Cross country planning

[treks]

I am a pretty experienced hiker and am starting to look into doing some cross country hiking. Would eventually like to do the Sierra High Route when I am able to get enough time maybe in 2 years or so. To get myself started I am looking at some easier cross country paths under 10 miles. One that looked interesting was the Kern-Kawaeah basin area.

In any case, could use some advice on reading maps or resources to find decent cross country. I'd like to stick to Class 2-3 hiking. My initial sense is to look for areas with large gradients and lower saddles. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated.

[Lumbergh21]

The way I started cross country hiking was through reading trip reports that included off trail locations. I'll also look at locations that are off trail in an area that I am planning to hike. (That's how I ended up looping from Davis Lakes to Rogers Lakes to Marie Lakes.) From there I look on the High Sierra Topix map for routes and passes to get me where I want to go and read the descriptions to see if it is feasible for me. I'll also post questions about specific routes and places and/or search for previous trip reports on this site. Finally, I'll take a look at the route I'm planning using Google Earth.

P.s. The Sierra High Route, or at least a portion of it, has been a dream of mine since I first heard about it.

[grampy]

treks-
I’ll expand a little on Lumbergh21’s Google Earth suggestion. If you do route-planning using one of the online Map Apps, most of them have “import” and “export” features for map route data; you can plan a route in Gaia GPS (or in CalTopo, or AllTrails or whatever) and export it to Google Earth. If some portion of your tentative route looks questionable, you can tweak your route - in your original planning app - and re-export it to take another look.

A more straightforward method (vs using G.E.) is to switch on the “slope angle shading” layer (if available) in your map app, to make sure your tentative route avoids features that are uncomfortably steep for you.

Don’t rely entirely on electronics when doing your trip; aside from breaking/losing your phone (or other device), the easiest mistake to make is forgetting - prior to starting the trip - to “download” your map data to your device for “off-line” use (been there / done that). Take a paper copy !

Of course, these maps won’t display all the possible hazards; excessive #s of downed trees, slide-prone talus/scree, etc. Hence the need to read trip reports, reports on trail conditions, and the like.

[treks]

Thank you both. This is a big help.

As far as electronics, I only use them as a sanity check in the field rarely. I try to just rely on my compass and maps though as much as possible. I live around the Bay Area and am trying to join an orienteering group so I can get more confidence. It is pretty liberating being able to call out terrain features and get them right.

[rormisto]

Treks, two options: 1) find a trail that is no longer maintained, or a common XC route-- some of them appear on maps. See Gardiner Pass, Center Basin, Junction Pass, etc. Caltopo shows them as dotted lines. Avoids some of the decision making.

2) Like Lumbergh said, you can also use the HST passes map. There's a ton of ways to go about it. Find a pass you want to do, or find a pass shortcutting a trail section, or string together a few passes that give access to a cool XC destination. Follow your heart!

With either of these methods, again echoing Lumbergh, you're going to want to check out the forum information on said pass, trip reports, and/or another source (Secor/Roper). Or at least, I usually do, since I'm usually traveling alone and don't want to run into any surprises. And hey, doing a section of Roper is probably the surest way to get stoked on the SHR, unless you're trying to on-sight the whole thing! Have fun!

[balzaccom]

All good advice here. I would add some simple suggestions:
--Start small, route funding to a lake on a day hike, rather than grand adventures at first.
--Remember that it's always slower...we figure on about a mile per hour cross country.
--Knowing where you are is great, knowing where you're going is nice ...knowing how to get back is essential. Don't forget to look backwards from time to time, because you might be going that way, and it helps to see where you've been.

[TehipiteTom]

I'll recommend one non-electronic resource: Secor's book, High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails. Has descriptions of tons of off-trail passes, with difficulty ratings. Great for trip planning.

And one area I would recommend for learning to do cross-country is the Monarch Divide, where I did my first off-trail trip 30-odd years ago. It's a steep climb onto the Divide but once you're up there you'll find a bunch of not-too-difficult passes from lake basin to lake basin. The High Route goes through this area, but there are lots of possible routes with most of them Class 2 or so.

[Flamingo]

@treks Completing the High Sierra Route is a great goal, but why wait 2 years? My suggestion is to tackle sections of it on shorter backpacking trips. When you're ready to do the entire High Route in a couple years, you'll have more confidence with off-trail travel, and familiarity with (at least a few) sections of the route.

IMHO, the most approachable section of the High Route is the Deer Lakes piece on the Mammoth Crest. You can make it a day-hike starting and ending at Lake George; ascend to the crest from Lake George trailhead, then return via Duck Pass. The off-trail pass east of Deer Lakes is a gentle introduction to cross-country travel.

Also, +1 to TehipiteTom's suggestion about the Monarch Divide. This is my favorite section of Roper's High Route, and all-around just fantastic cross-country walking.

[paul]

I will respectfully disagree with one idea that has been presented, that of finding a trail that is no longer maintained. I have been very frustrated on various occasions when trying to follow a route where a trail is supposed to be, and have several times just given up on the trail and found my own route, that being much easier. It is often much easier to find your own way than to be suckered in by pieces of a trail that are discontinous and spend a lot of time looking for the next bit of trail rather than just treating it as cross coutry and finding your own way. Plus, you really do not develop your navigation or route finding skills by trying to follow a tenuous and/or intermittent trail the way you do when you are completely finding your own way.
As to choosing areas or planning trips, I'll say pay attention to the trees. The more trees, the tougher it is to navigate.

[rormisto]

@paul, I agree with that! What I meant (and said poorly) is that an area where a trail once existed means that it's most likely pretty navigable. I've never worried too much about piecing together trail sections, more just taken it as inspiration. Agreed completely that chasing down bits of use trail here and there makes for annoying and inefficient travel.