Tough Hikes

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Hobbes
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by Hobbes »

If we remove difficult & tedious class 3+ passes & peaks, it seems like the common thread between 'tough hikes' are high passes and low valleys. Now, before everyone screams "duh!" in unison, perhaps we can refine this observation a little bit.

We've got 3 major river canyons: Kern, King & San Joaquin, and a handful of steep passes/cols like Whitney, Shepherd, Baxter, Sawmill, Taboose, Lamarck, et al. (As many know, I haven't a clue about the westside, so feel free to add any to the ledger.) That being said, any combination of the above will result in the very definition of a 'tough hike'.

So, if any mix/match given those basic parameters will produce a tough hike, which ones are actually "worthy" of the effort? I would suggest the Shepherd->Kern->Kaweah run is the very definition of a destination hike. Each of us at the meet-up were making mental notes on how to get there again in order to spend a little more time.

Perhaps a Lamarck->McGee->Ionian->Bishop, or Bishop->Tehipite->SHR->Dusy loop would fall into a similar category. Before I bailed at the last minute (due to weather), Jim and I were going to join the PCT from Taboose and exit Kearsarge, but do it while there was still significant snow/ice coverage from 2-3 miles on either side of each of the passes.

What I'd really like to see is someone summarize the best loop into Kaweah from the west that would fit these parameters. I know people went every which way coming & going to the meet-up, so in your collective opinions, which loop would deliver the highest visual bang for the physical buck?
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oleander
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by oleander »

Hobbes wrote:What I'd really like to see is someone summarize the best loop into Kaweah from the west that would fit these parameters. I know people went every which way coming & going to the meet-up, so in your collective opinions, which loop would deliver the highest visual bang for the physical buck?
I vote for the route Bluewater had intended to take.

Tablelands (Pear Lake) - Pterodactyl Pass - Horn Col - Coppermine - Triple Divide Pass - down into upper Kern Kaweah basin. Now to Picket Lake via either Picket Guard Pass, or the lower easy traverse that we all did. Island Lake and Red Spur Basin. Up to upper Kaweah Basin. Out Pyra Queen. You get to see the best of the Nine Lakes Basin that way. Join the HST (you MUST see this section of trail past Precipice, Hamilton, etc. if you've never seen it before). Out either to Crescent or to Wolverton. No repeat miles, or just 2 if Wolverton.

A possible modification to the outbound route - less cross-country, more trail - is to drop into Deadman Canyon after crossing Tablelands (from either Lake 11,200/Big Bird or else Horn Col) and onto the Elizabeth Pass trail northbound; hang a right onto the Colby Pass Trail and walk over that pass all the way to the Picket traverse. Looks roundabout on paper, but frankly those sections of trail are SPECTACULAR. Elizabeth Pass itself is visually superior to any JMT pass I can think of, and yet nobody is up there. Deadman Canyon an amazing green paradise! Cloud Canyon, Colby Lake, the upper bench on the south side of Colby Pass...Mile for mile, some of the best trail stuff out there.

In second place, for me, would be a Mineral King start (Glacier Pass - Black Rock Pass) ending at Crescent or Wolverton. I guess I would go in Pants Pass and exit Pyra Queen. (You could go in Pyra Queen and out Pants, but PQC is a thousand feet higher than Pants so I'd save it for second.) This however is not an easy car shuttle at all.

The *least* visually stimulating approach from the west - for me - would be to start at any of the trailheads (Rowell, Horse Corral, etc.) that send you through Sugarloaf area. Bleh. I really actually can't stand that trail. Hot, lots of burned and not-very-interesting forest, not much to see. Ironically, that's also the fastest and most direct way to Colby Pass from westside. Could walk 3 miles per hour down the first 15 miles of that trail, and get to Kaweah relatively fast.

- Elizabeth
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Wandering Daisy
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by Wandering Daisy »

I am not a fan of designating "best" routes. Each way into Keweah Basin from the west has its advantages and disadvantages and unique characteristics. I have done Prya Queen, Pants Pass-Picket Guard Pass, the "ledge route" and the long HST detour.

The "entry points" are Nine Lakes Basin or the Kern Keweah at the meadow below Gallats Lake.

