Kaiser Wilderness One Night Trip This Weekend 5/4/18 Advice

[mbehlen]

Hi Everyone! I want to say thank you as always for your kindness in helping this noob on his way to his backpacking hobby! To date you have helped me with Dinky Lakes Wilderness, Point Reyes, and the Skyline to the Sea! I wanted to ask for your advice for this weened 05/04/18-05/05/18!

I want to head up to the Kaiser Wilderness and I wanted to know your thoughts. It will be warm this weekend and will be anywhere from 30F-40F at night around 9000Ft (I think!). My trip idea is as follows:

Saturday Morning: Start from the Packstation at Huntington Lake and Hike up to Kaiser Peak and follow the loop around to Nellie Lake for camping. Day 2 I will follow the Kaiser Loop trail to Mary's Meadow Trail back to the pack station. The total trip will be around 20 miles or so.

Since this is so early in the season I know I will run into snow, which I have never hiked on (except limited amounts in small time spurts). Do you think this is doable with microspikes at this point in time? My goals for this trip are to:

1) See the snow covered mountains from Kaiser Peak and snap some photographs
2) Camp anywhere around this area (I am open to suggestions)
3) Hike back on Day 2.
4) Use this as a training hike for my first trip to Mineral King this June.
5) Get comfortable with the trail being semi covered (I will have my gps device if needed)

Thank you in advance for any insight or advice you can give me! I promise to post a trip report!

[limpingcrab]

Considering I was snowmobiling up there two weeks ago, and they got some snow since then, I'd say be prepared to be on quite a bit of snow along the ridge. Hard to say how much since you'll be south facing most of the time but I'd guess it'll be mostly snow the whole time you're above treeline.

The only other thing that pops out is that if you're going for photography then spending the golden hours of morning and evening at Nellie Lakes might not be the best place to view the big peaks if that's what you're looking for.

Either way, you'll have a good time and see some new places!

[mbehlen]

HI! Thank you for your response! You are right, that may not be the best time for Nellie. I do plan at starting around 4:00am to try and capture decent light at the peak. Any other suggestions for me? Either way it will be fun!

Do you think microspikes will be enough? Or snow shoes required?

[maverick]

Would recommend you approach this hike with extreme caution and turn around if you get into any difficulties. It would be better to try out snow travel for the first time, in an area you are very familiar with, completely covered trails area essential crosscountry travel and with the snow there are other hidden dangers involved too.

PS

I do plan at starting around 4:00am to try and capture decent light at the peak.

The snow will be like hard ice, your spikes will not help. Would recommend you reconsider doing this.

[mbehlen]

Hi Maverick,

I appreciate the advice. I have done this hike twice before (just to the peak and back on a day hike). But I wouldn't say I am very familiar. I respect your advice and will follow it. I will postpone this trip until I know the conditions better (IE: some snow at the top but not all the way up). Any recommendations for a guy trying to catch a view this weekend?

Edit: I think you meant rethinking doing this at 4:00am, not the trip in total. That makes sense!

[AlmostThere]

Go Here: http://www.skichinapeak.com/webcam/index.html

Click on the webcam to get a full page, scroll to earlier this morning. Notice that the snowline has risen - about 9k I'd guess. That's Kaiser ridge, and peak, with a cap of snow on top. From China Peak.

I would get a permit at the Clovis or Prather office (you need one, remember??) and drive up early Saturday morning. Hike up to College Rock area and camp. Day hike toward the peak later in the day, and if the snow/ice is too gnarly, come back down.

A friend of mine did that last weekend.

We'll be clearing the Rancheria Falls trail Saturday. If you don't do the peak, come out and say hi.

[AlmostThere]

Did you make it out there?

We did some work on the Deer Creek trail to Kaiser Peak. People were hiking the peak and overnighting out there - there was some snow in the trail, but no one was using traction devices.

Snow is melting real fast - we should be driving over Kaiser any time now.

[mbehlen]

Did you make it out there?

We did some work on the Deer Creek trail to Kaiser Peak. People were hiking the peak and overnighting out there - there was some snow in the trail, but no one was using traction devices.

Snow is melting real fast - we should be driving over Kaiser any time now.

Howdy!

I didn't make it out there this last weekend I decided to hang out at home! I will be doing this in about 2 weeks perhaps though! Thanks for checking in!

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