High Sierra Topix

9/26 Drove to Ebbetts pass started up to Ebbetts peak at 5PM took ½ total and 400 elevation gain to reach top and back, a few other hikers as this area is busy! Drove to highland Lakes on a paved road for about a mile then a good dirt road good enough that a Geo metro can do it, for the last 6 miles arrived at the road end to many hunters, cows with bells, horses on the loose and the game warden, quickly hiked up to Folger Peak 1100 elevation gain and 1 mile to view the sunset and almost full moon, took an hour total and great little hike. By the time I got back almost all the trucks were gone crawled into the car for fried chicken and bed. 9/27 Hiram, Airola, Iceberg, peak 9366, and peak 8050, 11 miles, 5000 elevation gain, 7 hours. Started 6:30 when it got lighter and a little warmer, took the Highland Lakes trail for well no time, took a use trail to the left which I promptly left and started heading for the ridge that leads to Hiram, gaining the ridge was the 1 step up ½ step back ordeal but once on the ridge it was fantastic, took less than an hour to reach the peak. Register on peak that seems to get a lot of visits. The traverse to Airola was non eventful but very pleasant found use trails here and there but not needed. The views to all the surrounding peaks is great from this whole area, I had wanted these peaks since being on Bullrun, Henrys etc last year, part of my oh what is that peak I want to go up that deal. Another register still quite a lot of traffic on this peak. Traverse to Iceberg is short ½ hour, I went to the left of the ridge when it got steeper, nice use trail. Also a register way less people signed. Traverse to from what I can tell little climbed peak 9366 was fantastic, probably the best of the day and the views from the peak were fantastic towards Dardanelles cone and spicer meadow reservoir. It was about 1 ½ mile traverse. Think I got to the peak 11:30 am. No register. Stayed on top deciding how to get down to the Highland Lakes trail with minimal bushwacking or potential cliffs, chose to drop down into Champion canyon. Stayed out of the stream bed till lower then crossed and soon met up with the trail. Which promptly left crossed highland creek and started to peak 8050 which looked at 1st to be a bushwack, but I followed deer/cow trails and avoided all bushes to the peak small rock pile on top but no register and also great views worth the extra elevation gain in my opinion, dropped back down to the trail still avoiding the bushes and followed it out to the trailhead, nice trail and no one out there. 7 hour 5 great peaks awesome day, yep solo once again just can’t talk people into my adventures but I very much enjoy it!

Looks like it was great fun! And wow you are a fast one!

Gazelle- did you see the old semi-collapsed range cabin tucked away, way up at the very head of Champion Canyon? Kind of amazing that it is so high up, as I recall anyway. I stumbled across it in about 1981, but my scoutmaster had told me about it in teh 1960's. In fact he took us up Airola Peak (from Hiram Meadow, then up Poison Canyon) back in about 1968 or so.

No I did not see an old cabin but I came down more middle not upper. That would have been cool to see! Really fun area!