High Sierra Topix

Thanks, all, for the kind words. And Maverick, my photos don't hold a candle to yours!

I have on order "The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra" by Steve Roper. It's what I used when I was young, inexperienced, and dangerous to myself. I suspect the mountains haven't changed all that much in last few decades. Maybe it will provide an alternative to Secor. Are there any other guides with xc routes I should look for?

Beautiful report and photos. I especially like the musical allusions in (upper) Ionian Basin.

MOTMS wrote:
And Maverick, my photos don't hold a candle to yours!

Thanks MOTMS, it's all Sierra, and all great!
Phil Arnot's book has several crosscountry route descriptions that are very well
written and will give you some ideas of places to visit:
http://www.amazon.com/High-Sierra-Muirs ... phil+arnot" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Use Earth Google, and our very own HST Map to survey the area your planning
to visit with the crosscountry passes options checked.
Use the books (Secor's)for reference only, and build your confidence by relying and
developing your own instincts. You'll become more adept at choosing routes
up/down ridges, passes, and col's, instead of locking yourself into a described
route and therefore losing the whole Muir/adventure spirit of it all.
Am not against technology, but when we have backpackers/hikers who never
learn the basics of navigation (compass) or able to interpret a topo map because
they would rather rely on the gps or are lazy to put in the effort to learn skills
that will give them more freedom to travel than any gps alone ever would, it
becomes a problem, and a crutch, that could become a liability in the long run.

Thanks for the book recommendation!

I've contributed a couple of routes to the cross country pass section. I've got one more to go. We should probably get a wiki going on Lamarck Col, since that has come up as a question a few times.

One thing I learned on this trip is that I'm better off trusting my route-finding instincts than not. When I get too focused trying to divine what the book was meaning is when I run into problems. Where I do look for more guidance are the questions of "what's on the other side of the pass?" and "what is the top like?" I'd like to know in advance if there's a risk of hitting a 200' cliff from climbing to the wrong notch (Echo Col) or if the summit block is doable (Mt. Muir). Also, it's good to know what works for general route planning. Sometimes more broadly spaced topo lines don't mean much if the underlying terrain is rugged.

I do the whole 7.5 topo and compass thing. No GPS for a few reasons. (But that's me and I'm more than fine with other people using it. No flames, please!) Mostly I go by sight if above the treeline and the weather is clear--typical for summer in the Sierra. We ran into some hikers who had only a Tom Harrison map. That's fine, and I use them a lot until I go cross country. They were planning to go into Ionian Basin with just that. I'm sure they were OK, but they made it all the easier on themselves to get off track.

ManOfTooManySports wrote: I do the whole 7.5 topo and compass thing. No GPS for a few reasons. (But that's me and I'm more than fine with other people using it. No flames, please!) Mostly I go by sight if above the treeline and the weather is clear--typical for summer in the Sierra. We ran into some hikers who had only a Tom Harrison map. That's fine, and I use them a lot until I go cross country. They were planning to go into Ionian Basin with just that. I'm sure they were OK, but they made it all the easier on themselves to get off track.

Not trying to hassle you, sincerely asking why it would be better to have the topo as opposed to the TH.

MOTMS wrote:
I've contributed a couple of routes to the cross country pass section.

Yes, than you very much for taking the time to describe the route, and posting
the pictures!
Once this is built up it will be an invaluable resource for every one.