TR: Kearsage Pass to Charlotte Lake and over Gardiner Pass: 7/20 to 7/23

[kylekuzma]

Hey all - I dont have time for the most detailed trip report but i thought some notes would be helpful. I went into the hills with some friends who were on the slightly more inexperienced side but made up for it in endurance and grit. We had a basic idea to get to Charlotte Lake and then make a decision there about what to do next over the next few days, so we did just that.

Kearsage Pass trail was almost totally fine except for two snow patches with one being maybe 200 yards at most. Regardless, the snow was totally tracked out. For what it's worth, we heard that this was the case for Glen and Forrester as well. On the way to Charlotte Lake, outside of the trail ponding in a few areas, the trail was as delightful as it always is. We lunched at Charlotte Lake for a few hours without any bugs before moving on towards Charlotte Dome where we found camp 4-5 miles along the trail. The main thing to note about this leg was the the crossing at Charlottes Creek (lot of water but found a wide/shallow spot) and the size of the tributaries (roaring). Bugs were present but it could have been much worse. We were able to cook outside but moved into our tents immediately after eating.

From here, the group decided that since we had plenty of food and a few days that we would continue up and over Gardiner Pass for the adventure and see if we could complete the loop out via Rae Lakes. The trail to Gardiner Pass was a slog and the north face had tons of snow. We hit a ~250 foot glissade on the way down and made our way through this gorgeous area all morning/early afternoon. Up to this point, the trail was still relatively bug free, but the bogs and creek crossings had slowed our pace down considerably. By late afternoon we were at the final 600 foot cliff descent to Gardiner Creek and we had a decision to make. Do we drop off this cliff and risk crossing Gardiner Creek only to then slog our way up Gardiner Basin to 60 Lakes Col and Rae Col AND Glen Pass? Or do we turn back? After descending just a little bit it was clear that Gardiner Creek was absolutely roaring and the crossing would have been too much for the group to handle. A very difficult and sad decision but one that we felt was correct given our timeframe, supplies, and the groups experience.

We decided to head back to the foot of the pass to camp where we had a beautiful site near the stream with almost no bugs. The following morning we threw the microspikes back on and trudged up the north side of Gardiner Pass (by 10am the snow was soft enough for a relatively easy climb). We were back at Charlotte Lake by early afternoon and spent another beautiful afternoon/evening there. We were at the car the next day by Noon.

TLDR:
- Snow doesnt seem to be an issue on the passes anymore. They are either tracked out of the snow is soft enough to climb
- By far the biggest issues are the creek crossings
- Skeeters range from level 2-4, but seemed totally random. As usual, the higher up the better

[cgundersen]

Hi Kyle,
I'd guess you did not run into too many other folks in Gardiner basin; I know that HST members use that route once or twice a year, but it's definitely not heavily traveled, and even with the talus field on the basin side of 60 Lakes col, I prefer that route for getting into/out of Gardiner basin. Sounds like you guys made decent time through an area that always seems like a slog to me. If anyone took photos, those of us who have not been out yet (while waiting for creeks to subside) would love a peek/peak. Cameron

[DawnJoseph]

Hey all - I dont have time for the most detailed trip report but i thought some notes would be helpful. I went into the hills with some friends who were on the slightly more inexperienced side but made up for it in endurance and grit. We had a basic idea to get to Charlotte Lake and then make a decision there about what to do next over the next few days, so we did just that.

Kearsage Pass trail was almost totally fine except for two snow patches with one being maybe 200 yards at most. Regardless, the snow was totally tracked out. For what it's worth, we heard that this was the case for Glen and Forrester as well. On the way to Charlotte Lake, outside of the trail ponding in a few areas, the trail was as delightful as it always is. We lunched at Charlotte Lake for a few hours without any bugs before moving on towards Charlotte Dome where we found camp 4-5 miles along the trail. The main thing to note about this leg was the the crossing at Charlottes Creek (lot of water but found a wide/shallow spot) and the size of the tributaries (roaring). Bugs were present but it could have been much worse. We were able to cook outside but moved into our tents immediately after eating.

