dumbbell Pass and lakes – Amphitheatre Lakes – Cataract Creek

Not sure if Glacier creek is doable or if there’s another route up, if not head east to Palisade lakes and take Ropers route to Palisade and Dusy Basin, re-supply in Bishop.

That’s as far as I’ve got so far.

What are your thoughts on this route?

Re: Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:15 pm
by maverick
The Gardiner to Castle Dome route your asking about is via King Col(class 2), as
LostCoyote mentioned it is about 1 mile west of Clarence King.
It is steep on the southern side, and turns sandy towards the top.
The northern side is also steep with lots of loose rock.
Descend the pass staying on the smaller lakes western side, and then descend following
the creek to Woods Creek.
I had no problem crossing Woods at the meadow across from Castle Dome, but this
was during a drought year, so finding a crossing may not be possible unless you walk
up to the JMT/Bridge Crossing.
There is a class 2 pass which is steep and lots of scree directly west of the upside down
mini Italy shaped lake, and it will get you to Lake 11309 in the Amphitheater Lake Basin.
I give out this information with some reservation since you have not indicated any real
cross country experience (Desolation Wilderness doesn't count), cross country
in the mid-lower Sierra is a completely different animal, much more rugged, and remote.
These areas are both very remote, and not easy, especially the pass into Amph Basin.

Copy that Mav.

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:21 pm
by TenderPaw
Thanks for the information Mav.
I understand your reservations in answering my inquiries, maybe this will help you better understand my thinking/planning/questioning,

I’m approaching this route with reservation, caution, and a curiosity of its remoteness. It’s true that I don’t have any high sierra cross country under my belt. I will be just coming off the JMT and will be able to get off trail near this purposed route to build/hone/understand/and determine my abilities before hand. I will take it how it comes. If at anytime I’m out of my comfort zone I will retreat and find another way around. I have no problem putting safety first. My job handling volatile aviation fuel requires it daily and transfers over to day to day operations. I will be carrying two days worth of extra food for just the occasion. A plb that hopefully never gets used and would only be used if self rescue was not an option.

While the high sierra is a different animal, I will proceed with caution. Confidence in my abilities not cockiness. Scree to boulder hoping to route finding are all practices I’m familiar with. I’m comfortable attempting the SHR with a resource as valuable as Ropers book and quality maps. I have good cross country navigation both by site and compass.

While a book or trip reports from this board or another wont get the hike done, I can take the experiences of posters and the after thoughts to help mentally prepare and better assess the magnitude of this adventure. And that is exactly what it is, an adventure into the high country. The unquenchable thirst for first hand knowledge for this endeavor is the reason I’m here. I will take whatever advice anyone is willing to post for what it is advice.
My goal is to have a safe and memorable hike. Bottom line. For that I come to you all.
Thanks everyone.

TanderPaw

You make plans and then life happens…

Re: Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 8:39 pm
by Joseph
Below is a 'live' topographic map that is centered in the Sixty Lake Basin area. You can pan, zoom, right-click and play with the buttons in the upper right corner.

Thanks to Matt for making this possible. Anyone can add a similar interactive map to their post. The short instructions are below the map.

36.822723,-118.427347

To add a map centered at a specific latitude/longitude, just click the new Gmap4LL button where you want the map to appear in your post. That button will add a pair of matched codes to your post. Paste your lat/lng in between those codes and click "Preview". You should see your map in the preview pane.

The lat,lng must be in decimal degrees and be based on the WGS84 datum.

Re: Hello everyone, I need some help with some remote locations.

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:12 pm
by rlown
Joseph,

It's nice to see the live map in action, but I don't think TenderPaw needs map skills. I thought this thread was more about are certain passes "doable." TenderPaw, I would trust Mav and LC's guidance once you pick a proposed route and identify secondaries. We wouldn't want you to have to use that PLB either.