High Sierra Topix

Hi Scottawr,

Welcome to HST! Please post your TR and pictures, we never get tired of seeing
anything Sierra or beyond here on HST!

Agnew Meadows to Tuolumne via the Shadow Lake trail. I thought I could scout out the Shadow Lake trail to Ediza and then I could advise my friends on what to expect. On the other hand, doing a trail I'm already familiar with might be better for a solo newbie. Camping in the backpacking camps near the High Sierra Camps for example with other people around might be safer. Still thinking about it and waiting for no snow/ice on the trail.

Hey everyone!

I stumbled upon this forum while researching options for a trip starting late July, & y'all have been quite helpful with your past posts. Given permit availability at the time & some guidance, we're heading up to what my Scout troop called "French Bench" above French Canyon near Humphreys Basin.

I'm 46 & have been backpacking for 40 years & in the Sierra for 36 years, starting somewhat reluctantly with my father dragging me into the woods. A lot of those Sierra trips were as a teenager in scouting (my Southern California troop went on a long Sierra trip every August), but I have returned since as a carefree adult & now with my own son in tow.

I've bagged Whitney five times, but my tallest peak is Kilimanjaro at 19,400' or so. I'm not so interested in the mountaineering as much as I was in my earlier years, but as my son's ambitions grow, I may find myself clambering up some godforsaken peaks I haven't considered since I was a kid myself.

This forum is a great way to get back to the things I loved so much to discuss when I had the time & means to walk over a pass at the drop of a hat. Thanks to y'all for what you've collected here!

Sandcrab

Hey Crabby,

Kilimanjaro would be fun, a TR with photo's of that would be really nice addition
in the "Beyond The Sierra Nevada" section.
5 times up Whitney, all the trail route or some via the mountaineers route?

I suppose I'm mostly a lurker living vicariously through all of your adventures. I'm 36-year-old dad (and geek) who loves the Eastern Sierras. I love the giant granite peaks shooting up above the glacial lakes and tree line.

I work hard and play hard so I don't get too many opportunities to hike in the summer. I'm also an avid fisherman so when I do hike into the backcountry it's mostly for the awesome fishing opportunities. I don't really go searching for lunkers, though, as most might - I'm mostly looking to get into a good C&R bite and also learn different techniques in catching fish with new lures, flies, setups, etc.

I've only done day hikes up to this point to various ES destinations over the last 7 years, but this summer, if things work out, I'll be doing my first overnighter into the backcountry.

Oh, and I'd have to say I'm pretty OCD about it all... LOL. I have spreadsheets of future hikes, notes from past hikes, I study topos, Google Maps, and other various material for days on end. By the time I hike, I typically have the route memorized in terms of landmarks, lakes, distance, etc. but always take maps just in case.

The information that many of you provide is invaluable for those of us that only get a chance to visit the ES once or twice a year. It really helps to be able to not waste any time chasing fish in fishless lakes or heading to a lake that's been frozen over (which shouldn't be an issue this summer ). So, for that, I truly thank all of you who contribute to this forum.

Hey Exodus,

I see you have not been welcomed aboard yet, so welcome to HST Exodus!
Great to read that after 7 years you'll be doing your first overnighter! It will be
a blast, but be prepared to get addicted to it.
Where in the ES are you planing this first overnighter to? Looking forward to reading
about your experience.

Looking at either the Kearsarge Pass to Bullfrog / Kearsarge Lakes or Sabrina Lake Backcountry (Baboon Lakes / Hungry Packer / Etc.). We've been to many of the easier day hike areas (LLV, 20 Lakes Basin, etc.) and so want to do something new we haven't been to before, but something that if we needed to we could hike right back out.

maverick wrote:Hey Crabby,

Kilimanjaro would be fun, a TR with photo's of that would be really nice addition
in the "Beyond The Sierra Nevada" section.
5 times up Whitney, all the trail route or some via the mountaineers route?

1. I'd need to dig out Kili photos from some archives, but I'll put this on the rainy day list. We did that in 2000, so some shots may still be on 3.5-inch diskettes -- yikes!

2. All the trail route. Though I've used ropes for people & packs in some Class 3 & 4 routes, I don't like to do that -- just not my thang, but I will if it gets me from here to there. Bagged Whitney three times with Scouts; twice as an adult guiding others on their first forays into the Sierra. (I'm sure there are those who peak it five times a year, though.)

Hello
Bradg here

I've been lucky enough to have spent considerable time in the Sierra for close to 40 years. I'm 54', and got started backpacking with the Boy Scouts as a kid. I soloed the Tahoe Yosemite trail at 17. I moved on to peak bagging and general mountaineering in my 20's and 30's. Have slowed down as age and family obligations have taken their toll.

I mostly interested in the beauty and friends that I cultivated over te years in the mountains, with a little fishing thrown in.

Thanks for all the info and a great website and letting us"lurk". I willdo a T R as soon as I make it to paradise once again.

Hi Bradg,

Welcome to HST! Looking forward to reading some of you TR's in the future Bradg.