From here, the group decided that since we had plenty of food and a few days that we would continue up and over Gardiner Pass for the adventure and see if we could complete the loop out via Rae Lakes. The trail to Gardiner Pass was a slog and the north face had tons of snow. We hit a ~250 foot glissade on the way down and made our way through this gorgeous area all morning/early afternoon. Up to this point, the trail was still relatively bug free, but the bogs and creek crossings had slowed our pace down considerably. By late afternoon we were at the final 600 foot cliff descent to Gardiner Creek and we had a decision to make. Do we drop off this cliff and risk crossing Gardiner Creek only to then slog our way up Gardiner Basin to 60 Lakes Col and Rae Col AND Glen Pass? Or do we turn back? After descending just a little bit it was clear that Gardiner Creek was absolutely roaring and the crossing would have been too much for the group to handle. A very difficult and sad decision but one that we felt was correct given our timeframe, supplies, and the groups experience.

We decided to head back to the foot of the pass to camp where we had a beautiful site near the stream with almost no bugs. The following morning we threw the microspikes back on and trudged up the north side of Gardiner Pass (by 10am the snow was soft enough for a relatively easy climb). We were back at Charlotte Lake by early afternoon and spent another beautiful afternoon/evening there. We were at the car the next day by Noon.

TLDR:
- Snow doesnt seem to be an issue on the passes anymore. They are either tracked out of the snow is soft enough to climb
- By far the biggest issues are the creek crossings
- Skeeters range from level 2-4, but seemed totally random. As usual, the higher up the better
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Thanks for sharing your trip report! It sounds like you and your friends had quite the adventure in the hills. I also look forward to the trip with my family so that they can be as comfortable as possible

[Spicer'sVet]

I'm sorry to hear you had to turn back! We were down there in 2019, which was also a high water year though nothing like 2023, and basically did the same route you had planned. FWIW, you DO NOT have to cross Gardiner Creek to get to middle and east Gardiner Basins. We initially thought we'd have to, but when we got down there we realized we could just hike parallel to the creek on the south side. It was a lot of bushwhacking and route finding but we managed with the help of GPS. We did have to wade through some of the tributaries coming down from middle basin, but it wasn't an issue and it was really, really beautiful in that area through the tributaries. I had wanted to go up middle basin, but we decided to camp in east basin because we wanted to be closer to 60 Lakes Col due to time constraints.

It was probably my favorite trip ever, but I really regret not making it to middle Gardiner Basin as I've heard that's one of the most beautiful and remote areas in the Sierra. Hopefully I can get back there someday...

[kylekuzma]

I'm sorry to hear you had to turn back! We were down there in 2019, which was also a high water year though nothing like 2023, and basically did the same route you had planned. FWIW, you DO NOT have to cross Gardiner Creek to get to middle and east Gardiner Basins. We initially thought we'd have to, but when we got down there we realized we could just hike parallel to the creek on the south side. It was a lot of bushwhacking and route finding but we managed with the help of GPS. We did have to wade through some of the tributaries coming down from middle basin, but it wasn't an issue and it was really, really beautiful in that area through the tributaries. I had wanted to go up middle basin, but we decided to camp in east basin because we wanted to be closer to 60 Lakes Col due to time constraints.

It was probably my favorite trip ever, but I really regret not making it to middle Gardiner Basin as I've heard that's one of the most beautiful and remote areas in the Sierra. Hopefully I can get back there someday...

Pains me to hear that. How many days did you take to do it? Glad to hear that its possible.

When you say "middle gardiner basin" do you mean the basin to the west of Gardiner's summit (rather than north)? Or do you mean the one southwest of clarence king?

[Spicer'sVet]

I believe it's the one west of Gardiner summit. We camped at a lake that was SW of Clarence King, in what I'd call the 'east" Gardiner Basin, which was also quite nice. I think we spent 3 days (maybe 2 1/2) in Gardiner, one of them being a layover day. I wish we could have stayed longer.

It's my understanding that Gardiner is divided into 3 basins: The west one, which is below Gardiner Pass, the east one which is SW of Clarence King and closer to 60 Lakes Col, and the "middle" one which is in between. It sounds like the middle one is the sweet spot of Gardiner Basin and like I said I hope to return there some day.

[windknot]

Thanks for the report! Sounds like a wise decision to turn back, discretion being the better part of valor. Roaring creek crossings are no joke.