TR: Kennedy Meadows South & PCT Misc. - May 22nd. to 27th. 2023

[michaelzim]

This trip was based on a theory. Reality is not theoretical, so a lot of stuff went out the window with my planned sojourn into the big snow for a look-see. However, it was still great to get out into the Sierras again and my hiking legs got enough of a workout to dissipate the long winter doldrums.
It’s not much of deep report, but I figure not many of us seem to be getting into the high hills so something is better than nothing…and Ian is probably going nuts on crutches by now so will read anything Sierras related.

The trip theory was this…Having only minimal snow experience from jaunts to McGee Lakes Basin (next to Evolution Basin) in May 2021, and Nine Lakes Basin in May of 2022, I did not want to head off into the white wonder on my own. Nor did I want to “snow bash” my way in from the get go. So the problem was – what trails would even be visible, and what trails would have some people on them? The answer of course, was the PCT.

Back in 2021 just before Memorial Day on the PCT I bumped into a hiker or group about every 10 minutes on average. I knew this year would be a lot thinner, but I had been seeing reports of intrepid PCT’ers getting over Forester and even up to Bishop Pass. Kennedy Meadows South was thick with arrivals trying to figure out if they were going to continue north or bail for later, with small groups supposedly leaving for snow-land almost every day. Theoretically they would be leaving a trail to follow and act as a backstop for group creek crossings and sketchy areas that might present.
Based on that loose premise I headed off to Kennedy Meadows and joined the general melee on the open deck of the General Store…Cool place!

The first thing that went kaboom, was that the large group leaving the next morning looked like a bunch of seriously fit young people who had just hiked 700 impressive miles, with lots of S. California snow under their boots. They also planned to wake up at 3:00 am to hike as far as possible while the snow was still firm…Nope! I often don’t even get to sleep until around 4:00 am, so that had zero appeal.
Being low elevation (KM-S is around 6,000 ft.) I had hiked north from here 3 weeks ago and got turned back by full snow cover at 8,000 ft. I figured it would be more like 9,000 ft. now so would start out alone and follow their tracks later. I should have at least a day or more of normal trail hiking without need for any snow tracking skills.

I set out at 7:00 am with my “full snow gear” pack coming in at about 38 pounds. I had enough food for 10 days just in case I decided to push all the way over Forester Pass – yeah, with a huge tongue-in-cheek on that one!
Warmer sleeping bag. Warmer pad. Warmer clothing. Gaiters. Ice axe. Micro-spikes. Trekking poles for supposed creek crossings (no I don’t use poles generally). GPS phone for finding the trail in snow. Anker charger. Adequate food. Stronger (heavier) tent. Bigger pack to carry it all…Lots more stuff!!! Which added a good 10 pounds to my summer carry weight. My magic comfort number is now 30 pounds or less and each year it seems to want to drop a few pounds. So 38 pounds was…Ughhhhh.

First up, the S. Fork of the Kern was flowing just as strongly as it was at the beginning of May. In fact it was at exactly the same level as it was on May 1st as the three sticks I had put at the water’s edge then were still there.

1. First bridge - S. Fork Kern River.jpg

2. Water level May 1st. 2023.jpg

3. Water level May 24th. 2023.jpg

The big snow was evident when I reached the south end of Beck Meadow and looked north to the higher elevations ahead.

4. North from Beck Meadow at 7.900 ft. - The big snow beckons.jpg

5. Upstream of second bridge.jpg

With leg and bum muscles very much stating their opinions I reached the second S. Fork Kern bridge at 2:00 pm and decided to call it a day. It’s a beautiful spot and I camped at the top of the ridge out in the open. Interestingly the water level here was higher by about 6” in the mornings as it flowed around the north side of the concrete foundation. By the afternoons it had retreated. The distant catchment seemed to have about a 12 hour time lag to it.

6. Second bridge - S. Fork Kern River.jpg

7. Second bridge & flow around concrete on N. side.jpg

I rested a bit then spent a bunch of time just standing on the bridge absorbed in the flights of swallows nesting under it and doing their aerial thing. That very apt quote came to mind: “Wilderness without wildlife is just scenery” and more so as swallows have a very warm spot in my heart.

8. Happily watching swallows.jpg

The next morning I set off for Cow Canyon and distant Olancha Peak knowing full well that I would hit snow cover in a few hours as I gained altitude. Patchy snow was still evident on north facing slopes at the Kern (7,820 ft.) and became more prominent once over 9,000 ft. By 9,500 ft. snow was pretty much everywhere except rocky outcrops no matter what slope aspect prevailed. Every small valley or draw seemed to have a rushing rivulet or small creek in it, so finding water was no problem.

9. WSW of Olancha Peak - Full snow cover starting around 9,500 ft..jpg

By 1:00 pm I had been slogging through the white stuff for a while and having a really hard time following the quickly fading tracks left by the PCT’ers. I finally had to use my new cell phone GPS app as there were so many micro route options
to choose from I could have gone way off course in no time. Which would not have been a problem in the big picture as it was basically “off trailing” but in snow turning slushy the work and effort factor of wandering was getting to be significant!

