TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

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cgundersen
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by cgundersen »

TT,
I'm sure everyone has their preferences, but I'm not all that indisposed to talus and can kind of develop a zen-like trance whilst hopping. The same is not true bushwhacking uphill. Maybe it's the claustrophobia. Maybe it's just wanting to see where I'm going. Regardless, I generally try to arrange trips so that if there is any bushwhacking, it's at least on a downhill segment. A few years back a buddy and I veered out of Cloud Canyon to go up to Josephine Lakes and we were climbing 15 ft above the ground in the area where we started the ascent. The willows and shrubs were so thick it was ridiculous. But, the last time I went down Sphinx Creek was more than 20 years ago, so maybe my recollections are dimming. I just recall that part of the descent being more work than anything else we'd done to that point (and, it was the standard Bubbs-East Lake-Reflection-Longley-Sphinx loop). But, I'd certainly do it for the flowers!
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by DoyleWDonehoo »

I have done that area twice, which I covered here:
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sphinx/stcoverv1n3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sphinx/stcoverv1n5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Those stairs from Bubbs Creek to Sphinx Creek are an engineering marvel and there are not many places like it in the Sierra. My backpacking partner (normally with an extra uphill gear) was totaled by those stairs. I did better: I knew what to expect. ;) The Alpenglow at Big Brewer Lake is one best in the Sierra: only Ottoway Lake is its equal that I have found, it it has a trail to it. Both some of the best hiking in the Sierra.
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by Cross Country »

Seeing your pic of the marmot reminds me of a short story. The first time I (we) went to Sphinx there were the largest amount of marmots I ever saw. The next time we went there were coyotes howling during the night and a lot less marmots. The third time I went I didn't see a single marmot, nor did I see any there the next time. The last time I saw a few.
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by TehipiteTom »

During the night it did rain intermittently, which didn't exactly allay my concerns, and it continued like this until sometime after 6:00 am. I had a short day planned today--just a couple off-trail miles down to Lake 9735--so I could afford to take my time and see what happened with the weather.

I had my usual coffee & Clif bar breakfast, read a while, wandered around the area, took some photos. Still overcast; still not raining. So I started packing up, tent last just in case, and finally got moving around 9:00 am.

The descent from Big Brewer was pretty straightforward, and there are probably lots of acceptable ways to go. I stayed on the north side of the creek; I cut away from the creek and bypassed Little Brewer Lake, and at about 10600' level I cut north a bit to avoid some talusy stuff closer to the creek--and lower down, when I didn't, I started running into brushy side ravines that pushed me back toward it--but mostly I followed the creek at a respectful distance.

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And almost before I knew it, certainly before I expected it, about an hour after leaving Big Brewer--whoa! there's a big-ass lake right in front of me!

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This lake, Lake 9735 (since nobody ever bothered to name it), was the location that more or less dictated my route--the one spot I was determined to get to and get some photos. Those of you who are familiar with my Brewer blog may already know the reason: the Brewer party camped near this lake for 5 days in early July of 1864. This is the camp from which they made the first ascent of Mount Brewer. It's sort of their gateway to the truly alpine terrain of the Kings River Sierra.

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So, immersed as I currently am in the Brewer, getting to this spot I first read about over a decade ago was hugely satisfying.

At the same time, there were decisions to be made. It hadn't cleared up; the weather was just as threatening as it had been when I got up. If it was going to get ugly over a sustained period, I'd be better off getting closer to the trailhead before it hit. It was still early in the day, so I had the potential to make some mileage yet. Conversely, if I camped here, it would be a long day in a nice spot but with not much to do.

So I decided, in the short term, not to decide: I'd spend a while here, exploring the lake, shooting it, and (again, still), waiting to see if the weather cleared up at all. And that's what I did. I had a very pleasant hour walking around the lakeshore, shooting the various angles, and just generally enjoying the beauty and the history of the place.

At the end of which, with no change in the weather, I decided to head to the next potential campsite near Moraine Creek.

This was some fun and interesting cross-country navigation. My plan was to catch the northwest-trending moraine ridge and follow the ridgeline all the way down to Moraine Creek. First I headed west across the flats and the shallow valley west of Lake 9735. Then I angled right up a low ridge and found myself face to face with the depression north of Point 9785--deeper and uglier (talus-and-timber-choked) than it looks on the map. I continued along the ridge south of the depression, which was relatively easy going.

Coming out on the northwest facing slopes beyond the depression, I started descending while trying to bear left (toward the ridge). Palmer Mountain appeared, and served as a useful directional guide. Somewhere around the 9300' level I encountered a trail traversing the slope, and figured I'd follow it to the left (southwest). After a very short distance I saw the ridge I wanted just below me, and dropped down to it.

Now, sometimes moraines can be a real pain in the neck to follow, with all kinds of rock and debris making things difficult. This one was not. This was practically a freeway. The stretch atop this ridge was, in fact, the easiest hiking of the entire trip, including any trail.

Plus, I finally got to see the world-famous Jabba the Rock.

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The ridge ends in a little granite knob (outlined in the 7920' contour). Descend the other side of the knob, cross a small (maybe seasonal) stream, cross Moraine Creek a little further on, and bingo--you're at the trail. This was a sweet cross-country route all around, and I got there by noon--just an hour from the lake.

There's a good campsite right by the trail about 50 yards to the left of where I came out, and it looks like there might be other good spots further from the trail as well. I put down my pack and had a nice leisurely lunch, while figuring out what to do.

