Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
User avatar
1866yellowboy
Topix Novice
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: NM & CA

Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by 1866yellowboy »

This trip started at Crescent Meadow and ended at Roads End, traveling through Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon, and Cloud Canyon. I was supposed to make a loop going back through Deadman Canyon but my buddy had a feet that looked like they went through hell. Turns out bailing out to Roads End from Roaring river was no joke, and probably not the right decision. That being said this was the best backpacking trip of our lives.

Day 1
The week leading up to the trip I came down with a bad case of runners knee. I was barely able to walk 5 days before the planned date, but that wasn't going to stop me, I had just graduated college the month before and this was going to be my reward. So I got a brace and the day of the hike I forced myself to head out with my buddy (after locking my keys in my car, delaying the beginning for 2 hours, this was only the start of our problems). So we head out of Crescent Meadow, my knee bothering me, and I didn't care, it was beautiful.
58205_1280102022964_5867558_n.jpg
So a few miles down the trail my knee was actually feeling better, we stop for a break. I sit on a rock and reach for my water bottle and accidently knock it down a cliff. I wasn't going to leave it down there so I climb down to retrieve it. I try putting it in my pocket so I can climb up and it falls out dropping another 10 feet down. I was pretty pissed at that point. I climb down and get it and make sure I don't drop it again.
41026_1280102502976_6071095_n.jpg
47500_1280102342972_4827791_n.jpg
58969_1280103543002_2388252_n.jpg
So we finally continue toward Bearpaw Meadow, our 1st nights destination, stopping one last time at Buck Creek for a break. While there my friend takes his shoes off and his feet are already starting to bleed. This is because he decided to hike in some old running shoes, bad decision. I tell him that I'm completing this hike, he can go back if he wants, but he'd be damned if he quit. So he goes to put his foot in the creek, and slips and gets washed down the rockslide, getting totally soaked. I just start laughing at him, he gets really pissed. It was already getting dark so I tell him to stop messing around and to hurry up put his shoes on and lets go. We head out and make it to Bearpaw around 9pm. That portion of the trail is deceptive. On the map it looks relatively flat. It's not, it's up and down basically the whole time.
So we open our packs to go for dinner and I see he doesn't have a bag I gave him with 3 days of food that wouldn't fit in our canisters. I ask him about it and he said he left it at the trailhead locker and that he thought it was for when we got back (face palm). Looked like I was sharing some of my food with him. Then I look over and he busts out a huge flashlight that takes 6 D batteries. I freak out and asks what the hell he was thinking carrying that. This isn't his 1st trip so he should know to keep it lightwieght. Well turns out he had underwear and shirts for almost every day, & some cologne. Guess he though we'd be seeing some ladies or something. Day 1 over, and what a day.

Day 2
We get up late but eventually head out. Our destination is Little 5 lakes and Big Arroyo Creek jct, about 9 miles away, and over Kaweah Gap. About half a mile outside of Bearpaw we encounter a bear walking towards us on the trail, His head was down and he was just moping along minding his own business. I just stood there and watched peacefully, but made noise when I felt he was getting a little too close. When he noticed us he scrambled up hill. So we continued and stopped at Pine Creek for a break.
58969_1280103623004_4571356_n.jpg
58969_1280103743007_6561361_n.jpg
We made our way to Upper Hamilton lake where my buddy drops his pack and states that he isn't going any farther that day. Risking a rumble I give in and agree. His feet were killing him and he was carrying a crap load of useless stuff. Upper Hamilton lake is really pretty and popular. There was a lady in an inflatable tube out on the lake when we arrived. It seemed kind of weird but looked comfy. The water is relatively warm and we went for a swim.
58969_1280103783008_6480031_n.jpg
To be continued....
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
1866yellowboy
Topix Novice
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: NM & CA

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by 1866yellowboy »

