High Sierra Topix

Hey B, what is your experience at altitude? Do you plan on spending the day at the trailhead? Getting the body use to elevation is #1 on my list of having an enjoyable trip. if you are not i know a great trailhead, where you can aclimate explore and really experience the high country depending on how much energy you have and have minimal contact with anyone.

How about neither one? I'd suggest instead starting at North Lake, going over Piute Pass - nice easy stroll - and wandering around Humphreys Basin. Lots of lakes to explore, or an easy walk up to the top of Four Gables for a big view.

I did Dusy three years in row. "06 was 3 day...upper Dusy, layover dayhike, out. '07 was 2 day...lower Dusy, out. '08 was 3 day again...upper Dusy, layover dayhike, out. So I think that is a nice three day backpack with great view opportunities. Of course, I'd like to spend a longer time in just that area, but with the circumstances that I had limiting each trip, I was happy to have the time I did there.

As for over Kearsarge Pass, I would stay at Kearsarge Lakes, wander easy cross country down to Bullfrog Lake and possibly beyond that for a layover dayhike (trail back to camp,) then out the next day. (I stayed at Charlotte Lake for the first time in '08 and wished that we chosen Kearsarge instead. Charlotte is closer for the opportunity to go over Glen Pass, though, on your layover day.)



Ha, I looked back...way back...and on a 3 dayer in 1981 we did stay at Kearsarge Lakes and dayhiked over to Rae Lakes on the layover day. (We also drove overnight from SoCal to get to the TH.)

Maverick,
to give you some background i would put myself at level 2.5-done many trips, mostly in Yosemite-so almost all on trail, but am fairly comfortable going x-country.

i'm pretty comfortable in all conditions-addmittedly a bit uncomfortable with x-country simply because i don't really do it much.

main interests would be lakes, big mtn scenery, esp photography, spending time hiking by myself-and meeting people along the way and sharing tales.

for most trips i depart home-way down in Long Beach in the early AM, permit up and hit the trail-time off for me is limited so i do try to cram as much as possible in-while still finding plenty of time to enjoy the trip. i spend a lot of time pre planning, looking at topos to really get a feel for the trip to make sure i don't overdo it. i def get all comments about setting aside week long periods for these areas-of course that would be ideal, but due to time constraints i plan accordingly and see what i comfortably can in that time.

i'm solid with altitude, never been an issue-knock on wood right-and actually enjoy getting a bit worked on trips

Paul-
your option C is on my list for later on in the season-definately want to check that out. thanks for the recommendation .


thanks all.

A three day trip is quite brief for either of your options, but of the two I think Dusy Basin would be my choice. Getting over Kearsarge and down to Charlotte when you are starting at sea level on the same day will be exhausting. Charlotte is not in my opinion the most picturesque lake, although it is nice. The day hikes from Charlotte are pretty but very demanding.

Dusy Basin is a little bit easier to reach in one day. The day hikes around Dusy Basin are wonderful cross-country strolls and well suited to a single day of meandering.

A lot can be done on a 3-day weekend, if you are willing to push it. All the years I climbed, this is what we did. For example, we would leave town after work and drive to Bishop (5-6 hr drive) and lay out sleeping bags on the ground in the Buttermilks. Sat AM up early, and pack into Barrett Lakes. Sunday do a major technical climb of 12-16 hours. Monday walk out and drive home. If you read the Sierra Club SPS trip reports (climber.org) you will find that an amazing amount of stuff can be done on a weekend! It depends on your goals. If you want to wander around and smell the roses, and do LOTS of fishing, then maybe Dusy Basin is too far. But given your description of your style, I think Dusy is just fine.