Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
RoguePhotonic
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1693
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:52 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Bakersfield CA
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by RoguePhotonic »

Ah yes Peak 11,738. He tells me "you should come down this way" where I remark the time for that has already come and past. I was hanging on finger tip sized holds with my feet in air trying to pull myself up. There was no going back! When I looked at the climbing I still had ahead of me and the only options that's when I made the comment I don't know if I'm going to make it.

It was certainly hit and miss there for awhile but once again we are here to tell the tale. And better yet without scars.
User avatar
alpinemike
Topix Expert
Posts: 437
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:00 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Reno, NV
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by alpinemike »

Day 41- August 12- Lake 10,565 to Marion Lake
We made it up to Observation Peak Pass by 11:15 or so & I decided to climb the peak which I did in 18 min… Not bad at all. Actually quite fast since it’s all uphill. The view was clear and smoke free and I quickly dropped down the peak & pass and had lunch where Rogue was waiting. We then made our way across the Dumbbell Lakes which was quite pretty with very easy terrain. Unfortunately though smoke was moving in and making views quite shitty and orange...again. We made it up the final slope of talus up Dumbbell Lakes Pass and I finally saw Marion Lake but it was too late, since the smoke had rolled in quite bad. By the time we got to Marion Lake it was even worse. Rogue slept out that night while the heaviest smoke we’ve had rolled in.
DSC_9964.jpg
Dumbell Lakes Pano2.jpg
Dumbell Lakes Pano3.jpg
DSC_9983.jpg
Lake Basin Pano3.jpg
Day 42- August 13- Marion Lake to Highest Horseshoe Lake
The morning dawned clear & beautiful and I enjoyed the views from Red Pass & Red Point. Both were climbed before lunch. The fire was raging on hard & by the time we crossed White Pass the smoke was moving into drainage. We finally saw people that day around White Pass breaking our streak of 9 days of not seeing another person. 9 days... not half bad. Red Point had a beautiful view into Lake Basin & the Black Divide. After having lunch we saw 2 more people. They were doing the High Route N-S for something like the 15 time or so. Both were Cal Forestry Grads & the husband used to drag his large format up here which was pretty cool, since I do that myself on shorter trips. We made our way up Gray Pass amid even worse smoke to the point where there were no views at all. I was definitely very pissed since it was my first time through & the most scenic parts had nothing to offer me. After a couple route-finding errors we made our way to the highest Horseshoe Lake where be both slept out that night. The smoke was bad when we got there but fortunately cleared out by night. We enjoyed lots of awesome meteors/shooting stars & saw flashes of lighting coming from the Arrow Peak area. We hoped the rain would not come in the night but figured something might happen weather wise the next few days.
Marion Lake Pano.jpg
Marion Lake Pano4.jpg
Red Peak Pano.jpg
DSC_0060.jpg
DSC_0062.jpg
Alright.. One more week left where our plans definitely changed quite dramatically due to the FIRE!
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Never put off a backpacking trip for tomorrow, if you can do it today...
Alpine Mike-

http://mikhailkorotkinphotography.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
alpinemike
Topix Expert
Posts: 437
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:00 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Reno, NV
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by alpinemike »

I know I'm a bit late in finishing this TR but... better late than never! Finally.. It's complete. And to think this year's should be almost 30 days longer! Anyways.. Let's finish this adventure!

