High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

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oldranger
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by oldranger »

Daisy,

Maybe you always return to pick up your cache but lots of people do not. I know because I had to pack it out!

Mike
Mike

Who can't do everything he used to and what he can do takes a hell of a lot longer!
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tim
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by tim »

WandererWade wrote:Thanks guys. We don't have to yo-yo. I have not really looked yet at an alternative and reasonable route back to Sequoia. Any suggestions?

There is no resupply. I have seen posts from folks that have done this trip as yo-yo and no resupply. I realize that is a heavy food load.

This a tough trip for me coming from Atlanta with no friends, no 2nd cars and no reasonable way to get back to Sequoia where our car will be. Again, any suggestion will be appreciated.
Why leave a car there at all? Fly into LA then bus/train to Visalia, shuttle to Sequoia (next morning early so you start that day), hitch down from Whitney Portal then Crest bus back from Lone Pine to train to LA.

I looked at this with a car (we're in the Bay Area) and concluded I would leave the car in Visalia, and you can get back on buses from Lone Pine to Visalia in a day (changing in Mojave) so long as you pay attention to the exit day (Sun/Tue/Thu for a Mon/Wed/Fri bus).
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RoguePhotonic
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by RoguePhotonic »

If I recall right it's only 15 dollars for the shuttle to Sequoia also so it's a good price.
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by sparky »

Im an electrician and we had a small 2 week job in modesto. I took my gear and was dropped off in Visalia on the way back to Riverside. Stayed in a motel and caught the shuttle into the park the next AM. Started from Lodgepole around 11am. Returned to lodgepole and caught the shuttle out, and bus/trains back home. It's totally doable without a car.

There's options for making loops/semi loops. Get your maps! I like Tom Harrison maps. Get the mt Whitney high country map
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mattherrington
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by mattherrington »

Crossing the Kaweahs is pretty crappy. We had planned to go over Pyra Queen last summer but it was packed with snow mid-Aug so we went for the lower Pants Pass. Mav gave me fair warning that it was going to be crappy and it really was. I'm pretty comfortable in class 3-4 situations and Pants gave me some serious pucker factor going W-E.

Nothing is worse than being commited at 11AM half way up and seeing a 48L cooler size boulder loosen up, tumble, accelerate to 50 mph, and explode into an outcropping 300 yds away. For the last 500 ft of elevation with a 35 lb pack everytime I took a step EVERYTHING for 6 feet in every direction (up, down, in, L,R) started down the mtn. Not pea gravel, volleyballs.

Never again. Next time I'll take some scotch and enjoy the hot springs. And I'm 6' 185, 35.

That's just my two cents though!
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by Wandering Daisy »

There is a trick to going over Pants Pass. I did it from Kern Keweah to Keweah Gap and although some rocks scrambling was required, it was generally safe. The descent was cruddy scree, but not the worst scree I have been on. The way I went, you first go to the left (false) pass, then traverse almost at the top of the ridge to the real pass. There is a bit of down climbing to get to the real pass. The route straight up the real pass from the Kern-Keweah side is full of loose stuff. Pyra Queen is more difficult and I had to cut some steps down a band of ice on the west side. On the east side, I avoided much talus by angeling in up high. Both these passes are considered mountaineering passes. Not for the general backpacking public. You do not want to do these passes with a heavy pack so doing them on the return is preferable. As with all mountaineering passes, micro-routefinding is critical to keep to the easiest path. Perhaps I have a warped sense of pleasure; for example I actually enjoyed the north side of Alpine Col and hopping the boulders around Goethe Lake. Most backpackers probably would not like it. And I really did not mind Pants Pass. It all went quickly. Pyra Queen definitely streched my definition of "tolerable". If you have not experienced a lot of Sierra Class 2-3 passes, you should instead go over Colby Pass and Elizabeth Pass where there are trails.
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Some photos. As you can see these are not easy passes.

top of "False" Pants Pass (left notch from Kern Keweah side)
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Pants Pass (traverse at top to the real pass)
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Pants Pass from Nine Lakes Basin. From this direction the "real pass" is on the left and the false pass is on the right. The pass is a dual pass. Nine Lakes Basin-Real pass/ traverse/Kern Keweah-"false pass"
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Prya Queen from Nine Lakes Basin
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Looking down pass into Nine Lakes Basin
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Slabs on Nine Lakes Basin side.
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One of the ponds you pass on Keweah Basin side of the pass. If you make a point of heading for these ponds you will stay out of the talus gully.
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mattherrington
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by mattherrington »

To Daisy's point it's not that bad; I recant my "never again" statement. I would do it again going from E-W dropping into 9 Lakes Basin/Kaweah Gap. I will never ascend that W side again. I had heard about the traverse at the top too but after we got up to the N notch it was a 100 yd chute down to a snow field so I put board shorts over my hiking pants and did it on my butt.

Seems like the E side would have been easier regardless but it was a snow field in Aug last yr. Deceptively snowy on the E side compared to the W approach.

From 9 Lakes Basin
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From N notch looking back W to Kaweah Gap
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From N notch looking down E side chute
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Looking back at both notches from the E
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Next AM (lower notch is dead center)
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I'm way off topic reliving glory since passed. To bring it full circle this is one of the most direct and (arguably) easiet ways to cut some mileage out and or return a differnt route. It was really dicey with a not UL setup and it didn't even save us any time. I left my toothbrush on a stump at our camp in Kaweah Gap and the friends we made returned it to me on the trail roughly 36 hours later when we were both at Junction Meadow and they had stayed on the trail.
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Oh yes. You went the hard way! I was warned about going that direction. Amazing how much difference in snowpack! My pack was 25-pounds when I did it. Either way, it is not a pass for a newbie off-trail traveler.
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Re: High Sierra Trail Out and Back to Sequoia

Post by mattherrington »

Next time I do it I'd like to leave Crescent Mdw, do the unabridged HST, return via Forester/Bubbs Creek to Road's End w maybe a side trip to Lake S. America. You 'd get into another major drainage, cross Forester which IMHO is awesome, and Bubbs Creek is a stroll going down. From Guitar Lake three 12-mile days will get you out and two of them are pretty easy.

I've hitched from Road's End before and it's easy, particulary with the Rae Lakes fans and Mist Falls day hikers. Everybody is going your way (hence Road's End) as far as Grant Grove and then half of them are going towards Lodgepole/Crescent Mdw.
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