Sphinx Lakes to Lake Reflection

[giantbrookie]

Which ever route you take do not skip climbing Mt Brewer!! The views are spectacular and only match by a few other
peaks in the Sierra!!

I agree that Mt. Brewer is one of the real prizes of the Sierra and it is easy (Class 2). I just want to make a little note of caution that sort of goes hand-in-hand with the early season Bubbs Creek crossings and cornices on Longley. The most popular ascent route up Brewer is the east ridge from East Lake. This is a pleasant and scenic class 2 route and no problem later in the year, but the top of east ridge, which is steep class 2 scree and talus later in the year is a spectacularly steep snow/ice headwall in early season. This would not be so bad if there were "run out" onto gentler slopes below in the event of a fall and failed self arrest, but the fall line off of this headwall leads you over a several hundred foot high cliff. I was the first person up Brewer in 1979, climbing it in late May in what was a low snowfall year. As a rather foolish 19-year-old, descending from the summit I attempted to glissade the headwall, fell, and then attempted to self arrest with my ice axe. As is typical in spring snow, the axe simply cut a furrow through the snow as I rocketed down toward the drop off. I did eventually self arrest, but not before scaring the daylights out of myself (had gone about 40% of the distance to the drop off by the time I stopped). The other not-so-good thing about an early ascent of Brewer via the east ridge route is that I encountered thigh deep soft snow pretty much continually from the point I left East Lake. Nearly 4000' of gain in thigh deep postholing (upper part was snow free above the E. Ridge) is a real calorie burner. I guess what I am recommending is that you attack Brewer up its southern slope from the west side during your trip, rather than doing the popular E. ridge route from East Lake. This also negates the rather interesting option of using the E. Ridge of Brewer as a way of crossing the Great Western Divide as an alternative to Longley Pass (the snow head wall of the E. Ridge tends to be breached earlier than the cornice on Longley Pass)--such an alternative even in a year like this may not open up until mid season.

[maverick]

Oh a fellow 60's man. Which month GB? Im an Oct born baby boomer.
Yes I agree that this ascent should be undertaken by someone with
climbing experience or later in the season!

[giantbrookie]

Oh a fellow 60's man. Which month GB? Im an Oct born baby boomer.
Yes I agree that this ascent should be undertaken by someone with
climbing experience or later in the season!

Actually its August '59 (so I guess it was more like foolish 19-2/3 yr old).

[Aviprk]

Why is it that you guys recommend going over Longley pass east to west when there is a cornice? Is it because of the off trail route around Sphinx lakes? Here is my planned itinerary

Wednesday Night: Arrive at Roads End and sleep

Thursday: Start hiking by 10:00am and reach any of the Sphinx lakes by around 5:00pm. Set camp

Friday: Climb Mt Brewer and South Guard. Go over Longley Pass and down Lake Reflection

Saturday: Down to Bubbs Creek

Sunday: Head Home.

Is such itinerary too packed? Too little room for error in navigation?

[giantbrookie]

Why is it that you guys recommend going over Longley pass east to west when there is a cornice? Is it because of the off trail route around Sphinx lakes? Here is my planned itinerary
Wednesday Night: Arrive at Roads End and sleep
Thursday: Start hiking by 10:00am and reach any of the Sphinx lakes by around 5:00pm. Set camp
Friday: Climb Mt Brewer and South Guard. Go over Longley Pass and down Lake Reflection
Saturday: Down to Bubbs Creek
Sunday: Head Home.
Is such itinerary too packed? Too little room for error in navigation?

The reasons several of us recommend going up Bubbs then up East Creek to Reflection and over Longley first are: (1) The Bubbs Creek crossing at Jct. Meadow is sometimes very dangerous early season, even following a low snowfall year. If it were to be uncrossable and you don't find this out until you've done 3/4 of your loop and are on your last day out, you'll be in a world of hurt (have to reverse your way to get out). If you do East Creek first, you will reach this key crossing on day 1, and if it is uncrossable, you find out early on your trip and can develop an alternative itinerary, rather than being "trapped".
(2) You can't see that cornice on Longley going from west to east, but you be able to see it well coming up from Reflection and (a) decide not to cross the pass or (b) find the best way around it (low class 3). If you are coming the west-to-east, it will be very difficult to pick out a good route around the cornice, if it does in fact block the class 2 chute.