Day 43- August 14- Horseshoe Lake to Kid Lakes
This morning we were woken up by the couple from the previous day as they went past our camp around 7:30 or so. We left camp by 8:40 or so & caught up to them after a while. The trail to the State Lakes was easy and the area forested but nothing too special. Fortunately the smoke never made it into Glacier Valley as we ascended. The views from the first Glacier Lake were smoked over in the distance. The first Glacier Lake we lunched at with the couple. It was a beautiful area & I highly enjoyed the Glacier Valley. There we said our goodbyes & before long we were atop Kid Pass descending into the drainage. The view from the pass to the North was unfortunately too smoked out but to the South it was fantastic albeit a little hazy. All that land I had never seen so clearly & majestically. The South Fork of the Kings, the Murro Blanco, Woods Creek, Gardner Basin, Mts. Clarence King, Cotter, & Gardner among more, stood out gorgeously. We descended to the first Kid Lake & before long were enjoying a swim in the lake. The water was heavenly & refreshing & definitely one of the best experiences of the trip. And finally fortunately for us due to the strange winds the area was mostly clear of smoke finally! Oh, how wonderful it was to go to sleep w/out smoke.
State Lakes Pano.jpg
DSC_0074.jpg
Glacier Lakes Pano3.jpg
DSC_0096.jpg
DSC_0102.jpg
Day 44- August 15- Lower Kid Lake to Upper Kid Lake
We got up quite early & were out of camp by 8:10. The views at the lake were gorgeous & definitely what I was hoping for at the Kid Lakes. My campsite there was extremely un-level & tilted to one side so it was very annoying all night. I was certainly ready to get going. Fortunately we had very little ground to cover & within 30 minutes we arrived here at the highest Kid Lake. Oh, how glorious & gorgeous it is. With views all the way down into the Murro Blanco and to Split Mtn., along with the massive granite walls to the West with Goat & Munger & our final cross-country pass (Mungoat). Certainly the Kid Lakes were living up to their exceptional grandeur & beauty. After setting up camp I began to climb up Kid Peak excited as ever. The climbing was mostly Class 3 but toward the top I did more intense Class 4/5 than necessary because I wanted to climb and knew this would be my last time on this trip & the whole summer. I made the summer in about 50 min. The view of course was stupendous. From the Kaweah’s to Charybdis the range was mostly clear!! It was amazing to stand atop Kid Peak and see Charybdis & know that I stood atop it many weeks ago on this same trip. I soon made my way back to camp with no major hiccups & arrived by 11:30am. The smoke was staying at bay & it was hot all day. We…well Rogue took a dip in the lake and I soaked my feet. We were lazy all day reading & listening to music. Unfortunately as I write now the smoke has moved into the South Fork & shrouded the Murro Blanco. For the most part it is staying to the East but slowly some is creeping up to us. Hopefully it dissipates sooner than later. As today is the last night out here that means tomorrow we make it down to Roads End & Cedar Grove & more importantly to food!! Oh… how I can’t wait to get real food. Unfortunately looks like whatever interesting weather was around isn’t anymore as the clouds hardly built today.
Kid Lake Pano.jpg
Kid Lake Pano2.jpg
DSC_0157.jpg
DSC_0169.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Never put off a backpacking trip for tomorrow, if you can do it today...
Alpine Mike-

http://mikhailkorotkinphotography.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
alpinemike
Topix Expert
Posts: 437
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:00 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Reno, NV
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by alpinemike »

