High Sierra Topix

Hi Lawrence,

I may be interested in exiting via the Red Spur's ridgeline south into the Red Creek
drainage, and then onto the Chagoopa Plateau, but will only know if I can get the
neccesary days away from work to do this longer version once we get closer to the
trip dates.

Dave, do you know (of) Lon Cooper? AKA HalfMile?

http://www.pctmap.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He and a small team of techies developed a very sophisticated geo-logging system for the PCT:

http://www.pcta.org/2014/ultra-high-tec ... ger-19469/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Perhaps we can get him to hike up Shepherd, or even better beg/cajole him to let someone like Bob or yourself use it to map Shepherd and/or some other off-PCT trails. It would be pretty cool to finally nail down some accurate information.

From what I've read, he and his team are now focusing on the altimeter aspects to generate accurate elevation gain/loss data. All pretty cool stuff, especially for a map guru like yourself.

For the PCT/JMT and the major spur trails that he shows, I've gone ahead and updated my mileage charts. If you have a breakdown for Shepherd along the major waypoints (eg the Saddle, the Bottom, the first/last water, etc), I'll have to consider updating my crib sheets for that route.

Hobbes and Dave,

Thanks for posting these here, I'm sure someone will find these useful.

Dave, now that you carry the Sony A6000, and lost some of that weight off your
back, you should seriously consider putting our trip on your schedule.
I remember several years back you saying, that you would like to visit Kaweah
Basin, but it was to much work with all photography weight you had to carry, well
here is the perfect opportunity Dave.

I'm in. I'm not sure if I'll start at the Shepherd Pass Trail, Cottonwood Pass, or the Whitney Trail. Kern Point and Picket Guard Peak will be on my agenda; so if anyone else is interested in bagging those peaks and wants company, let me know. I'm a vegetarian; so fishing won't be a priority for me, but I'll enjoy those lakes - especially in the morning when they are much like a mirror showing that beautiful reflection.

I'm figuring two days in, two days in the basin, and then two days out. A 6 day trip - that's a long trip for me, but a short trip for others.

kathy

not quite sure what not eating fish has to do with fishing!

KathyW wrote:I'm not sure if I'll start at the Shepherd Pass Trail, Cottonwood Pass, or the Whitney Trail.

It will be fun to meet you and WD. If I didn't have this obsession with finally fishing the Kern, I was playing with the idea of shotgunning it straight over Trail crest to the meet-up spot.

For those thinking of entering/returning via Portal, Steve C over @ the Whitneyzone posted a very detailed x-c route from the HST he hiked this past summer. Starting below Junction meadow, he followed Whitney creek to the Crabtree watershed, and then up Discover pinnacle to Mt Whitney:

http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthread ... r_Shortcut" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One loop I've done various iterations of is to leave my car in Lone Pine, pay an avg of $75 to Horseshoe (or other THs), and exit out of Whitney. As opposed to trying to get a next day entry permit to the Whitney zone, a same day alternative entry TH and subsequent WZ exit permit is practically a dunk shot. And, it's super easy to hitch a ride from Portal back into LP to retrieve your car.

So, a cool route would be to get to the meet-up spot from any point west, north or south, then follow Steve C's path up Whitney creek, continue up the Crabtree watershed, ascend Discovery pinnacle to the main Mt Whitney trail (MMWT) at the Trail crest junction, and head down to Portal. Or, throw in yet another Whitney summit into the mix just for the heck of it. After all, once you're at Trail crest, it's only 2.2 (.3 to the JMT junction, 1.9 to the summit) miles each way.

Alright WD and Kathy, it will be great to have some more female HST members
attending this Meet-up, and hopefully this will have others consider it in the future.

maverick wrote:... Dave, now that you carry the Sony A6000, and lost some of that weight off your back, you should seriously consider putting our trip on your schedule.
I remember several years back you saying, that you would like to visit Kaweah
Basin, but it was to much work with all photography weight you had to carry, well
here is the perfect opportunity Dave.

The date could work and I can take a lot of time off from my job. I have a lot of trips to choose from and much depends on conditions. I won't go up to the Upper Kern unless it is in prime flowery greenery of late July thru early August. Explained this on last years trip thread and mentioned it on my earlier post in this thread. If I make a huge effort to over Shepherd Pass, for aesthetic reasons am going to be more at timberline than above timberline versus the usual orientation here. And as noted on an earlier post on this thread, it will likely be a solo journey and on the east side of the trench. A few years ago put on a spreadsheet a 9 to 10 day trip that will go off like clockwork to hit various places at optimal times of day for best light. And sometimes may change plans and sit on something really good. So not easy for others tagging along. But then again might be able to link up with others somewhere depending on where others are enroute. And any slow hikers would enjoy my dawdling pace.

For example, am likely to night hike late afternoon in shade from the trailhead most of the way up those switchbacks to the 2760 meter ridge crossing then next day hike at sunrise to somewhere near The Pothole that offers interesting late work. Following morning early dawn will climb over the Shepherd Pass, ramble down to foxtail pine forest to be in the promised land by time the light is prime. Later in trip would be about the big wide open views on Bighorn Plateau and Tawny Point.

Hobbes wrote:... continue up the Crabtree watershed, ascend Discovery pinnacle to the main Mt Whitney trail (MMWT) at the Trail crest junction, and head down to Portal....

Hobbes, are you referring to the N/E slope from upper Crabtree Lk toward discovery pinnacle? AKA the dreaded sand hill?

Okay Dave, will put you down as a possible show, anything I could entice you with
to bump it up from a possible to most likely? Like the entire Star Trek TV Series on
DVD.