TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

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LMBSGV
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TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

Post by LMBSGV »

This trip report is the “monsoon weekend” at the end of July/early August. Okay, it took too long to get this done. The rain on the trip meant my pages of notes were more scattered than usual. And I’ve been busy with other things so having the time to put it together took way too long. It rained 1.5 inches last night, which felt a lot like my trip so this seems a good time to finally get this online.

Click the http://laurencebrauer.com/Images/TripReport-10-11.pdf
link for the PDF of the report.

The photos are below.

http://laurencebrauer.com/ASITHSTripReports.html
Last edited by LMBSGV on Thu Feb 28, 2019 9:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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maverick
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Re: TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

Post by maverick »

Thank you very much LMBSGV for a very entertaining, and very through TR.
Great pictures, during some great photography weather!
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

Post by windknot »

Gorgeous pictures, and thanks so much for the very thorough report. Often I get back from an extended trip, write my usual 1-2 page report, and then go back and read it later and wonder how 5 days of a magical experience got condensed into two pages of a Word document. I have an extensive record of detailed trip logs and reports, but you've inspired me to put a bit more effort into them and really turn some of my longer reports into truly engrossing stories.

Good to see that your head injury didn't turn out to be too serious; that amount of blood would have definitely freaked me out, especially traveling solo.
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richlong8
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Re: TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

Post by richlong8 »

Great report- very well written, and the photos are suberb! You make a person feel like they are with you- especially if they have been in the area before.
Last edited by richlong8 on Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I wish you had better weather, but the poor weather does sometimes make for great photos! I was in the same area last week in August, and what a difference! There was little snow left , few mosquitoes and stream crossings were insignificant hop-across. I also did the little pass to Arrowhead Lake. It is quite tricky on the east side. Even in perfect weather I missed the use-trail just before getting to Arrowhead Lake, but I did manage to see the traverse to the right that avoided dropping into that canyon to the left. The route over 60 Lakes Col to Gardiner does not go up the snowfield directly below the pass- rather you zig-zag up ledges to the north. Were these ledges also covered with snow when you went? I came in from the west (Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon) so did not do the Kersarge Pass trail- good to know it has been been rerouted so I do not freak out about losing the trail next time I use it.
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LMBSGV
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Re: TR: Sixty Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, July-August

Post by LMBSGV »

Thanks Maverick, Windknot, Richlong, and Daisy for your comments. And Windknot, definitely take your detailed trip logs and write them up. I find it's a way for me to relive the trip and also gain a larger perspective on what is always an intense, living-in-the moment experience.

Daisy, all of the last 100-200 vertical feet of Sixty Lakes Col was covered with snow except for a few rocks sticking out of the snow. I was intending to follow Phil Arnot's suggested route over the Col. I was at the larger lake below the Col trying to figure out how to go up the ledges above the lake when the thunderheads appeared. My weather instincts told me, no, don't do this, and when it's the morning and I'm not being influenced by being too tired, I listen to those instincts when they are that clear.

One thing is I'm not sure about the Kearsarge Pass Trail through Bullfrog. While I'm sure about how the upper switchbacks have been changed, I didn't want to waste any more time trying to find the lower route through Bullfrog since it was late in the day and so I decided going back a 1/4 mile would be smarter than trying to find the lower route. It could be I was remembering where the trail cut off incorrectly. I hope others who have been through there this year can clear this up.
I don’t need a goal destination. I need a destination that meets my goals.

http://laurencebrauer.com
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