TR: In the Minarets with a '73 Alpenlite Pack and a Neophyte
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:34 pm
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September in the Minarets with a '73 Alpenlite Pack and a Neophyte
Day 1:The High Trail out of Agnew Meadows is a fabulous introduction to backpacking and with an “old” pal having followed through on his desire to visit the Sierra (for the first time!), we set out on a 3 night mini-adventure in mid-September. Outfitted with a ’73 model Alpenlite (well, I still use a pretty ancient A16 hip-hugger), we sauntered off at dawn and reached the first “checkpoint” (1000 Island Lake) shortly after noon. One of the guys fly fishing in the outlet creek was a regular visitor to Perth, Australia, where our pal resides. The fact that they shared acquaintances is testimony to globalization! Well, our pal from Oz was undaunted by the fact that we’d only found one large porcini (mushroom) and with the clouds not looking too threatening, we pressed on to Island Pass before heading x-country to lower Davis Lake. From there, it was a quick scramble to the upper lake and home for night one. The rain judiciously held off till we finished dinner, but then it was scattered squalls all night. Light snow was evident at higher elevations the next morning, particularly to the North.
Day 2: We spent the whole day wandering around the area with the highlight being Clinch Pass, a rounded ridge slightly northwest of upper Davis Lake. Clinch affords spectacular views of the origin of the North Fork of the San Joaquin River, Rodgers Peak, Twin Island Lakes, etc (see the photo link). The North side of Clinch is a relatively easy ascent, but the South side begins with a couple hundred feet of very loose gravel and scree. About 15 years ago, my wife & I had taken our dog over Clinch and were pleased to escape without mangling his paws. This time, we were happy just to be able to glissade down the snow fields we’d climbed on the way up. The rain arrived a bit earlier on day 2, so we were banished to tents before nightfall.
Day 3: From Davis Lakes, our goal was to get to Nydiver Plateau via Whitebark Pass and with reasonably cooperative skies, we looped past 1000 Island and Garnet Lakes before confronting the last scramble up Whitebark. We ran into a guy who was completing a counterclockwise loop from Toulomne and was coming off Whitebark as we were heading up. The fact that this guy looked appreciably older than our pal from Australia was a confidence booster, because the pass appeared daunting from below. No doubt, it was gobs worse than anything I did on my first backpacking trip, but with a bit of squirming and panting, it went well. The photos tell a bit of the story for the rest of the day: magnificent lighting with incredible scenery. I’m afraid we’ve made a convert and though the path from Perth to Agnew meadows is nearly certifiable, the man has vowed to be back….like the Terminator, I’m sure he will be. Photos tell the story where words have failed
September in the Minarets with a '73 Alpenlite Pack and a Neophyte
Day 1:The High Trail out of Agnew Meadows is a fabulous introduction to backpacking and with an “old” pal having followed through on his desire to visit the Sierra (for the first time!), we set out on a 3 night mini-adventure in mid-September. Outfitted with a ’73 model Alpenlite (well, I still use a pretty ancient A16 hip-hugger), we sauntered off at dawn and reached the first “checkpoint” (1000 Island Lake) shortly after noon. One of the guys fly fishing in the outlet creek was a regular visitor to Perth, Australia, where our pal resides. The fact that they shared acquaintances is testimony to globalization! Well, our pal from Oz was undaunted by the fact that we’d only found one large porcini (mushroom) and with the clouds not looking too threatening, we pressed on to Island Pass before heading x-country to lower Davis Lake. From there, it was a quick scramble to the upper lake and home for night one. The rain judiciously held off till we finished dinner, but then it was scattered squalls all night. Light snow was evident at higher elevations the next morning, particularly to the North.
Day 2: We spent the whole day wandering around the area with the highlight being Clinch Pass, a rounded ridge slightly northwest of upper Davis Lake. Clinch affords spectacular views of the origin of the North Fork of the San Joaquin River, Rodgers Peak, Twin Island Lakes, etc (see the photo link). The North side of Clinch is a relatively easy ascent, but the South side begins with a couple hundred feet of very loose gravel and scree. About 15 years ago, my wife & I had taken our dog over Clinch and were pleased to escape without mangling his paws. This time, we were happy just to be able to glissade down the snow fields we’d climbed on the way up. The rain arrived a bit earlier on day 2, so we were banished to tents before nightfall.
Day 3: From Davis Lakes, our goal was to get to Nydiver Plateau via Whitebark Pass and with reasonably cooperative skies, we looped past 1000 Island and Garnet Lakes before confronting the last scramble up Whitebark. We ran into a guy who was completing a counterclockwise loop from Toulomne and was coming off Whitebark as we were heading up. The fact that this guy looked appreciably older than our pal from Australia was a confidence booster, because the pass appeared daunting from below. No doubt, it was gobs worse than anything I did on my first backpacking trip, but with a bit of squirming and panting, it went well. The photos tell a bit of the story for the rest of the day: magnificent lighting with incredible scenery. I’m afraid we’ve made a convert and though the path from Perth to Agnew meadows is nearly certifiable, the man has vowed to be back….like the Terminator, I’m sure he will be. Photos tell the story where words have failed