Day 45- August 16- Upper Kid Lake to Cedar Grove to Grant Grove
Today which was the 16th of August started out as normal as any. We woke up fairly early since we had no dinner for that night and it was a long, long, long ass ways down to Roads End with almost 7,000 Feet of descent. Descending 7,000 FT in one day certainly was trying on the knees. We made our way up the easy Mungoat Pass and enjoyed the last grand view we would have of this pristine area. We met a fellow backpacker there trying to get into Palisade Basin via the SHR but apparently he was quite uncomfortable with Class 3 travel. Both Rogue and I thought that pretty odd considering the SHR has plenty of areas of very mild Class 3. Oh well.. I’m sure he made it out okay. So we descended down to Grouse Lake which was quite pretty and had a little snack there. The day was getting fairly hot and being down in Cedar Grove would be the hottest and lowest we’ve been to since the start of the trip with the exception of our drive down to Bishop one day. Anyways we made it back to the trail in no time and I was for the first time on the Copper Creek trail which was very well graded, as everyone says. We enjoyed several short breaks in the shade and then made our way toward Upper and Lower Tent Meadow which were well.. Nothing spectacular but there was water along the trail. The smoke though, inundated the valley floor like crazy and we knew it would be quite miserable down at the bottom. We made excellent time down the trail as the temperatures started to rise and the smoke continuously got worse. There were no good views across the canyon.. alas something we had grown accustomed to. We reached the bottom by around 3 or so. And that is when everything became very clear. Rogue and I joked about getting down there and everything being evacuated because we knew the fire was not far down the canyon. And sure enough that is exactly what was going on. The entire parking lot was a ghost town with barely any cars and zero people whatsoever. When we got to the Ranger Station there was a guy that was coming up in his car right at that moment and he informed us that they had just closed 180 going into the canyon! He said that the entire canyon was being evacuated including Cedar Grove and that everyone must leave. Of course.. The most immediate thing that came to mind was we had no food or car to get out of there so if we were being evacuated someone had to get us out of there. I couldn’t help but laugh with Rogue at how ridiculous the situation had become. Soon, a law enforcement ranger came by and we got a ride from him to the Cedar Grove Lodge. We found out that everything was already evacuated and the lodge was literally minutes away from being not only shut down but completely closed up. Unfreaking believable.. haha. We went inside to find out what sort of food we could get but the cash registers had already been closed up! Fortunately for us, the manager there was extremely nice and gave us some cold pulled pork with potatoes. How wonderful it was to eat some real food! But alas we were still out of luck of how to get out of there. Soon enough the manager told us he could give us a ride out to Grant Grove because that’s where he was headed. So around 4:15 or so Rogue and I piled ourselves and all of our gear into the back seat of his tiny Volvo and made our way to Grant Grove. The smoke was absolutely horrendous as we neared the fire. We soon came directly upon it on the other side of the river! The flames were roaring up the hillsides and it wouldn’t be long before it would likely jump the river and cross over onto the road. We had learned that the fire had grown monstrous in size over the past couple days swelling into the 20,000 acre range. We made our way out of the canyon, towards Grant Grove and we got there in decent time. What a time it had been so far! Our fears had been realized in that the fire evacuated us out of the National Park! And now we had no good way to get to Lodgepole since that was the next part of Rogue’s itinerary and where Mr. Watt would pick me up 3 days from then. So at Grant Grove a familiar objective laid before me. Hitchhiking from there to at least Lodgepole…something that I had done a little over a year ago. We first got some drinks and relaxed. We then started our attempt at hitchhiking, to of course no avail. As I had known from last year it would be extraordinarily difficult. We were definitely annoyed and soon enough we were approached by a very intriguing situation.
DSC_0174.jpg
Kid Lake Pano4.jpg
Mungoat Pass Pano2.jpg
Grouse Lake Pano.jpg
DSC_0216.jpg
A reporter for the local Fresno ABC news station approached us and asked if she could interview Rogue and me. We both said sure, sounds like fun! And so we both got interviewed by her and actually later that day made the local Fresno News! What a comedic and absolutely unexpected ending to my summer hike in the Sierra. Just as we finished with our interview a ranger approached us and let us know we were too close to the road to hitch hike safely. So, we had to relocate to a different spot. Soon it became very clear that we would not be able to get a ride to Lodgepole that day since it was getting quite late and we had very few people even stop for us. Just as we had given up hope that day we bumped into a couple. They asked Rogue if he was Rogue Photonic from HST and of course he was and I pipped in that was Alpinemike. We came to find out that he was robow8 from our forum! He and his wife were supposed to do Rae Lakes but because of the fire they decided on something out of Lodgepole. He offered to give us a ride the following morning at 5am! Now, admittedly we were used to waking up early but not that early considering we would have to be up by around 4 or so. We decided it would have to do and we agreed we would meet them right there in front of the lodge. Rogue and I were pretty happy at this point considering we secured a ride and were one step closer to getting to Lodgepole. The funniest part was the way we got our ride was in the exact same manner as I had the previous year. Just as I was giving up a couple approached me and offered me a ride the following morning. We got some snacks to eat at the small store there and decided we weren’t paying for a campsite so we found a secluded spot in a grove of trees that we made do with.
IMG_3125.jpg
IMG_3140.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Never put off a backpacking trip for tomorrow, if you can do it today...
Alpine Mike-

http://mikhailkorotkinphotography.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
alpinemike
Topix Expert
Posts: 437
Joined: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:00 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Reno, NV
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by alpinemike »

Day 46- August 17- Grant Grove to Lodgepole
The following morning we woke up around 4 or so and got our ride to the Wusachi Lodge. We enjoyed breakfast there and started to get a little caught up with the outside world since the lodge had free Wi-Fi there. We saw that we made it to the Fresno news as the reporters interview made it onto the news! It was the first time we had any real contact with what was going on since when I got some weather coverage almost 3 weeks ago coming off of Scimitar Pass! It was hard to believe that it had been that long. That day I gave my mom a call and let her know the slight change of plans. I had difficulty getting ahold of Mr. Watt since he didn’t know who was calling at first since I had to use the lodge’s phone. Eventually though I got through to him via email and I was set getting picked up on the 19th of August which still was a few days away. Rogue and I eventually took the shuttle-bus to Lodgepole where we secured our campsite and tended to various chores such as laundry and a good shower. It was hard to believe but the trip for me was soon coming to a close. That day we feasted on various foods for dinner and enjoyed a well-deserved sleep on nice flat ground at the campground.

