High Sierra Topix

I wanted to thank everyone here and at BPL for all the insight I have recieved over the last 9 months. I posted a TR on Backpacking Light, in order to simplify and not double post please follow this link to read. Thanks for understanding and hope you enjoy! EDIT: Apparently the link is the little logo add looking thing below.

Neat report. Gardiner Basin is not a common destination and you really provided a nice account of a great trip through it.

Over twenty years ago I day hiked from a base at Charlotte up to the top of Gardiner pass. There was not much of a trail even then, but I did find some pieces of trail--even a switchback or two--after turning north into the pass in front of Charlotte Dome. Like so many of these sorts of places, as the terrain closes in, it funnels people toward the use trail. However, it sounds like that is where you went oops!

That trip was with my last film camera, and that night it was cold and when I was rewinding my film it broke, so I have no photographs of that day. Your pictures are the first time I've been able to relive that terrain in decades. Thank you for this!

I can't tell for sure, but your camp at Charlotte looks like the area where we camped. There was a bearbox within a couple of hundred yards, as I recall. Bear canisters were not common at that time and so we did not bring any, counting on the box. But we discovered that it had been taken completely over by a horsepacker group that had stuffed it with luxuries like frozen Chicago Steaks and ice coolers. We had no choice but to hang our food, and consequently suffered the worst bear attack I have ever experienced. All night we yelled, banged, flashed, and hurled to keep a pair of bears from devouring our trip. Momma bear sent her cub out on the limb to cut our bags down. In the end, they got to some of our food but we saved most of it.

You are exactly right about our campsite at Charlotte, we were about a 30 second walk from the bear box. We ended up placing our bear vaults in there along with our cooking stuff, figured that may as well...it's right there. There was a large sign placed on the bear box stating that any food left would be confiscated by the ranger, seems that there are still issues with folks caching food and not leaving room for others. Luckily no bears for us, but it sounds like you may need to re-do the trip and get some pictures !

Enjoyed your report for an area I need to revisit.

Enginerd,
I'm thinking about reversing your loop with an "old" college buddy and we're really hoping that the rains we got on our trip last year don't screw things up this year (unlike you guys, we wimped out).
I'm also really impressed that you saw bighorns in that area; I'll definitely keep my eyes open! But, the big question is: how did you guys settle on port? It's the quintessential post-prandial beverage of upper-crust Brits and I'm impressed that you achieved this level of refinement. It's kind of a counterpoint to your comment about being grimy and sweaty and slogging up Glenn Pass. And, won't you be happy when your daughter can help carry the stash!
Cameron