On the one hand, there was a decent campsite, and it would be a solid 4+ miles to the next certain site (Sphinx Creek). On the other hand, it wasn't that interesting a place; I had all afternoon; and the weather was still threatening. (There--I just felt a couple of drops.) If I really was facing several days of crappy weather, which looked likely, it would be advantageous to get to where I could hike out in a short day.

In truth, I had already made my decision back at Lake 9735. Once I left the lake I was out of the really interesting country, and without even noticing it was shifting to an end-of-trip frame of mind. Now, at Moraine Creek, there was nothing but trail between me and civilization, and nothing very exciting along the way.

So I saddled up and began the long slog up to Avalanche Pass.

One thing I'll say for the cloud cover, is it did keep the heat down. This was most welcome as the easy-ish grade of the first section shifted to the steeper climb up the gully toward the pass. As I got higher the wildflowers got more profuse, and I started getting some tree-screened views back toward the Kings-Kaweah Divide.

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Soon, I was within sight of Avalanche Pass.

Or...not. A good long climb later, I could see the pass above me, looking about the same distance it had before. Except that before it hadn't really been the pass.

Which, in fact, it wasn't this time either. Or the next time.

And the trail kept switchbacking more than was really necessary, and I got to a point where it looked like the pass (or the "pass", since Avalanche Pass isn't really the high point) was maybe 20 feet higher than where I was on the trail and here's another damn switchback. And the trail gets to the start of gentle country at the saddle but instead of heading straight for the higher but it has to cross it just kind of...meanders.

"Are you f***ing SERIOUS?"

Again, the trail did not respond.

But soon--not as soon as I'd have liked, but as soon as the trail deemed permissible--I was at the high point. Where someone had laid out an oddly elaborate marker.

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Then a speedy drop over the next couple of miles down to Sphinx Creek. Back to my old campsite, more War and Peace, borscht for dinner, and an early bed.

Next morning I was up and on the trail before 7:00 am. Happily, it was a lot less smoky than it had been 4 days ago, so I was able to get some better shots of the stuff I had admired on the way up.

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The granite steps were again a pain in the neck. I like a trail I can sail down; if you have to carefully place every single step, you might as well be off trail altogether. But I got through it in decent time, and once I hit the Bubbs Creek Trail I could really make some time.

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There are some swell views of Paradise Valley from the Bubbs Creek switchbacks, and for my money the best view of Kings Canyon--at least, the view that gives you the best sense of Kings Canyon as a yosemite.

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I started running into people at the bottom of the switchbacks (first I'd met since the first evening), and by the time I got to the Paradise turnoff there was a steady trickle of backpackers. All friendly, and I stopped for a quick where-you-going-where've-you-been chat with every group I ran into. (Dayhikers, not so much; the friendlier ones might nod and mumble in response, while the others (figuratively) crossed the street to avoid me.)

It was getting good and hot by the time I reached the trailhead--just about 10 am, a day earlier than I had planned. Which was fine: I had done the route I wanted to do, and (except for Mt. Brewer) had seen everything I intended to see.
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by DoyleWDonehoo »

LOL, yeah, I would rather have a book than extra nuts. And, yeah, that whole hike from Big Brewer to Lake 9735 and thence to the trail is way easier than that tedious trail-slog up to Avalanche Pass.
If I had had an extra day, I would have loved to have stayed a night at Lake 9735. The camping looked perfect at that serene little lake when I was there.
Interesting that people complain about bush up Sphinx Creek. Both times I was there all the bush was avoidable and the cross-country pretty easy. Could things have changed that much these past years?
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by fourputt »

Thanks again for the report and pictures.

Pouring over maps years ago Lake 9735 looked like a cool spot even before I read Brewer.
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by TehipiteTom »

Thanks, Lou!
Interesting that people complain about bush up Sphinx Creek. Both times I was there all the bush was avoidable and the cross-country pretty easy. Could things have changed that much these past years?
What I found was that there was brush, but it was nearly all avoidable, it could get pretty bad if you didn't manage to avoid it. That first riser, from a distance, looks like all ugly talus on one side and all willow/aspen on the other. There's a route that avoids both, but if you miss up you could wind up with a lot of thrashing.
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by Shawn »

TT:

Thanks for the "rest of the story", I really enjoyed your TR. In fact, it has reinvigorated me to think about doing the same loop you did in the interest of getting to that unnamed lake. Truly good stuff. I also went and read through much of your blog - I too have been a fan of Brewer as he was my first read of the history applicable to the Sierra.

Speaking of motivation, I went back and looked at most of Doyle's trip reports. His reports were like waiting for the next edition of a magazine. I just couldn't wait to see the next edition as I was a late bloomer with regard to hiking (40+ years before I set foot on a trail in the Sierra with my first trip to East Lake). Everything was eye candy.

My first venture up Sphinx was in 2000 and my most recent was in 2006 (seems like yesterday). It occurred to me in 06 that there was considerably more overgrowth as compared to 00. regardless, we managed to miss most of the thrashing below the first headwall. I only have a few photos from below the first headwall, but in this one you can see our proximity to the creek as we ascended on hikers right of the creek. In this case, we were almost unscathed by the shrubs.

Image
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by TehipiteTom »

Thanks, Shawn!

Yeah, I think that's pretty much where I went up. That looks like it's near the top of the first headwall--is that right?

And yeah, I too have really enjoyed Doyle's reports over the years, and I mined his Sphinx reports for beta for my own trip. Really good stuff.
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Re: TR: Sphinx Crest Loop 7/16 - 7/20 2012

Post by Shawn »

Hey Tom -

That's right, the pic is looking at the first headwall.

We went up to 10514 the first day from the TH. Thought it was great until I woke up feeling like cr*p the next day which scuttled our plans.
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