Here is the link for the News report. http://abc30.com/news/fire-prompts-evac ... st/940140/

Day 47- August 18- Layover
The following day we were back at the Wusachi Lodge for some more Wi-Fi. If I remember correctly Chris, Rogue’s friend came up that day and we had lunch at the Lodge. After that we had a ride in his open 4 door Jeep. We decided to check out Crystal Cave that afternoon. The cave was fascinating with many formations including both stalactites and stalagmites along with other intricate features. I especially enjoyed the fact that it was nice and cool inside there. We made our way back to the campground for dinner. Rogue prepared for the next section of his trip by unpacking and prepping all of his food and supplies which is always an important and painstaking task to make things fit. The smoke had subsided a bit that day and we all enjoyed the last night there.
DSC_0226.jpg
DSC_0238.jpg
DSC_0244.jpg
Days 48-49- Lodgepole to Tahoe
That morning we had breakfast and I bad Rogue goodbye just as I had last year except this time we weren’t at Island Bird Lake! Then I sat and waited for my ride for a while enjoying the shade of some umbrellas by the General Store at Lodgepole. As I sat there I reminisced about the first time I had been to Lodgpole over a whole decade ago in 2003. Little did I know back then that I would be roaming the mountains as much as I do today but I certainly already felt a tug back then to call the Sierra my home. What’s even harder to believe was that my 4th grade teacher the previous school year would be the very person that would be picking me up on this day. By noon he was there with his wife ready to take me back to civilization and Tahoe. My summer trip with Rogue was over.. 48 days from the start on July 3rd. A trip of epic proportions as usual. That day I took a walk through the Grove of Giants and starred at the General Sherman Tree for the first time since that 2003 summer trip when I was just a little kid. It was still just as big.. Even though I grew a few feet. From there we went through Yosemite and I even got to check out Glacier Point for the first time. Unfortunately, the Rough Fire was ruining most of the views but with what view I could see it was very impressive. From there we ended up at Groveland for the night. The following day I was back home in South Lake Tahoe exactly 51 days from when I had left. In just a matter of days I would be back in Berkeley finishing my Atmospheric Science degree that semester. Now as I write this I can thankfully say I’m all finished with that and back in Tahoe waiting for another truly epic summer with Rogue!
General Sherman Tree.jpg
DSC_0302.jpg
DSC_0317.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Never put off a backpacking trip for tomorrow, if you can do it today...
Alpine Mike-

http://mikhailkorotkinphotography.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
dougieb
Topix Regular
Posts: 127
Joined: Tue May 27, 2014 9:10 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by dougieb »

What an incredible trip. Thanks so much for taking the time to write it up and share your photographs as well! I am even more excited to get into the mountains this year- I think my heart-rate went up while reading this. :-)
User avatar
ExploreABitMore
Topix Regular
Posts: 168
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:38 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Ridgecrest, CA
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by ExploreABitMore »

Hadn't seen this thread before. Really enjoyed looking through all the photos, looked like a great adventure. Thanks for sharing!
Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert, Night Sky Photography: http://www.evanthomasphoto.com/
User avatar
Wandering Daisy
Topix Docent
Posts: 6640
Joined: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:19 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento area)
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Great report. Too bad all that smoke marred the views. Kid Lakes look really nice, I will have to go there sometime. I think one could spend 10 days just wandering around from Volcanic Lakes east to Marion Lake. You just have to "pay the price" of a 5000-foot gain to get there. Do you think there is any route that could drop down to Muro Blanco? Muro Blanco is on my late season to-do list and combining it with the crest is an appealing idea.
User avatar
RoguePhotonic
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1693
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:52 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Bakersfield CA
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by RoguePhotonic »

I have a photo from Arrow Peak looking at the wall from the branches of Kid Creek and it looks like allot of risk. Just so much solid granite. What I can see of the main drainage of Kid Creek dropping down where it is not granite walls it's highly over grown. Probably a bush whack all the way.

I've wanted to climb the unnamed peak on the far west part of Arrow Ridge. I'd get a direct shot from there to study before I'd attempt it.
User avatar
wildhiker
Topix Fanatic
Posts: 1109
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:44 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Contact:

Re: Adventures With Rogue Photonic 2015 July 3-August 19

Post by wildhiker »

Alpinemike - thanks for this wonderful trip report and great photos! I'm too old for that kind of rugged climbing, so it's fun to read your adventures.
-Phil
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google Adsense [Bot] and 146 guests