Day 3
Upper Hamilton Lake-Big Arroyo Canyon

We got up early for the climb to Kaweah Gap. The climb wasn't too bad as far as Sierra Passes are concerned. It was really steep in some sections so taking a tumble would definitely end you. But what a place to make a final exit. Trail crews had actually blasted a section out and the trail goes through a little tunnel. It's kind of amazing what the trail crews have done on this section and many other trails, I tip my cap to them it's rough work. We make our way to Precipice lake which had the shores covered in ice. It's a nice lake we stayed for a little break and continued to Kaweah Gap.
58969_1280103863010_4118677_n.jpg
57928_1280104903036_724013_n.jpg
57928_1280104943037_450928_n.jpg
We made it to Kaweah Gap and the view is absolutely amazing. This may be my favorite pass. Views lead down Big Arroyo and 9 Lake Basin. I plan to hike the basin one day. We stay at the pass for a few hours enjoying the view and breeze. As with everywhere in the Sierra pictures do not do this place any justice at all. There is no explaining to people that have never backpacked how beautiful it really is. Up until now we had seen many people on the trail. From here on out we barely see anyone else.
57928_1280104983038_1217376_n.jpg
57928_1280105023039_5282770_n.jpg
57928_1280105103041_3995428_n.jpg
We reluctantly leave at around 2 and head down the canyon. The hike down is just as beautiful with views down the canyon for the 1st couple of miles. The trail skirts Big Arroyo creek and eventually crosses it. The crossing is really easy, I just did it barefoot. The creek is also has several nice swimming holes which I took advantage of since we were in no hurry.
57928_1280105143042_2040764_n.jpg
57928_1280105223044_1092513_n.jpg
We made our way to the Big Arroyo/Little 5 lakes jct and made camp. There are several nice spots there and I think 2 bear lockers. I share my dinner with my friend and still couldn't get over that he left that food. Luckily we both were laughing about it at that point so no fist were thrown. The next day promised to really test my bum knee as we were going to hike into Kern Canyon, a drop of 2700 ft in elevation in about 2 miles.

To be continued.....
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
maverick
Forums Moderator
Forums Moderator
Posts: 11821
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 5:54 pm
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by maverick »

Hi 1866yellowboy,

Welcome to HST! That is quite a first TR, and nice pictures, looking forward to reading
the next installment before commenting.
Professional Sierra Landscape Photographer

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
User avatar
Captain Slappy
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2010 6:44 am
Experience: Level 3 Backpacker

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by Captain Slappy »

1866yellowboy wrote:We got up early for the climb to Kaweah Gap. The climb wasn't too bad as far as Sierra Passes are concerned. It was really steep in some sections so taking a tumble would definitely end you. But what a place to make a final exit.
:D Great pics. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to the next installment.
User avatar
cahikr
Topix Acquainted
Posts: 37
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 2:39 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: Cypress, Ca.

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by cahikr »

Nice report!
Sounds like some of my first backpacking trips.
User avatar
TehipiteTom
Founding Member
Posts: 953
Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 8:42 am
Experience: Level 4 Explorer

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by TehipiteTom »

Excellent report! Looking forward to the next installment...
User avatar
1866yellowboy
Topix Novice
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: NM & CA

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by 1866yellowboy »

Day 4
Big Arroyo-Kern Hot Springs, about 9 miles
We woke up around 6am & left camp by 7:30. Staying on the High Sierra Trail (HST) we make the moderate ascent up the canyon walls crossing a few creeks along the way. It is basically a steady climb for a few miles and mostly shaded. It's about a 1000 ft ascent to around 10500 at its highest.
59164_1280106103066_8268716_n.jpg
From there the trail descends to the HST and Moraine Lake trail jct. The area is sandy with some nice spots for a break. We continue down the HST skipping the opportunity to see Moraine lake. It moderately descends about 1000 ft over the next 3 miles to another jct to Moraine lake. From there we continued on HST which crosses a few seasonal streams one of which I slip crossing and completely submerge my right foot. I hate walking in wet boots but had to deal with it. 1.5 miles from the last jct the trail begins it's very steep descent into the awesome Kern Canyon. It is mostly shaded and offers few views. However, when there is a clearing and you see down the canyon your jaw will drop.
59164_1280106143067_3001269_n.jpg
After taking many breaks to enjoy the views we continue with the sometimes painful descent. The trail crosses Funston Creek a couple of times which offers a chance to cool off. My knee starts acting up again 3/4 of the way down but at that point there wasn't much I could do about it other than suck it up. I hear my friend complain about his feet and I tell him to wear adequate footwear next time. Of course he responds with swear words which couldn't make me happier at that point. We finally reach the bottom of the canyon and make our way north up the canyon. In pain and hot as hell we stop at a crossing about a mile up. There is a nice bridge with plenty of shade. While there we hear a pissed off rattlesnake and carefully back away. I never did see it but hearing it was all I needed. So we eventually make it to the hot springs where a there are several campsites. After making camp I accidently cross through some guys site on the way to the river to cool down. I ask him where the hot spring was and he just stared at me like I was a his mortal enemy. That was the 1st and so far only unfriendly backpacker I've met in the backcountry. We find the springs spend several hours just chilling by it. Once in the canyon there are not that many views because most of it is densely forested.
59164_1280106183068_2217204_n.jpg
Day 5
ZERO DAY
We basically did nothing all day just letting our bodies heal. However, around mid afternoon it was nap time so I took the rainfly off my tent in order to enjoy a breeze that had picked up. While laying there I see some smoke and sit up to see where it was coming from, since no one else was there. It was coming from where the angry man camped the night before, about 200 ft away. So I get out of my tent, the wind had really picked up at that point, and head over there. Just as I'm getting to the source, the ground ignites. So I rush over and stomp it out. I investigate and what had happed was a fresh pine cone had fallen into the fire pit that was there and knocked some embers out onto the ground which was covered in pine needles and twigs. I yell to my buddy to get some water while I make sure it doesn't re-ignite. I can't believe some people don't make sure their fires out. Just because it's in a fire ring doesn't mean it's safe and that was a prime example. I'm pretty confident that had we not been there that it would have turned into a major fire. The whole area was dry and had plenty of fuel, along with a good breeze. Almost perfect conditions for a fire. The rest of the day we relaxed by the river and hot springs.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by 1866yellowboy on Thu Jun 12, 2014 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
1866yellowboy
Topix Novice
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: NM & CA