Just as I was contemplating how another theory was getting trashed (PCT tracks were melting out in a few hours not days) a surprise southbound hiker appeared uphill from me. I hailed him and we got together for a chat and snow slog commiseration. I asked if he was coming from way north or what?
No, he had become separated from the big northbound group… “Ah”
Whose tracks I was supposedly following… “Ah”
He had been dragging going uphill… “Ah”
The snow slowed him down even more… “Ah”
Then he had to poop… “Ah”
Finally, he realized he was not going to catch them up and turned back as did not want to hike in the snow alone…“Aaaaaah”
He was hoping to find a new (and slower?) group at Kennedy Meadows so soon zoomed off downhill with speed I admired greatly.

A bit befuddled I set off once more but stopped to ponder after a few minutes.
Mmmmmm…My situation had strong parallels. Did I want to do this alone? Pull the phone out every few minutes for the rest of the trip? Sit in a tent in the woods most of the afternoon when the snow slushed? Then spend 12 hours in the tent all night awaiting morning? For three days or so before the big view Sierras started after Cottonwood Lakes? Or have to road hike out for 10 miles at Horseshoe Meadows? Plus my leg muscles and glutes were still very much feeling the burn!

Mmmmmmmmmm…This was not quite how I had envisioned this going, and there were so few PCT’ers that I might wait all day for a few to show up at some sketchy creek crossing or whatever.
Nope!…Not the best plan. So I too decided to head back and try some new idea – like maybe do a long day hike to the Sierra crest at Kearsarge if the road was nearly cleared. I decided I could figure all that out at Kennedy Meadows with a cold Root Beer in hand.

Later I realized that my turn around point (around 10,100 ft.) was only a few hundred feet from the highest point of the trail just SW of Olancha Peak . The Tom Harrison map of this area is terrible for contours as there are no numbers at all in the vicinity. I could not quite figure out just what the hell was going on right there, and may have been swayed to continue further if it were clear. But it was not. And I quickly followed the retreating PCT’ers tracks southbound before they too melted out.

I spent another night at the second Kern River bridge with night-time temperatures dropping a further 10 degrees as I had anticipated but would be of less relevance for better snow travel now. It was a long night with little sleep so I was up early and on the trail to KM with the sun. My trail legs were beginning to kick in and I was drinking that cold Root Beer on the general store deck by early afternoon.

Only four northbound PCT’ers passed me over the whole distance (14 miles) so indeed not a lot of traffic for my supposed ‘tagging along’ idea with slower folks. They were all taking the conditions seriously and loaded for bear with full winter gear and food enough to get to Bishop Pass. This fellow is an example. My trail name for him was “Empire State”…

10. My name for this PCT hiker was Empire State.jpg

I found out that standard pack weights for those going northbound over Forester and beyond were in the range of 50 to 60 pounds…Uuuuughhhhhhhhhh!!! I have a lot of respect for that carry load over full snow conditions. “Oh lost youth how I miss thee.”

After spending a very pleasant late afternoon on the KM store deck getting all the news and views of the 2023 PCT scene I decided to just head north on 395 the next day and see where I could drive in to some trail-head and hike up to the crest if possible.
It was not really possible. Not without a horrid long road walk anyhow. The Horseshoe Meadows road was closed 10 miles from the trail-head. Kearsarge was not much better. So finally I settled on Big Pine and got in a very late hike up the North Fork of Big Pine Creek that afternoon. It was mostly snow free up to the Second Falls at 8,850 ft. where I decided to stop as it was too late to venture further that day. I just sat and looked at the view instead.

11. Looking down N. Fork of Big Pine from c. 8,800 ft..jpg

I spent the night in the desert with a gorgeous view of the White Mountains to the east and the high Sierra wall to my west. The long drive home took me to the end of my little foray and how best laid plans can speedily come undone in the white wonderland of the Sierras.

Best ~ Michaelzim

[jfr]

Thanks for the excellent TR! I met quite a few PCT hikers down in SoCal, and most are probably skipping north from KM. I'm glad to hear that some of them are hiking onward. I advised the more snow-capable of them to try to forge on to Trail Pass and Horseshoe Meadows if they felt comfortable with the attempt. It's a lot easier to hitch and get public transportation from Lone Pine, and when they come back in August, they'd be a lot happier starting the hike at 10k feet, not down low in KM where it's roasting hot.

[michaelzim]

@jfr...Good that you encouraged PCT'ers to try and get to Horseshoe Meadows as indeed that seems to be where the majority going north from KM-S were heading for. In hindsight and after talking to some that had done it, it is not too bad if you don't mind snow. North of Cottonwood Lakes has been a different story. Not sure if you have seen the video on Facebook PCT 2023 with those folks going gingerly along the snow and ice at Forester...man I have a lot of respect for those cojones as I don't like exposure and I know what that drop-off is like just before the chute. No way for me!
All those PCT trailblazers deserve a lot of credit getting to Bishop Pass and then even to Mammoth as Bear Creek had to be crossed as well as the other "big uh-oh" creeks...which may now be impossible without the snow bridges that were around some weeks back.
I have the sense that the PCT is going to be a very quiet route this early summer!