As to your planned itinerary it is indeed fast paced leaving little time to sit back and actually enjoy the country you traverse, unless you cover the hiking parts at higher than average hiking speed (the itinerary calls for spending most of the day hiking instead of being at a given destination and relaxing). Your itinerary demands an well-above-average (compared to the average backpacker) amount of hiking for each day, but it is by no means impossible--Several of those on this board and I have done trips like that.

[Aviprk]

Thanks a bunch Giantbrookie

The only "resting" day for trip will be in the morning we get to lake reflection. It's not very long down to bubbs creek and I was planning to explore some of the area around lake reflection (including milly's foot and lucy's foot pass) and then head down to bubbs creek later on.

I will definitely consider the east - west over Longley route all the more so as the date approaches. Hopefully the rangers and TR's will be able to let me know how the bubbs creek crossing will be by early june. I'm hoping this low snow year will make Mid June conditions similar to a mid july. Much more managable!

[DoyleWDonehoo]

Here is my planned itinerary
Wednesday Night: Arrive at Roads End and sleep
Thursday: Start hiking by 10:00am and reach any of the Sphinx lakes by around 5:00pm. Set camp
Friday: Climb Mt Brewer and South Guard. Go over Longley Pass and down Lake Reflection
Saturday: Down to Bubbs Creek
Sunday: Head Home.
Is such itinerary too packed? Too little room for error in navigation?

The giantbrookie advice is good. I would say that unless you are in the shape of say, a marathon runner in peak condition, this plan may be that big bite too big to chew. Getting just from Roads end to the Sphinx Creek camp is hard enough all by itself: by the time you get to the Bubbs bridge you have already gone a good distance and gained a good amount of altitude, and the worst is yet to come. You have to climb a bazillion stairs to get to the Sphinx Creek camp. How will you feel? And you want to go on and do the cross country to beautiful lower Sphinx camp? Perhaps if you got a really early start, walked very slow, rested often and planned to get there after 6PM, you would have a shot (this style has worked for me). Gettin over Sphinx Pass is a lot of hard work too, and to add a peak bag...well, good luck. Going from Lake Reflection down to Roads end in a day can be done and is not too bad: I did that. You will be tired but not totaled.

Some references:
http://www.sierra-trails.com/sphinx/stcoverv1n3.htm
http://www.sierra-trails.com/sphinx/stcoverv1n5.htm

[Aviprk]

Can you point in the map (topozone) where the Sphinx creek camp would be? Is it around the first or second river-meets-trail junction? You say that alone could take the whole day. How many miles is it? Is it all on trail or some off trail as well?
I've done several off trail (mostly really well known and short routes) and have done 15-20 mile days a couple of times so I'm not too worried about mileages but rather the off trail part. Thanks in advance.

[DoyleWDonehoo]

Can you point in the map (topozone) where the Sphinx creek camp would be? Is it around the first or second river-meets-trail junction? You say that alone could take the whole day. How many miles is it? Is it all on trail or some off trail as well?
I've done several off trail (mostly really well known and short routes) and have done 15-20 mile days a couple of times so I'm not too worried about mileages but rather the off trail part. Thanks in advance.

>>Can you point in the map (topozone) where the Sphinx creek camp would be? Is it around the first or second river-meets-trail junction? <<
After you cross the bridge over Bubbs, it is the next spot the trail reaches Sphinx Creek at ~8500 feet.

>>>I've done several off trail ...and have done 15-20 mile days a couple of times so I'm not too worried about mileages but rather the off trail part. <<<

Me too, but it is not the miles, its the first day altitude gain, in particular towards the end going to Sphinx Creek camp. When you get to the camp at ~8500 feet, you have gained 3500 feet over about 6.8 miles. The cross-country to the lowest Sphinx lake is not hard and mostly class 1 travel. The first time I went up there, I too had planned to go beyond Sphinx Creek Camp, but that trail.... I would do it differently today.

[Aviprk]

I will keep those words in minds when I'm up there. In the Sierra-Trails it is mentioned that the so called trail is more like "fiction" and that the so called trail actually starts on the west (Left side) of sphinx creek. Which one is it?