Crescent Meadow to Nine Lakes Basin is about 20 miles and 7000 feet elevation gain, about 16 hours of hiking (assuming 2 mph rate on trail plus 1 hour for each 1000 feet of gain).

Mineral King to Nine Lakes Basin via all trail routes: via Timber Gap and Blackrock Pass = 18 miles, 8000 feet gain, 18 hours using the same assumptions stated above. via Sawtooth Pass, Lost Canyon and Five Lakes= 20 miles, 7200 feet gain, 17 hours.

Cedar Grove to the start of the "ledge route", below Gallats Lake, via Avalanche Pass = 27 miles, 10,450 feet gain, 24 hours.

From Nine Lakes Basin, the two most logical routes are over Pyra Queen Col or Pants Pass. From Pants Pass you can either contour to Picket Guard Pass or drop to the Kern Keweah and take the trail to the start of the "ledge route".

Pyra Queen = 8 miles, 2130 feet gain, 10 hours.

Pants-drop to Kern Keweah- trail to start of ledge route= 8 miles, 8.5 hours, 2000 feet gain. Adding 3 hours, 2 miles and 1500 feet gain to reach Island Lake the sub-total is 10 miles, 10.5 hours and 3500 feet gain.

Pants - Picket Guard Pass to Island Lake = 9 miles, 2750 feet gain, 10 hours.

Cedar Grove to Harrrison Pass and down to Junction Meadow, up to the start of the creek route (by Rockslide Lake) = 27 miles, 8850 feet gain, 24 hours (assuming 1 mph for the off trail parts).

Before you discount the routes from Cedar Grove, remember that these approaches bring you to either the ledge route of the standard route up to Island Lake. It is then only 1.5 - 2.0 miles, about 1500 feet gain and about 3 hours to Island Lake.

In summary:

Crescent Meadow to Island Lake via Prya Queen = 28 miles, 9130 gain, 26 hours
Crescent Meadow to Island Lake via Pants-Kern Keweah-ledge route = 30 miles, 10500, 26.5ours
Crescent Meadow to Island Lake via Pants-Picket Guard Pass =29 miles, 9750 gain, 26 hours
Mineral King to Island Lake via Sawtooth-Five Lakes-Pyra Queen = 28 miles, 9330 gain, 27hours
Mineral King to Island Lake via Sawtooth-Five Lakes- Pants-Kern Keweah = 30 miles, 10700 feet gain, 27.5 hours
Mineral King to Island Lake via Sawtooth-Five Lakes - Pants-Picket Guard = 29 miles, 9950 feet gain, 27 hours
Mineral King to Island Lake via Blackrock-Pyra Queen = 26 miles, 10130 feet gain, 28 hours
Mineral King to Island Lake via Blackrock- Pants-Kern Keweah = 28 miles, 11500 gain, 28.5 hours
Mineral King to Island Lake via Blackrock-Pants-Picket Guard= 27 miles, 10750 feet gain, 28 hours
Cedar Grove to Island Lake via Avalanche Pass-Colby Pass =28.5 miles, 11950 feet gain, 27 hours
Cedar Grove via Bubbs-Harrison Pass-Junction Meadow = 29 miles, 10350 feet gain, 27 hours

I am not sure there are not mistakes in the above calculations. The point is that each way is different- some more elevation but on trails, others less miles but off trail, and it all boils down to about 27-28 hours, regardless of route.

The deciding factor for me would be the scenery/areas I would prefer to see on the way and the difficulty of the passes, which is relevant if the weather goes bad. Pants and Pyra Queen and Harrison Passes can be dangerous under saturated conditions. Pyra Queen is more scenic, but harder than Pants. Pants Pass only has about 800 feet of hard stuff then you are home free.
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sparky
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by sparky »

wolverton>pear lake>pterodactyl>horn col>copper mine>triple divide>colby>talus>thunder ridge>cunningham creek>josephine lake>deadman> big bird>tablelands>wolverton

lewis creek>harrington>monarch crest to volcanic lakes>state lakes>state peak>cirque crest to ruskin>taboose

as an alternative bushwack muro blanco back to roads end, or use arrow, explorer, or whitefork passes
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by Hobbes »

Excellent; ladies and all, thanx for the very detailed itineraries.

