Ray, Corey, and I (Eric) went into the northeast part of Kings Canyon on August 14. Our goal was to climb and then circle around Mt Goddard, going in at Lamarck Col and going out at Echo Col. Ray was the only climber. Though I have experience in the backcountry here, I generally do not like exposure on uncertain terrain. We planned five hiking days, one day to climb Goddard, and one day to relax. Ray and I had tried to climb Mt Goddard from Lake 11592 in upper Ionian Basin two years earlier, but stalled on the small knots of Goddard Divide about 1/3 of the way between Wanda Pass and the summit. It was dangerous, felt wrong (to me), and we realized that we had not started early enough. Then I pulled a muscle pretty badly on the way out, and we weren't able to come back until this year. Ray and I are 53, and this year we brought along Ray's son-in-law, a young marine named Corey.
I'm writing this report partly for the benefit of hikers planning trips, as I have benefitted from similar reports on this forum, and also to discuss Echo Col for backpackers. The trip I'm describing is not for inexperienced hikers; it is strenuous, there are lots of route finding issues, and the area is remote. I refer to the Yosemite Decimal System used by Secor in his "High Sierra Peaks Passes and Trails". Secor notes this system is "complex and illogical, and can be confusing to beginners and experts alike." Class 2 is difficult cross-country travel, and can include extremely dangerous conditions. Class 3 is when "hands and feet are used not just for balance but to hang on to the rock. Steep or large talus can be rated as class 3." But the holds are large and easy to locate.
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I've linked to a few in the text below, but couldn't figure out how to upload them. We saw very few critters: chipmunks, a weasel, a pika or two, frogs, and some mountain rats (marmots). No bears, no mosquitoes.
Day 1. We spent the night at North Lake Campground and were on trail by 6:30am. Our first goal was Lamarck Col, which we reached by 11:30. The area just north of the col had reconfigured since the last time I saw it, 2 years ago. The snow no longer terminates at the tarn, but rather just dumps out onto some rock and dirt. And it has a streak of ice right down the middle, blocking the usual path and forcing us to either cut steps or resort to the rocky upper edge. We tried the former for about one minute, then went to the edge, which was easy. We reached the Col at 11:30, then were down to the upper Darwin Canyon lake by 1:00. I remember someone on this forum said that the route from the col to the lake had been marked; that is not the case now. It rained for the next 2.5 hours while we picked our way along the lake shores of Darwin Canyon toward Darwin Bench, which we reached at around 3:30. Fortunately our clothes were Hefty bagged inside our packs, so everything was dry, except for my socks, which were soaking wet inside my "waterproof" Goretex boots.
Day 2. We woke up late, were on the trail by 9am, at Evolution Lake a short time later, and spent some time ogling the view from the outlet. Then we hiked up to Lake 11196 just north of Mt Goddard, arriving at 2:30. This was to be our base camp for the next day's attempt at Starr's Route up to Mt Goddard.
Day 3. We started Starr's Route at 6:00 am, gaining access to the base of the north ridge of Peak 13,040+ by hiking just to its west. It was partly cloudy when we woke, and our plan was to be up and down before the weather moved in in the early afternoon. Though it is listed as a class 2 route there is some mild climbing involved, and some exposed ledging near the top, which I think would pass completely unnoticed by almost any climber
. But the route is currently well marked by cairns all the way up the north ridge, and we had no trouble following once we got on, and no trouble trudging up the talus slope leading to the top once we got off. The view was fantastic. We made it up in 3 hours and 40 minutes, down in 3:20, and the weather held up. Went for a swim.North Ridge, Peak 13,040+
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View from Goddard (1)
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View from Goddard (2)
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View from Goddard (3)
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Day 4. An epic day. We left Lake 11196 at 7:30am and hiked along Davis Lake, around the west side of Mt Goddard, and up through Goddard Divide to the lake above Lake 11951, before descending to Lake 11818 to camp at around 7pm. We tried to walk along the shore side of the small 11360+ rock at the very western side of Davis Lake, but had to turn back; you can't even wade it. The hike down to Martha Lake and up to Goddard Pass was spectacular.
Day 5. I personally did nothing but sit around the camp all day, feeling like I had reached a destination of sorts. The sky was mostly cloudy, as on most days of this trip. We met a guy named Byron after not seeing anyone for three days. He was doing almost exactly the same thing as we were, only in the opposite direction, and with more climbing. He showed us Secor's new (?) advice about the southern approach to Echo Col, see below. Thanks Byron!
Lake 11818
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Day 6. We left Lake 11818 and hiked up toward Scylla, then descended to the outlet of Chasm Lake (no snow!) before climbing to lower Ionian Basin, over Black Giant Pass, and down the PCT to a camping zone south of Echo Col. Another pretty long day, though not as long as Day 4.
Descent, Scylla in Background:
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Day 7. We were on task at 6am, soon up to Lake 11428 below Echo Col. From there we went due north to the base of Echo Col. The (3rd?) edition of Secor's "The High Sierra" in Byron's Kindle has a paragraph not included in the 2nd edition. It says "Those approaching Echo Col from the south should aim for the sharp notch to the left (west), marked with white rock on the left and black rock on the right." It has the same north-to-south advice as the 2nd edition, which is to go over "atop a chimney marked by black rock; .. not the easier-appearing pass to the left (east)". Are these two different routes? Since we were going south-to-north, we went with the white notch to the left of the black rectangular-shaped notch. The ascent was short class 3, with a single, easy climbing move that was nevertheless amongst some loose rock, in an exposed setting. Of the two conceivable ways of going up to the white notch, the western one is easier. It was clear that many people go this way, but a backpacker could easily be dismayed
by the challenge here, not because of the move but because of the consequences of a failed hand or foot hold. Properly done, the risk is low. The descent on the north side is class 2, but slightly exposed, and again a backpacker might get a little bug-eyed at the challenge here. Though the rock is loose it is heavier than the nasty flakey white stuff on the south side, and though there were some mild climbing moves, we always had a foot on "terra firma" as Byron put it, even if the ledge was thin, or sloping. The route goes west from the top, then doubles back east after you go down a bit. From the top looking down the way is pretty obvious. Once we were down we danced a little jig, before contouring above the cliffs of Echo Lake, where there was no snow, down to the outlet, where I dove into the beautiful water. Then we began the 7-hour slog down to Lake Sabrina, arriving at 6pm. Echo Col, North Side:
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On the above photo, we came over at the top where the white boulder is.
Echo Col.
As it stands I would probably not use Echo Col again unless there was some compelling reason I can't think of now. We made it to Ionian Basin easily in two days from North Lake, and it would take two days from Lake Sabrina also. Incidentally, I've been over Wallace Col (which also connects the Sabrina Lakes trail to the PCT) twice, and it is a very dangerous class 2 route. Severe objective danger. Echo Col is not nearly as objectively dangerous, but backpackers should attempt it only if they really know what they are doing. This route does not presently require the ice axe mentioned by Secor.
