Onion Valley - Rae Lakes - 60 Lakes - Gardiner Basin Trip Beta

[gscfire33]

Hi all,

Been lurking these boards for a while as I'm planning my first Sierra excursion later this summer. Most of my big adventures have been in the PNW, so really looking forward to seeing the fabled Sierras! As this will likely be my only chance in the foreseeable future to do a big Sierra trip, I'm looking to go pretty big. Also looking to do a single-day push as that is what I do these days with 2 small kids and limited time.

My tentative plan is starting at Onion Valley and going up into the Rae Lakes Basin (up and over Kearsarge and Glen Passes). After getting down to Arrowhead Lake, my plan would be to go up Basin Knotch into 60 Lakes, then over 60 Lakes Col into Gardiner Basin. From there I would ideally head up to Gardiner Pass East, traverse to Gardiner Pass, and then out via Charlotte Lake and back to Onion Valley.

Looks to be ~35 miles and ~10k elevation. I'm accustomed to long single-day pushes of this nature with cross-country travel and am comfortable on Class 3 scrambling and steep snow (looking to do this in late June, so recognize there will likely be snow, especially on north side of the passes), so not terribly worried about the distance/elevation gain.

I've seen some good beta and most of the route appears to be on at least somewhat-decently trodden climber trails. The crux of the route looks to be Gardiner Pass East -- I've seen very little beta on this, but looking at topo maps it looks like it shouldn't be terribly steep or sketchy. But would really appreciate any beta people have, particularly on this section of the route. Helpfully, I could always bail out the longer, more traditional way of the Gardiner Basin "Trail" if things look sketchy, but was hoping to cut off some of those tedious miles.

Appreciate any beta or other helpful advice folks might have.

[balzaccom]

This should help:

viewtopic.php?t=8530

The only caveat I would give you is that the elevations here might be higher than many of those you encounter in the PNW over long distances. 35 miles is way more than I would ever tackled in a single day. But I'm old.

Then again, I got old by avoiding hiking that hard.

[gscfire33]

Thanks! I'm definitely planning to acclimate as much as possible with a week in Mammoth at 6600 and then hopefully the night before at Onion Valley campground. But planning on being a bit slower than I am in the PNW.

The link you shared is to Gardiner Pass, which is the more established option on the unmaintained Gardiner Basin "trail." That is my back-up option, but I'm looking at potentially going up and over Gardiner Pass East, just slightly NW of Mt. Gardiner summit. There's much less info on that route.

[mkbgdns]

keep in mind that the US Army, with some experience in gear-loaded walking, considers a 1,000 ft. climb to add the equivalent of 2 miles in horizontal distance. 35 miles with 10,000 ft elevation gain, is equivalent to 45 miles. in my experience, climbing on a well-graded trail adds "speed" using this formula, since you're forced into more effort than you'd exert on a flat surface. but it's pretty accurate in terms of caloric output. I'm diabetic and have to track calories.

when you get to crossing between upper and middle Rae, depending on how you feel, you can shave some distance by turning left into 60 Lakes Basin (trail), thence up to the col. rereading your post, I'm getting the feeling that you are exceptionally fit, and all this info may not apply to you. you've picked a wonderful place to go. have looped through 60 lakes via above mentioned trail and Basin Notch, encountering a herd of bighorn sheep.

[Wandering Daisy]

The US Army guys carry a lot more weight than we do! Backpackers nowadays with light to UL gear have it a bit easier than the estimate of 2 miles equivalent of 1000 feet. In the past I have run into the Marines who train near Sonora Pass, and OMG, they carry SO MUCH gear! They are young and strong. Still, we backpackers sure have it easy.

It also matters how long of a day- 1,000 feet first off in the morning is a lot different than 1,000 feet at hour 10-12 on the trail. If you plan to get over Kearsarge Pass AND Glenn Pass the same day, those 1000 feet going up Glen Pass will be much harder. The trail on Glen Pass is in poorer shape (really rocky with big steps up) than on Kearsarge Pass. Once you start over Glen Pass there are few places to camp until you get down the other side.

Everyone is different. I am very lucky in that I have little trouble at all with altitude. Yet, coming from sea level I would not try to get to Rae Lakes on the first day.

Yes, take the 60-Lakes Trail- no sense in going all the way down to Arrowhead Lake. There are plenty of trip reports you can read. Just go to our new sub-forum on Trip Reports! (Thank you, forum monitors, for doing this). It is now a lot easier to search for trips to certain locations.

[Schleppy]

35 miles and 10,000' of change? That's a very big day, all other things being equal. How are training for that? Very curious.

I'd either have to be a month into a thru hike or be at the end of a very active hiking season to feel comfortable doing those numbers. I guess if it's for one day and no overnight pack, one could train for it like a 50k mountain ultra. Lotta hours would go into that though.

[Wandering Daisy]

I think it is feasible for a trail running route all on trails, but agree that given the off-trail terrain and lack of real "trail" from Gardiner Pass back to Charlotte Lake that a day is really pushing it. It would be much better to do it as an overnight, or 2-day planned bivy. Given you would likely be coming out by headlamp and likely not able to drive much once out, it seems better to do a planned bivy and get out with enough energy to drive some distance the day you come out. Wouldn't that work out in your time frame? There are safety issues regarding going up the pass in Gardiner Basin and driving when exhausted. Additionally, this being your first Sierra trip, you really have nothing to judge this plan against. I do not understand why you absolutely have to do it in one day.

[richlong8]

To each his own I guess in how you do the Sierras. What's the rush? Stop and smell the (roses)flowers!

[mkbgdns]

actually, for weight carried, there's a separate calculation. the general rule (which will vary by your percentage of muscle mass) is that up to about 30% of your weight, the additional effort needed is proportional to the percentage of your body weight carried. a 150 pound guy, relatively lean, who walks a mile and climbs 1,000 ft (a steep grade, indeed) and carries 30 lbs has burned the equivalent calories of walking 3.2 miles unburdened on a flat surface. anybody who's gone from mineral king to sawtooth pass gets it. the takeaway: walking on a flat surface carrying no weight isn't very demanding, and a week's trip with lots of elevation gain will cause you to lose significant weight. my guess, from my early 70's 60 lb. pack, is that above 30% of your weight, the curve of additional effort rises sharply, but in the modern era of "ultralight" that's probably irrelevant.

your time limitations are unfortunate, but c'est la vie. kids are the greatest, but come with a price.

[Wandering Daisy]

I am more concerned about doing it safely than if you can physically do it, theoretically. I am sure you are extremely fit and it is within your capability. In late June there likely will be snow. I grew up climbing in the PNW (did Mt Rainier when I was 16). I get it about the Cascades being equally as challenging as the Sierra. And I get it that you are competent on snow. Anyway good luck and stay safe. The most important thing is to get back to your kids and be there for the long term. Maybe it is better to have family irritated with you for a 2-3 day trip rather than not come back at all.