High Sierra Topix

First X-country you ask?

My first backpacking trip (coincidentally, it was the entire JMT), The leader got off trail somewhere above Wanda somehow, and we had to do a quick 4 or so miles off trail, back into Evolution Valley. Thought it was no big deal then..sort of exciting actually. Even the leader stated afterwards that all the great backpacking trips should always include a bit off trail - How was I to know differently?

Now if Mike (OldRanger) is leading, that's another story.

Mark

Bite me!

Mike

Since I don't think leaving the trail to go up a mountain peak counts as a cross country trek so my first real bit was when I began my 2009 hike and went to the summit of Alta Peak. I then dropped down along the East ridges and hooked around to Moose Lake then across the table lands and down into Deadman Canyon. I enjoyed the trek but my dad did not. He was in a terrible mood constantly saying we are lost. He did not believe me when I would tell him we are on track or how close the next destination was.

As for solo my first solo trip was in March 2009. I planned to go from Walker Pass to Kennedy Meadows on Section G of the PCT. I had the heaviest pack I had ever carried and wasn't in very good shape. On day 3 I was hit by a major snow storm and decided to wait it out a day. After a big gain that kicked my butt I ran into North facing slopes at 8000 feet that were covered in snow. I had to post hole for a mile or so when I was already completely drained. I was too tried to even eat and I reviewed the map showing that I would have to lose a few thousand feet then climb back up onto more North facing slopes so I decided to hike down the Chimney Creek road until I got to this cafe to call for a ride. So after hiking over 18 miles to get to the cafe I walk up to see it's closed. I was then forced to camp on the side of the road and hike another 7 miles to Onyx for a phone. By the time I got there I could hardly walk straight and then I had to wait 5 hours for a ride to pick me up. In the end it was all an adventure.

Last September in the Emigrant Wilderness - had to see Toejam Lake. I never got many opportunities for cross country hiking before coming to California. In the Rockies cross country typically involves bushwhacking or climbing above 12,000'.

MY first solo cross country trip in the sierra was probably 2002 or 2003 exploring the lakes above convict lake. Well it was off trail according to my map heh....found many use trails. Its beautiful up there.

Hi
My first ever Xcountry trip was up Copper Creek to the top of Goat Mtn. This was in late May, 1975 and that must have been a fairly heavy snow year, because we encountered solid deep snow above the 7500' level and left the trail behind at that point. We somehow managed to 'post-hole' our way to near Grouse Lake where we spent a long unpleasant night due to exhaustion, dehydration and altitude sickness (my first time above 10,000' as well). A total lunar eclipse contributed to the bizzareness of that long night turning the snowy landscape and the scattered clouds an eerie blood-red color for about an hour. In the morning the snow was firmly frozen for our final climb to the summit of Goat (otherwise I'm pretty sure we would have bailed and returned to the TH).

My first solo trip was a couple of months later. It was an attempt to backpack from the South Lake TH to Palisade Basin. I was way too inexperienced and returned a couple of days earlier than planned. I never even made it beyond Dusy Basin. There had been afternoon thunderstorms and I was pretty intimidated by them at that high altitude.