Daisy, "high value" was my feeble attempt at attaching a subjective label to some favorite routes. I think I used it first when describing Miter/Crabtree basins - not a trail nor necessary super popular (it parallels the PCT so is relieved of a lot of pressure), but still one of those places that delivers a high return for some moderate hiking.

Kearsarge might be one of the all time 'high value' areas, but of course can get very busy, so it can distract sometimes. It's why it's a really great hike when there is still snow on either Glen and/or Forester, with maybe just a handful of PCTers coming through. So that's why I try and do loops from KP - either north or south - early in the season.

Since I have no familiarity with the west side, I was trying to apply a definition that only I know. Clever, huh? Really, what I was looking for were the detailed itineraries that have certain commonalities, such as 'leave from Crescent meadow' and/or 'however, the HST is a drag*'. Once that's established, then it seemed like a common theme was do a loop including Lion & 9 lakes basin. From there, it's easy to see the options & variations to both the north (copper mine, triple divide, cloud) and south (pants, pyra).

Here's extra fodder for subjective experiences: I thought the HST down Wallace from the PCT was a nice visual hike. Of course, those coming up felt otherwise. I thought the trip down & back-up the Kern from Junction was plain old plodding, yet the section heading north to the Kern basin was very special. The canyon narrows, the forest grows very lush, the trail is practically unmaintained (thanx to Jim for breaking trail earlier that day), the Kern gets steeper and goes through a series of waterfalls & cascades, etc. So how would you know unless someone who has been through there actually told you? I just got lucky doing my loop clockwise - what if I had gone the the opposite direction? It might have resulted in a completely difference experience/memory.
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by Wandering Daisy »

OK - as for approaches:

I hate Avalanche Pass! It is a long slog, with little scenic value, until you reach Big Wet Meadow. Continuing over Colby Pass is very nice.

The HST is quite scenic all the way- not big mountain scenery at first but impressive cliffs. It also is nice and shady. From Bearpaw to Keweah Gap it is absolutely amazing scenery. There are nice views also going by Moraine Lake. The Kern River is scenic in its own way- woodsy but the river is beautiful. It is also so well maintained and at a gentle grade that you can really make good time on it. But it can get crowded.

From Mineral King over Sawtooth Pass and Lost Canyon are VERY scenic. Still quite scenic past Big and Little Five Lakes (although who knows what the current fire at Little Five Lakes will do to the forest). More "big mountain" scenery than the HST, but I still think the HST is awesome, if you appreciate "big rock" (rock climbers can appreciate Valhalla!).

Funny thing is that the last time I was in Keweah Basin I was very unimpressed. It was late season, everything was dried up, most of the reflection ponds were dry and the air was smoky from fires. Keweah Basin can be very stark with no greenery or in overcast conditions. This time was different and I really enjoyed it. I would think a bit of snow in Keweah Basin would also enhance its scenic value. The remoteness of Keweah Basin gives it some extra credit, but by itself, there are many areas that I think are far superior to Keweah Basin. For me Keweah Basin is down towards the middle of my "must see" list.
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by Jimr »

When I was down in the Kern, just below Rattlesnake creek, I could have sworn Bigfoot threw a stick at me :paranoid:
If you don't know where you're going, then any path will get you there.
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maverick
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by maverick »

Here you go Hobbes, Whitney via Mountaineer's route 1hr 47mins 40 sec, and back to Portal in 2hrs 38mins 15sec: http://lighterbro.com/2015/08/02/matt-g ... in-the-us/
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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: Tough Hikes

Post by Hillbasher »

[quote="tie"]This might meet your standards, or it might be too short.

Onion Valley -> University Pass -> Center Basin (cross country)
-> Forester Pass (JMT)
-> Lake South America -> Little Joe's Pass -> Reflection Lake (cross country)
-> Kearsarge Pass -> Onion Valley (trail).

I can't seem to find any reference to Little Joe's Pass. Can you give me a clue? Thanks
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maverick
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Re: Tough Hikes

Post by maverick »

I can't seem to find any reference to Little Joe's Pass. Can you give me a clue? Thanks
viewtopic.php?f=1&p=66558#p44853
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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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