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by 1866yellowboy »

Day 6
Kern Hot Springs-Rockslide Lake
For some reason we take our time getting up in the morning and leave camp by 8:30. My friend basically limps for the rest of the trip, his shoes were in bad shape and his feet were even worse. We make our way up canyon which gets pretty hot come mid-day. Growing up in SoCal I should be able to handle the heat better than I do, but it always gets to me. I start to over heat so we stop by the river until I cool off. Its about 6 miles from the hot springs to the Colby Pass trail jct and relatively flat the whole way. We get to the jct, which has several campsites and a bear locker, and take a break before the climb out. A group of 3 guys come down heading the opposite way. They sit down with us and one of them smokes 4 cigarettes while we talk. I couldn't believe that guy, he would probably be a mega-star marathon runner if he wasn't a smoker. I guess too much oxygen makes him angry or something. I have nothing against smoking but just couldn't believe that someone that smokes that much could do this kind of stuff.
We head out after a 30 min break and start the climb out of the canyon towards Colby Pass. This trail out of the canyon is not nearly as steep as the HST section we took into the canyon 2 days earlier. But it wasn't easy either.
58367_1280106903086_7378794_n.jpg
We make our way to what I believe was Rockslide Lake @ about 9100ft and find an awesome little plateau to make camp. The lake looks more like a wide portion of the Kern Kaweah River and is about 70 ft below where we made camp. We settle in for the night knowing that the climb up to 12000ft Colby Pass was going to be painful.
58367_1280106863085_1997127_n.jpg
Day 7
Rockslide Lake-Colby Lake
We get up early and pack fast to avoid the heat. The 1st few miles ascend moderately but we encountered an army of mosquitos. These little bastards must have been preparing for this encounter their whole, albeit short, lives. I put on my rain shell and pants, which I never hike in, in order to avoid the bites. I could hear them laughing at my 100% deet and my futile attempts to cover up. My friend had a bandana over his face the way old bank robbers would wear it. Both of our hood were up and we are swearing the whole way up the trail. We make our way to Gallants lake, which is a large meandering section of the Kern Kaweah River. It is a really pretty mother of all mosquito breeding grounds area. I took one pic and got the hell out of there.
58367_1280106943087_7308044_n.jpg
Continuing up the trail with the D-Day invasion right on us, no breaks were taken in fear of being sucked dry. At about 10600 ft their commander must have called off the attack, we had survived, but were wounded. I later counted over 60 bites on my hands and face, the only uncovered parts of my body. We finally stopped for a break at about 10800ft, about 1.5 miles from the pass.
58367_1280106983088_6877915_n.jpg
When we got going I was moving pretty slow, my friend on the other hand was apparently in a hurry because for the 1st time on the whole trip he was in front of me. We made our way towards the pass with spectacular views to the south. The trail gets hard to find in spots about a mile before the pass. It's very rocky and the last 1/4-1/2 mile is pretty steep. My friend marches straight up the trail and makes it to the top about 20 minutes before I do. I don't know what got into him, he may be the 1st backpacker ever accused of blood doping. He comes down and asks if I want him to carry my pack. I throw out the best swear words I know and let him know what a typical man I am. I'll be dead before I need help. I finally make it to the top, out of breath and heart racing.
47340_1280107783108_8199946_n.jpg
40928_1280107383098_7141089_n.jpg
40928_1280107343097_5949233_n.jpg
40928_1280107423099_3018797_n.jpg
We stay at the top for about 2 hours and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I had read plenty about altitude sickness, and had even had it before, but for some reason it never crossed my mind.
The trail down the north side of the pass had a bunch of ice patches. A couple of which we just slid down. This section of the trail was easy to follow and we made our way to Colby Lake @ 10584'. It's a really pretty lake with lots of fish. I was still out of breath as we set up camp and played cards. I figured I was getting sick as my throat was getting sore. I've had problems with anxiety in the past and it was starting to get ahold of me. "This could be my 50th heart attack, and just the place to have one" I thought to myself. My head started throbbing and I thought "great I'm having a heart attack every 10 minutes and now I get a headache." It's funny how anxiety will really stop you from actually thinking realistically. I go to bed early and had anxiety issues all night.
47340_1280107823109_1071940_n.jpg
To be continued....
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
1866yellowboy
Topix Novice
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 3:21 pm
Experience: N/A
Location: NM & CA

