High Sierra Topix

My husband and I are planning a trip to the Upper Kern in August, going in Kearsarge Pass and would ideally like to exit Shepherd rather than going over Forester which we've done before. We are frankly not experienced enough to attempt the cross country passes from Lake SA. So has anyone been over Shepherd recently and could they tell me what it's condition is? Also, and probably most importantly, how remote is the trailhead and what would be the likelihood of catching a ride back to our car at Onion Valley? we've had great luck catching (begging) rides in the past, but from much busier trailheads. I will post this later question on the 'transportation' forum as well. Thanks all!

HikerDee,
Not to be obtuse, but if you're entering at Kearsarge and not doing Forester or any of the off trail passes into the Upper Kern, then I'm assuming you're planning to do Junction pass, which does lead into the Shepherd's pass trail. That, or you're doing the Circle of Solitude via Avalanche and Colby passes. Frankly, either route is good, but the Junction trail is a little spotty, so be prepared.

As for hitching a ride at Shepherd's trailhead, I'd recommend checking to see how much of the quota is filled around the time you'll be out. Of any of the huge eastside passes, Shepherd's gets the most action, and I'd say on average there have been a dozen other vehicles when I've parked there. But, you could easily go many hours (days?) before running into someone there. Aside from using a shuttle service, another option would be to drop gear when you reach bottom and walk/jog to the Onion Valley road where there is plenty of traffic to get you back to your vehicle, but I'm guessing it's easily a 6-7 mile trek in the high desert, so make sure you have water.
cg

There are shuttles (licensed/bonded and also informal/under the table) around... I managed via word of mouth to find someone to take us from the end trailhead to the start so we hiked back to our car.

Often when I have gone with a friend, we just bring 2 cars, and leave one at the exit point, to avoid being inconvenienced at the end of a long trip. But I assume you have ruled that approach out...it is a little more gas, and hassle at the start, but kind of nice at the end of a trip.

I did this loop late spring of last year. It's very straightforward if you follow the PCT over Forester, down Tyndal, and then make a right turn (to the west) below Diamond mesa.

The only other real way to Lake SA is up Harrison, which you might wish to avoid. Skipping Forester and traversing Junction gets you to the Shepherd trail, but 180 degrees off + 10 miles away from LSA.

As for hitch hiking from Shepherd, just plan on walking the 3 miles back to OV road. It's actually sort of bitchin' @ first light - nice & cool, with great colors. In order to pull it off, you'll want to stop @ the Shepherd pass TH at the end of the day. Since it will probably be in the high 90s, you really don't want to get there much earlier than 8pm.

Shepherd is around 10 miles from the crest, so going 2-2.5 mph will get you to the bottom within 4-5 hours. That means you should time your arrival at the crest between 3-4pm. It might seem late, but the trail is excellent, it's all downhill (except for the saddle), and it's best traveled early/late in the day.

Once you hit OV road, you should be able to get a ride in under 10 minutes. There's practically nobody going that way @ the Shepherd junction that isn't going all the way to the top.

@Cgunderson you mentioned the Junction trail is "spotty". Is it hard to follow or does it require technical skills?

bheiser,
The Junction pass tail is just a bit hard to follow at times (sort of like Baxter pass), but it's sufficiently obvious where it needs to go that even if you lose it for brief stints, it's easy to recover. But, no, it just demands stamina, nothing technical (unless you really lose it!).
cg

Hi Dee,

Here is a TR form 6/7-9 over Shepherd Pass:
http://www.calicokat.smugmug.com/Hiking ... &k=WhFmPMr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am quite confused! If your destination is upper Kern River, you HAVE to go over Forester or one of the x-country passes if you go in via Kearsarge Pass. Unless, you go over Junction Pass and then turn uphill and go over Shepherd Pass to reach the upper Kern, which sounds to me not worth the effort just to avoid Forester Pass. Or am I missing something here. Sorry.

If the upper Kern is your goal and you do not want to do Forester Pass, why not just loop to and from via Shepherd Pass?

Thanks cgundersen, good to know. That is an area I'd like to check out, and I don't do technical routes .