TR: Silliman to Kearsarge 9/8-11/23

[jimmyjamhikes]

I just got back from a trip that was originally supposed to be a section hike of the Kings Canyon High Basin Route. I made it to Coppermine Pass where I got corniced-out and changed plans, taking the Elizabeth Pass Trail to the Avalanche Pass Trail to the Bubbs Creek Trail out over Kearsarge Pass.

Full trip report is here:

https://jimmyjamhikingclub.com/2023/09/ ... -shoulder/
https://jimmyjamhikingclub.com/2023/09/ ... an-canyon/
https://jimmyjamhikingclub.com/2023/09/ ... nche-pass/
https://jimmyjamhikingclub.com/2023/09/ ... -of-being/

But here are some highlights:

Day 1, the climb to Silliman Lake was wet and a little buggy (mosquito level 2). I was surprised at how well-defined the use trail up to Silliman Meadow was.


Silliman Meadow

And I enjoyed climbing the slabs after that.


The slabs


Silliman Lake

The ascent above the lake was very wet, and there was a medium-angle snow field on the approach to a dry notch to get over Silliman Shoulder.


Approach to Silliman Shoulder

Once in the beautiful Tablelands, the travel was straightforward and I camped in a swampy mosquito apocalypse (level 4) at Lake 10410.


Lake 10410

That night there was a very active thunderstorm for 4 hours, which spooked me since I was so close to the divide.

Day 2 I followed the Kings-Kaweah Divide over Pterodactyl Pass to Lonely Lake.


Pterodactyl Pass on far right


Approach to Lonely Lake


Lonely Lake

Smoke from the Redwood Grove Fire burned in the valley below.


Redwood Grove Fire

Horn Col has a cornice on it, but it was easy to get around it on the south side.


Horn Col


Small cornice on Horn Col

Coppermine Pass had a huge cornice on it, so I changed my route to follow the Elizabeth Pass Trail down to Roaring River Ranger Station. If I had approached the cornice I might have found a workaround, but later that day I spoke with a ranger who said the descent down into Cloud Canyon would likely have been even more difficult.


Upper Deadman Canyon, Coppermine Pass is the peak on the left, and its entry point is the cornice below it and to the right


Another shot of the Coppermine Pass cornice at upper right from the Elizabeth Pass Trail

The route down the Elizabeth Pass Trail was buggy (level 3), wet, and choked with blowdowns that sometimes put me off trail for up to 20 minutes at a time.


Snow fields at 9,000 feet in Deadman Canyon


Switchbacks through a vertical swamp


Blowdowns all the way to the Roaring RIver Ranger Station

And it rained on me again starting at Ranger Meadow, but calmed down by the time I got to the slightly-less-buggy (level 2) Roaring River.


Subtle Rainbow at Ranger Meadow

Day 3 it rained on me all morning going over Avalanche Pass, and the blowdowns continued to be a big problem, but the bugs were less severe (level 2) and I got to see a bear below the pass on the north side.


Blowdowns


Avalanche Pass


bear!


View towards Kings Canyon


Overgrown Bubbs Creek footbridge

I expected the Bubbs Creek Trail to be busy and clear. But I was the only crazy person on it. Just me and 100 of my blowdown friends, all the way to Junction Meadow.


The Bubbs Creek Trail is under there somewhere


Junction Meadow

Day 4 up to the Kearsarge Pass Trail and out Onion Valley was, thankfully, rain and bug free. And I found all the hikers on the PCT/JMT. It was social and beautiful and for once it did not rain on me. An unexpectedly special morning for me, given I was expecting to be unimpressed since I have been through here so many times.


East VIdette


Bullfrog Lake


Kearsarge Pinacles

And for comparison, here are two shots of Big Pothole Lake below Kearsarge Pass. One from this trip and one from my trip in May 2021.


Big Pothole Lake, 9/11/23


Big Pothole Lake, 5/14/21

Overall I was really happy with this trip, even if I had to end up hiking low through the mess that is September of a very high snow year.

[balzaccom]

Great report and really nice photos. thanks for posting this. You really covered some miles. I've done some of the same trails...but over the space of three different trips!

[windknot]

Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing! Your report is a good reminder that I need to find a way to spend more time in this area.

[wildhiker]

Very nice photos! Amazed to see how much snow you encountered. I went up Deadman Canyon and over Horn Col to Lonely Lake in August of 2017, another heavy snowpack year, but had no snow anywhere on my route.
-Phil

[kpeter]

I love your Bullfrog lake shot. Shocking to see so much ice in Big Pothole on 9/11! Were the blowdowns mainly from last winter and just no trail crews, or was there a fresh batch of blowdowns after the latest storm?

[thegib]

Great report @jimmy, Q: Why Siliman pass and not the Pear Lake Walk-thru permit? I've always thought the latter was more direct to get to lake 10410' and Horn Col. Not that direct is the point.

[jimmyjamhikes]

Thanks everyone!

@kpeter, the blowdowns seemed fresh, but I couldn't tell if it was weeks or months since they had been there. the worst sections were very likely due to avalanches from the winter.

@thegib Silliman Lake was on my list. I've done the Pear Lake pass through before, and I will probably go that way from now on.

[Wandering Daisy]

Those were some seriously long miles each day! Way over my capabilities. Your complete report was worth the read. It looked like early to mid-July conditions. I did Horn Col when it did have a cornice-- had to slither down a slot between ice and rock.

Just wondering, why you did not drop to Big Bird Lake instead. Perhaps you had already done that. Your description of Deadman Canyon and mosquitoes sound just like what I encountered in early July years ago. So glad the weather improved for your last day.

I had similar experiences with weather reports this summer, but in the Wind Rivers. In-Reach said 0% chance of rain/ it rained cats and dogs. In-Reach said 80% chance rain/no rain. I find the %humidity a better indicator of if it will rain or not.

 

[oddtiger]

Great trip report and the overgrown bubbs creek is so unreal! Thanks for sharing. I was wondering how Kings canyon would look like without people. At least it's a wildlife paradise for a year and maybe longer!

[LMBSGV]

I finally had the time to read and look at the great photos in the longer version on your website. As WD said, you really put in the miles. You did a wonderful job of improvising due to the snow and weather. As oddtiger said, seeing the Bubb’s Creek Trail so overgrown was fascinating. It makes us all appreciate the trail maintenance we tend to take for granted.