Hiking High Sierra Trail late September 2024!!!

[SarahK]

ahhh thank you everyone honestly .. if i don’t find a way closer to .. i will probably do a 3 day out and 3 day back thing , finish at moraine lake and turn back around and go back to crescent meadow where my car is. not ideal but still will be great. 30 day trip total, redwoods.. to yosemite .. high Sierra trail.. death valley.. bryce .. zion .. then joshua tree. so im in no shortage of things and im on a strict schedule, can do the full HST and whitney summit next time! even 3 days out to moraine lake will still be awesome, i just hate doubling back on a way i already came, but all good!

In regards to the weight of my pack.. ya im stressing, my base weight is super low but i don’t want to filter and drink from the water sources, i just want to pack my 8L water bladder, but adds 17lbs itself .. lots to think about. thankfully have a bunch of time to sort it out!!

[Wandering Daisy]

I would rather be in the mountains then spend 2 day on busses to get back to my car. Loop from either trailhead. I do not think the miles from Crescent Meadow to Hamilton Lake anything but a means to get to Hamilton Lake. Years ago I ended up with an opportunity to do a SHR loop from Whitney Portal when a climbing trip fell through. It also was in September. The Lone Pine FS office and got the permit changed. This was a long trip with an off-trail route to above Hamilton Lake and HST return. And I did a side trip to Wallace Lake since I was close. I did not drop to Hamilton Lake because I had been there many times. You could shorten this with a simple in-out on the HST.

1) Trail Camp
2) Lower Crabtree Lake (could have skipped Crabtree Lake and gone to Wallace Creek)
3) Keweah River
4) below Pants Pass (short day because I did not want to do Pants Pass in the afternoon)
5) Small lake below Precipice Lake and back to Keweah Gap and down Big Arroyo
6) Kern Hot Springs
7) Wallace Creek
8) Wallace-Wells Lake (extra day that could be skipped)
9) Arctic Lake (I just did not want to camp down on Guitar Lake)
10) out to Whitney Portal

Just saying with the logistics and expense of taking public transportation, why not bit the bullet and add a few more days and make a nice loop trip? You could do something similar from Crescent Meadow and come back - Kern-Keweah, Colby Pass, Deadman Canyon- Tablelands to Wolverton where there is a shuttle to Crescent Meadow. You would have to carefully plan the miles and elevation gain to be sure you can do it within your ability. Some people can do 10-hour days and 15 miles; others want less. The trip I did above was 90 miles. The Wallace Lake side trip was 10 miles- no need to do that. Side trip to Crabtree Lake added 4 miles, Arctic Lk added 2 miles.

[Harlen]

Sorry to digress here too, but this will really help lower your pack weight, SarahK. I NEVER carry water. Never filter it either, but I do seek out the cleaner sources. I am reading Kim Robinson's recent Sierra text-- The High Sierra, A Love Story-- and I was pleased to read that Robinson's mentor and long time partner is another adamant Never Carry Water person. As he says: "There is water everywhere!"
Like me, they have read the Sierra Water Studies (UC Davis team) that determined that the Sierra water is super clean. Just avoid where the stock hang out pissing and shitting in it... and avoid where human crowds are thickest. Good Luck, Ian.

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My wife using our patented, use-yer-teeth filtering system:

[Wandering Daisy]

I am also in the no water or little water camp. I will carry half a liter later in the season when things dry up. There are bladder-filter systems that allow you to just scoop and drink (PCT hikers use this a lot). Remember that your boiled cook water does not have to be treated. I have never had a problem- perhaps we old timers who grew up on unfiltered backcountry water have more resistance to less than perfect water. Unless you have an immune system issue most of the water in the Sierra is just fine as is.

As for your short plan, I do not think Moraine Lake is worth all the extra walking unless you are completing the HST. Go up to Keweah Gap, wander around a bit, enjoy Precipice Lake where you can also camp, totally enjoy Hamilton Lake. Then you can go out to Wolverton from Mehrten Creek and take the shuttle bus back to Crescent Meadow. A short side-trip to the Watchtower is worth the effort, while on your way out to Wolverton.

Not sure you want to do off-trail, but from Kaweah Gap, you could go over Lion Rock Pass, drop down to Tamarack Lake, down the creek to crossing/trail junction, and then either go back down to the HST or go up x-c through Tablelands and out to Wolverton.

What is the exit trailhead on your current permit? I think it is quite easy to change this once you get to Lodgepole. If your permit is for exit at Whitney Portal you will have to change it anyway.

[LMBSGV]

I agree with WD. The miles from Big Arroyo to Moraine Lake are not that interesting. Wandering around/camping in 9 Lakes Basin/Big Arroyo and camping at Precipice Lake would be a more interesting and fun use of your time. There’s a great campsite on the other side of the outlet creek at Precipice Lake I’ve stayed at twice in total solitude. If you camp in 9 Lakes Basin, avoid the south end of the heart-shaped lake since that’s where the crowds congregate. The other lakes and creekside campsites offer better views and solitude and walking around 9 Lakes Basin is easy wandering.

[maverick]

Hi SarahK,

Welcome to HST!

Please, consider answering this questionnaire below, so we can give you options according to your experience/abilities. As of now all we know is that you listed yourself as level 2 backpacker. viewtopic.php?t=4205

[bobby49]

I do not think the miles from Crescent Meadow to Hamilton Lake anything but a means to get to Hamilton Lake.

Except for the berries! If you hit the berry season just right, you will find trailside Sierra Currants, Gooseberries, Blueberries, and others. They start about halfway out. Then they get better in the one mile before the high sierra camp. If you pick enough, it will make a dandy dessert for your first night out.

[Wandering Daisy]

So how many miles per hour do you walk when picking (and eating) those berries? I think I would end up never reaching Hamilton Lake!

[SarahK]

My permit actually just says High Sierra Trail for the entry , and didn’t require an exit trailhead. I didn’t even put the camp grounds i hope to stay at and just left them as “unknown”. I hope everything is ok with my permit and I won’t have issues …

Bleh, yeah not carrying water would eliminate a waste of 17lbs in my pack but idk if i can do it lolll. I am picky, but maybe I won’t bring the full 8 , and ill look into some filter options too!

Thanks for the tip on the trails and the loops I can do guys, I screenshotted that. It would be nice to not have to go on the same way back, i heard good things about Moraine so i thought it was a must. I walk and hike a lot, so honestly i want to just tire myself out each day, moraine lake was really just a time thing, 3 days in 3 days out.

[Wandering Daisy]

HST on a permit implies exit via Whitney Portal. You leave SEKI at trail crest and enter the Whtiney Zone on Inyo NF. To go the down the trail a Whitney Zone permit is required, unless you managed to be later than the special permit is needed. A moot point since you are not going out that way.

Look through the SEKI website and see if your exit date is past the summer permit period. Yosemite starts self-register Oct 21. Not sure when SEKI does. Technically you need a designated exit trailhead if exiting on SEKI. If you just said you turned around to bail out, for whatever reason-weather, illness, injury, personal issues at home, I doubt a ranger would cite you. But then, SEKI has rangers at the desk that can simply change your permit at no charge. May be worth avoiding any problems to check in with them before you start. I have made many permit changes last minute and it has never been a problem. Can be done at Grant Grove or Lodgepole offices.

I would not do anything now. You may luck out and find someone to do a key exchange. The permit you have is not that easy to get so hang on to it. You can change things once you arrive in SEKI.

Just looked it up. Self-register starts Sept 28 for SEKI.