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by 1866yellowboy »

Day 8
Colby Lake-Roaring River Ranger Station-about 10 miles, the map says it's about 8 but it's wrong.

We wake up @ about 6:30 and leave camp by 7:30 and I was still had a headache and had trouble catching my breath. Altitude sickness still hadn't crossed my mind. So we head out, the trail crosses the creek from the outlet of Colby lake and skirts down a cliff, sometimes steeply. It eventually levels out in a semi-forested area and meets up with a creek. After crossing it several times we make our way towards Big Wet Meadow. Several sections of the trail get steep, but nothing to bad. There are good views up canyon when there are clearings. We get to the beginning(or end depending on how you look at it) of Big Wet Meadow @ about 8700' and take a break. I eat a bar, drink some cytomax. I stand up and take a deep breath and what the....I can breathe. I felt perfectly fine. I slap my self as it finally hit me it was the altitude that got to me. I tell my friend that I feel better and that it was just the altitude. He looks at me and says "dude I knew that when you were going up the pass, why do you think I came down to help you, but you let me know you were going to man your way through it so I let you." This didn't settle well with me as I just had 20 heart attacks the night before and it all could have been avoided. So I let him know demeaning words that my feet felt amazing. A quick swear storm was engaged. But we were best friends so got over it quickly. Never the less the view in the meadow was epic. There's the steep granite canyon walls on both sides with the Whaleback towards the north.
46697_1280108183118_1215167_n.jpg
46697_1280108223119_1203952_n.jpg
Big Wet Meadow is basically the last view of the canyon as the rest of the trail is under forest cover. The trail follows the creek all the way down to Roaring River (RR). At this point in the trip my buddy's feet are in really bad shape. Most of his toes are bleeding and he can barely walk without swearing. We get to RR and set up camp and go meet the Ranger. She turns out to be the nicest damn Ranger I'd ever met (not that I've met one that wasn't nice). Her name is Cindy and man if anyone meets her and has time to chill and talk you should do so. She has great stories from the backcountry as she has been a backcountry Ranger for over 25 years.

That night my friend lets me know he wants to bail out. I couldn't really argue with him because he was in pain. The problem was there wasn't really anywhere close to bail out to. If we continued with our plans it would be about 22 more miles. If we bailed out to Roads End it would be what I thought was 14 miles, turned out to be 17. I wasn't sure though because I didn't have the map leading that way, I was going off of memory from studying the trip. Even then we would have to hitch hike. Eventually though we agreed to bail out towards Roads End, which was probably the wrong decision.

