High Sierra Topix

LC wrote:

nuttin' wrong with it at all - it's still a ****..... not as bad as king col tho.

Or Wallace Col.

Seems like everyone who's been to this area has really fond memories of it. I don't doubt that it will be the same for me. To follow up on a few of the questions:

Giant Brookie...you're correct. Day 4 had us technically going over 3 passes which my group companions were constantly reminded me of. In my mind, the 100' vertical or so it took to get over the second saddle hardly qualifies as a "pass" though. It's interesting, I read a couple reports - including one from RoguePhotonic who certainly has a ton of experience with off trail travel - that the talus was of refrigerator size and moves. In fact his write up in the Cross Country Passes section had me very nervous. As such, we were very cautious going down, and although steep, we didn't really have any troubles or find any boulders that were moving. For us, the decent down to the tarns was fairly easy. Interesting your thoughts about spotting on rainbows. I have to agree...my experience is the same but I hadn't really put it together. Here's another picture in the water of the beautiful spotting of those rainbows. Canukyea....I'd say my favorite part was actually the lake basin on night 4. For me that's the quintessential Sierra of green meadows, bubbling streams, a sapphire blue lake and stark white granite. The setting there was absolutely wonderful and the fishing at the lake was superb with good size, beautiful fish. Our campsite was great just below the lake on the outlet stream with a great little pool which we fished just for kicks. It was very orderly and almost had a manicured look to it. I only wish I had more time to explore the upper basin (we descended it to the lake) and generally enjoy the campsite. I was pretty tired by the time we rolled into camp and didn't really focus much on photography either. As is almost always the case for me, I just wish I had more time (young father of 2 with limited time away).

Lost Coyote...I recognize that shot from google earth and indeed it's one of the reasons I chose to do this route. I could tell from your photo that this valley would be incredible - and it did not disappoint! Here's a few more pictures of the valley and creek flowing through. I certainly appreciate your photos in google earth of far off, hard to reach places. Particularly areas like Blue Canyon/Tunemah which is likely the area of my next trip. Your pictures are truly inspiring.

thanks, abnd if you get to tunemah, make sure you take an extra day and visit the lakes below to the east.
i never got to those lakes - and now i wish i had. tunemah has some big ones... but if u catch the biggest one, toss 'er back - lol... and so i have wondered about the lakes below tunemah. heck, if u are ambitious, you can x-c right on down to simpson meadow and pretend you are reinventing the old "tunemah" sheepherders trail.

glad u enjoyed upper kern - has always been one of my 2 most favorotes - the other being ionian & goddard creek to the south of it.

maverick - me have never been over wallace - can u descibe?

LC wrote:

maverick - me have never been over wallace - can u descibe?

Pain.

lostcoyote wrote:thanks, abnd if you get to tunemah, make sure you take an extra day and visit the lakes below to the east.
i never got to those lakes - and now i wish i had. tunemah has some big ones... but if u catch the biggest one, toss 'er back - lol... and so i have wondered about the lakes below tunemah.

The basin below Tunemah is among my favorite places in the entire High Sierra. The physical setting is gorgeous with very rugged metamorphic crags above and these beautiful sapphire gems nestled in their cozy subbasins. It looks really steep getting down there from Tunemah but a class 2 route can be picked out with care. Once in the basin you can move from lake to lake easily. I dayhiked in there (from camp in upper Blue Canyon) and enjoyed it thoroughly. Someday I hope to camp there and soak it up more. All of the lakes in that basin have fish, and they are much more numerous, but correspondingly smaller, than the Tunemah fish. The fish I caught out of the fish in that basin ran to 12" or so and I don't think the top end is too much bigger (perhaps 13" or 14")/

Pato wrote:I'd say my favorite part was actually the lake basin on night 4. For me that's the quintessential Sierra of green meadows, bubbling streams, a sapphire blue lake and stark white granite. The setting there was absolutely wonderful and the fishing at the lake was superb with good size, beautiful fish. Our campsite was great just below the lake on the outlet stream with a great little pool which we fished just for kicks.

DSC_0963.jpg

It was very orderly and almost had a manicured look to it. I only wish I had more time to explore the upper basin (we descended it to the lake) and generally enjoy the campsite. I was pretty tired by the time we rolled into camp and didn't really focus much on photography either. As is almost always the case for me, I just wish I had more time (young father of 2 with limited time away).

That basin is on my short list! It definitely looks like some quality away time there.

I just returned from a 11-day trip that included your "Chernobyl" lake. I hooked a few big ones but was not able to land them. But it was fun seeing them go for the fly and I already had lots of little fish that I had caught in nearby smaller lakes that I hauled up just in case there were no fish in the lake, so I still had a fish dinner. I really need to learn how to land big fish. I do not take a net and I tend to fish with tiny flies, so I thin I just snag their mouth and they pull loose. I am not confident of my ability to "release" a fish without hurting it, so if I land a fish, I eat it. When I get my tons of photos processed I will put out a trip report and guess I must keep this lake location as vague as you did. Great trip report! I think we were within days of bumping into each other.

Geez, I want to go there so bad I just about can't stand it. Tomorrow.

Too funny, I guess we were all just there; we just returned from 10 days in that area! Didn't see a soul but saw a lot of tracks, guess I know who's they were!

Look familiar?

lostcoyote wrote: (not as bad as king col tho.)

Not to stray too far off topic here, but I was just over King Col a few weeks ago. I stumbled upon a well constructed (albeit very old) trail, that was built thru all the talus. Takes one from near the middle lake, right up to the base of the chute! Pretty interesting. I figured it to be of the same vintage of the "trail" that works it's way thru the talus toward the Gardner/60 Lakes pass. Anyone know anything about these?