trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Doyle- the last photo is Hummingbird Lake from the outlet looking back towards the pass.

Here is a photo showing Midway Pass taken from Pearl Lake. It is the hidden notch that is a bit more than half-way across the top of the photo. Finger Peak is to the left.

Image

From Portal Lake I would think it is easier to go over the pass via Hummingbird Lake even though it is longer. Particularly if you are carrying crampons only to do Midway Pass. You certainly can avoid this pass.
Last edited by ERIC on Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: changed img to rimg so photo doesn't get cut off.
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

By the way, if you are doing Midway Pass I do not think instep crampons on running shoes are sufficient! In early season this pass is seriously steep snow. Do you know how difficult it is to self arrest with a pack on your back? If you have not practiced A LOT of self arrest with a fully loaded pack on your back, I would avoid this pass.
User avatar
ERIC
Your Humble Host & Forums Administrator
Your Humble Host & Forums Administrator
Posts: 3254
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:13 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: between the 916 and 661

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by ERIC »

Mike M. wrote:Wandering Daisy wrote:
A few photos. Sorry they got cut off on the right - do not know how to avoid this.
To prevent your photos getting cut off on the right side of the screen, you have to resize the images. Something around 552 x 414 seems to be the sweet spot. But after you resize, be sure to sharpen them up, otherwise they will look a little soft (I often forget this last step and you can sure tell!).

Mike
Or....just use the rimg tag instead of the img tag. That's what it's there for. :thumbsup:

Example:

Code: Select all

[rimg]http://www.yoursite.com/photo1.img[/rimg]
vs.
[img]http://www.yoursite.com/photo1.img[/img]
with img:

Image

with rimg:

Image
New members, please consider giving us an intro!
Follow us on Twitter @HighSierraTopix. Use hashtags #SIERRAPHILE #GotSierra? #GotMountains?
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HighSierraTopix
User avatar
bcrowell
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:35 pm
Experience: N/A

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by bcrowell »

Wow, thanks, Wandering Daisy -- what a helpful response!! That was just what I needed to know!
User avatar
Jimr
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 2175
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:14 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Torrance

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Jimr »

Midway pass, I always called it Finger Col. Is there a Finger Col. somewhere else?
hisierra7.JPG
hisierra2.JPG
hisierra9.JPG
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by Jimr on Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
Cross Country
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2009 11:16 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Cross Country »

From Blue Canyon you might also consider visiting Tunamah Lake and the lakes SE of there. Gaintbrookie gives them very high marks. PS: really good fishing too.
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

jimr - the pass your photos show is Finger Col. Midway Pass is to south (right) and goes over Kettle Ridge down to Blue Canyon. There is a Midway Col near Midway Mountain in the Kern-Keweah area. By the way, what was Finger Col like on the Goddard side? Is it feasible with a full pack?
User avatar
Jimr
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 2175
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:14 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Torrance

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Jimr »

Thanks Wandering Daisy for the clarification. Moving east down from Finger Col with a pack is basically a walk in the park all of the way down to the lowest lake on Goddard Cr. Moving up canyon into Ionian basin is straight forward, but going down to the middle fork Kings River is brutal, at best.
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
User avatar
DoyleWDonehoo
Founding Member
Posts: 480
Joined: Wed Dec 14, 2005 2:06 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: San Jose, CA
Contact:

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by DoyleWDonehoo »

I have seen some reference to this pass in this discussion, but to put a name on it, the easiest way into Blue canyon is over Mantle Pass, which you can barely call class 2. See it here:
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/nfkings/nfkr16.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thanks for the shots of Finger Pass, probably the easiest way into the upper Goddard.
Has anybody written something definitive about the pass from Blue to Goddard? I thought I saw something somewhere...
Doyle W. Donehoo
Sierra Trails:
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: trip advice: Blue Canyon from the north?

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I did Blue Canyon Pass a few years ago and I think I did a trip report (I posted the map of this trip and a few photos above ) . When I did it, the top half was still a mix of snow and rock - not really hard, just slow and I had to be careful not to post-hole next to a rock. I did not have an ice axe. The pass actually gets early AM sunshine in mid-summer so the snow was not icy by the time I got up to it. I actually went north to access the upper bench and then circled below Finger Peak. The south side is very easy, as shown in the photo below.

Image
Route I did from Blue Canyon Pass to get to Tunemah Lake
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: BillyBobBurro, Google Adsense [Bot], Harlen, Snowtrout and 142 guests