Day 9
Roaring River-Roads End...and beyond.
We get up early because we had a lot of hiking to do. Heading out toward Avalanche Pass the trail ascend moderately at first then steeply. There is a clearing that makes Deadman Canyon visible. I stop an look for a while. The main goal of the trip was to visit Deadman and that was the best I was going to see of it for this trip (I ended up coming back a week later with my wife and on a much shorter and less eventful trip & visit Deadman).
47502_1280109183143_8265525_n.jpg
The 2600' ascent to Avalanche required a lot of graphic language but we made it. The view from the pass is good but require going off trail a few hundred yards, a tip we got from Cindy. There was a fire in Kings Canyon and smoke dampened the view.
47502_1280109223144_7680129_n.jpg
47502_1280109263145_4389870_n.jpg
After resting for a bit we begin our 5000' descent into Kings Canyon. Going uphill is not that bad on a bad knee or feet, going downhill, well I'm sure everyone knows is much, much worse. The 1st couple of miles isn't too bad descending at a relatively moderate grade. But on the way down I am carelessly walking and step on a boulder covered in dirt and slip. My left leg, the one with a bad knee, sticks on the ground and I hyperextend my knee. I fear I just screwed us and sit there for a minute holding it. Luckily it didn't do too much damage, I stand up and can put full weight on it without any more pain than I had already had. So we continue with our descent. The trail crosses Sphinx Creek and continues with its torturous descent eventually leading to the never-ending switchbacks. I'm sure most backpackers have encountered these type before. They seem to show up when we really are in no mood for them. These knee killers drop you down the final 2600' into Kings Canyon. There is basically no shade and they are at just the right orientation so that the sun shines directly on you. We take a break at the trail jct with Bubbs Creek. My friend took a great picture of me on the bridge where my expression accurately explains how I felt.
47502_1280109343147_6778439_n.jpg
I thought this was where Roads End was supposed to be but its another 4 miles and 1200' lower. My friend took off his shoes and socks and we looked at his feet and just laughed our asses off for some reason. His feet looked like they went through hell, his pinky toe was crooked, there was blood coming from several places and this was just hysterical for some reason. I guess exhaustion was getting to us. We mindlessly made our way to Roads Ends and it was getting late. I sit on a log along the road for a bit and we determine that staying there wasn't going to work out. So I go to stand up and my knee says NO! It was a very sharp pain and I massage it and promise it good times in the future and it gives in, what a sucker. So we hobble down the road towards Cedar Grove hoping for a someone to drive by. We make it a mile and before catching a ride.

It's dark when we reach camp, and we walk through the campground looking for a site. For some reason my friend thought we were going to make it home that night so he was in a bad mood. As we're walking through the campground I see a guy with what was about a 60in projection screen and surround sound speakers along with his reclining camp chair. He was watching a movie, with his generator on and I stopped in shock. "What the F*** is going on here" I thought to myself. I felt like asking him where the nearest tree was. I poke my friend and ask "can you believe this crap, this is hilarious." He was in no mood and turns to me and says "don't talk to me right now."
I about blew my lid just as we found a site. We set up our tents in silence as I plotted the many ways I was going to kill my best friend. Just before we go to bed I tell him in not so nice of words that one day we are going to look back on this trip as being the best of our lives and that at least I can realize now. He doesn't even respond. So I go to bed but not before leaving him with parting swear words. I knew not to go to far with it though because he could probably kick the crap out of me.

Day 10
We wake up, pack our stuff and head to the little restaurant there. We don't say much but eat an amazing breakfast which can always bring the mood up so we start talking again. We still needed to find a ride to Lodgepole, about 55 miles away. So we head out on the road but only get about 3/4 before figuring no one was going to give us a ride. We go back to the restaurant and sit down when a nice Spaniard guy asks if he can charge his phone by using the port next to me. We talk for a bit, I never really thought of asking him for a ride but in conversation he asks us if we want a ride. Instant smiles from us as we say "Hell Yea." He could only take us half way but we were very grateful, he would not accept any monetary gains for his service. He drops us off at Wilsonia where we couldn't buy a ride with unlimited cash. So we make our way down the road again with no luck until we get past the 180/198 jct. There we catch 2 more rides and finally end up in Lodgepole. We could not hold back the smiles once we got the rides.
47502_1280109463150_1626374_n.jpg
47502_1280109503151_1787021_n.jpg
46881_1280110023164_4704695_n.jpg
When we got back to his truck I see a bag in the back, and it just so happens to be the food he was supposed to carry. Surprisingly no bears got to it even though it was out in the open and bears were popular in that area. We sit down for one last break and my friend says to me "your right man, that was the best damn trip of my life." We started laughing at how many times we threatened each others life, and how messed up his feet were, the way only true friends can. This trip always comes up when we get together and its always remembered as being so great.
47502_1280109383148_3146725_n.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
User avatar
ndwoods
Founding Member
Posts: 237
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 9:48 am
Experience: N/A
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Contact:

Re: Cloud Canyon, Big Arroyo, Kern Canyon July 2010

Post by ndwoods »

I won't comment on the goofy mistakes, that was already taken up on the other thread...and I've probably made all those same mistakes. But....nice TR, and the pics are awesome!!!!!!
http://ndeewoods.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Gazelle, Spicer'sVet and 142 guests