Trip Advice Needed - Shepherd Pass
Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 11:39 am
Ok, I'm going to follow Maverick's guide viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4205 for requesting trip advice.
First, some background. My brother is the real mountain man - he's hiked the entire JMT, has been over every pass, and has bagged every 12-14k peak. He's been doing this long enough (25+ yrs) that he's got a number of crazy stories involving bears, hypothermia, etc. Thing is, he stayed in the Bay Area (where we grew up), so he's had limited exposure to the region west & south of Whitney. (Other than climbing the peaks from the east.)
I'm the surfing/fishing guy - saltwater in SoCal and lakes/streams in the Sierra. I go solo to the Cottonwood lakes area pretty regularly, and sometimes boogie over New Army pass to browse around Miter basin. But the objective is always fishing, not peak bagging or getting some kind of endorphin high from carrying a heavy pack.
I also try & avoid the kinds of numbskulls that frequent the beach area where I live. In fact, the US Open is going on this week, and all the locals are lying low. Anyway, what we're thinking of doing is hiking a quick 4-5 day trip after Labor day from/to New Army & Shepherd pass.
After considering the pace, fishing spots and natural stopping points, I'm sort of coming to the conclusion that it would be better to start @ Shepherd and come out @ NAP/Horseshoe. First, here are some details, and then I'll explain the rationale:
What level of backpacking experience do you have?
Level 2.5 - Many backpacking trips, some x-country travel
What terrain are you comfortable/uncomfortable with?
- Class 2.5 terrain/pass/x-country
- Creek crossings
What is your main interest?
- Fishing
How many days/nights is your trip, not including travel to trailhead?
4
How many miles did you want to do a day, any layovers?
10+-15, no layovers
Do you prefer a loop or out and back trip?
Loop
Is there a particular area in the Sierra that you are most interested in?
Symmes TH/Shepherd pass <-> New Army pass/Horseshoe Mdw TH
Will you be hiking with a dog?
Not this time
Ok, here are the details:
Option 1
Pre - Camp @ Horseshoe Mdw TH
Day 1 - HM TH over NAP to Soldier lake
Day 2 - Go thru Miter basin, over Crabtree pass to (lower) Crabtree lake
Day 3 - Go thru Crabtree Mdw up to Wallace/Wright creek confluence
Day 4 - Fish Wright lakes basin, hike out over saddle, then Shepherd pass back to car
Alternatively, we could hike up to Long/High lakes on the "pre day" (rather than sit around the TH), but then it screws up the next day by making Soldier too short and Crabtree too long. As you can see, this route also heavily backloads the last the day, rushing potentially good fishing @ WLB, and possibly calling for a stay over @ Anvil on the way out.
So, the alternative is Option 2, where we actually do a little hiking on the pre-trip/prep day:
Pre - hike up to Anvil/Pothole
Day 1 - Shepherd to Wright lakes basin
Day 2 - WLB to (lower) Crabtree
Day 3 - Crabtree pass to Soldier lake
Day 4 - over NAP back to Horseshoe Mdw
Option 2 seems to have a better flow to it. Since Anvil is only 7-8 miles (admittedly up hill), we could handle shuttling cars (or hiring a shuttle) with no hurries and even get going as late as 2-3pm. It also has the advantage of acclimatizing during the "pre day", rather than launching out @ 10k and immediately hitting 11-12k the next. Last, but not least, if we hired a shuttle, I'd rather park cars @ Horseshoe than Symmes.
Oh, one last question: would it be worth an extra day to fish Wallace?
So, there it is. TIA for any comments and/or suggestions.
First, some background. My brother is the real mountain man - he's hiked the entire JMT, has been over every pass, and has bagged every 12-14k peak. He's been doing this long enough (25+ yrs) that he's got a number of crazy stories involving bears, hypothermia, etc. Thing is, he stayed in the Bay Area (where we grew up), so he's had limited exposure to the region west & south of Whitney. (Other than climbing the peaks from the east.)
I'm the surfing/fishing guy - saltwater in SoCal and lakes/streams in the Sierra. I go solo to the Cottonwood lakes area pretty regularly, and sometimes boogie over New Army pass to browse around Miter basin. But the objective is always fishing, not peak bagging or getting some kind of endorphin high from carrying a heavy pack.
I also try & avoid the kinds of numbskulls that frequent the beach area where I live. In fact, the US Open is going on this week, and all the locals are lying low. Anyway, what we're thinking of doing is hiking a quick 4-5 day trip after Labor day from/to New Army & Shepherd pass.
After considering the pace, fishing spots and natural stopping points, I'm sort of coming to the conclusion that it would be better to start @ Shepherd and come out @ NAP/Horseshoe. First, here are some details, and then I'll explain the rationale:
What level of backpacking experience do you have?
Level 2.5 - Many backpacking trips, some x-country travel
What terrain are you comfortable/uncomfortable with?
- Class 2.5 terrain/pass/x-country
- Creek crossings
What is your main interest?
- Fishing
How many days/nights is your trip, not including travel to trailhead?
4
How many miles did you want to do a day, any layovers?
10+-15, no layovers
Do you prefer a loop or out and back trip?
Loop
Is there a particular area in the Sierra that you are most interested in?
Symmes TH/Shepherd pass <-> New Army pass/Horseshoe Mdw TH
Will you be hiking with a dog?
Not this time
Ok, here are the details:
Option 1
Pre - Camp @ Horseshoe Mdw TH
Day 1 - HM TH over NAP to Soldier lake
Day 2 - Go thru Miter basin, over Crabtree pass to (lower) Crabtree lake
Day 3 - Go thru Crabtree Mdw up to Wallace/Wright creek confluence
Day 4 - Fish Wright lakes basin, hike out over saddle, then Shepherd pass back to car
Alternatively, we could hike up to Long/High lakes on the "pre day" (rather than sit around the TH), but then it screws up the next day by making Soldier too short and Crabtree too long. As you can see, this route also heavily backloads the last the day, rushing potentially good fishing @ WLB, and possibly calling for a stay over @ Anvil on the way out.
So, the alternative is Option 2, where we actually do a little hiking on the pre-trip/prep day:
Pre - hike up to Anvil/Pothole
Day 1 - Shepherd to Wright lakes basin
Day 2 - WLB to (lower) Crabtree
Day 3 - Crabtree pass to Soldier lake
Day 4 - over NAP back to Horseshoe Mdw
Option 2 seems to have a better flow to it. Since Anvil is only 7-8 miles (admittedly up hill), we could handle shuttling cars (or hiring a shuttle) with no hurries and even get going as late as 2-3pm. It also has the advantage of acclimatizing during the "pre day", rather than launching out @ 10k and immediately hitting 11-12k the next. Last, but not least, if we hired a shuttle, I'd rather park cars @ Horseshoe than Symmes.
Oh, one last question: would it be worth an extra day to fish Wallace?
So, there it is. TIA for any comments and/or suggestions.