R01 TR: Kings canyon/Sequoia, August 2021

[michaelzim]

I can't add much different to the great comments above, as agree totally - super trip and indeed "Oh to be in 20's again!" especially with so much cross country and impressive mileage. Your great circle encompassed about three separate trip areas I have wish-listed for the future, and your route gave me a few more ideas - so thanks much for that + posting.

Best ~ Michaelzim

[Wandering Daisy]

Thanks for the report. It looks like a good route. Labels on the photos would be nice. What was that turquoise shallow lake the day you traversed from Longley Pass south? Having done the resupply over Kearsarge Pass, what is your opinion of it? Did you mail supplies or just go to the store and buy food?

I have heard some negative opinions of going down Simpson Meadow and up the canyon to the PCT. I was glad to hear the trail is in fair to good condition and that you liked it. I have never done that stretch of your route and would like to do it someday.

[goldberry]

Yeah, sorry about the lack of labels! New to the site, hadn't figured that out.

The turquoise shallow lakes the day of Longley pass were the small lakes at the head of table creek, at around 3600 m.

For Kearsage - given the current state of the world, I wasn't excited about hitching with strangers down to Independence. I probably would not pick up a hitchhiker these days, so it seems unfair to ask the same of others. So, we booked a night at the mt williamson motel, which seems to be targeted at JMT/PCTers. We mailed our stuff to them. It was all very easy, although more expensive than what I normally might have done (hitch down and night somewhere cheaper). I think that you would have had a hard time resupplying out of the store in Independence, but I didn't try so I can't swear to it.

As I said, I really loved the Simpson Meadow - PCT stretch! I don't want to oversell trail conditions: "fair" is probably more accurate than "good," exclusively because it's definitely a bit overgrown in spots. It was probably the least maintained trail we were on the whole trip. But it was really insanely beautiful, and it wasn't overgrown in such a way that it would seriously hold anyone up - branches that could be pushed through while staying on the trail, and these were pretty limited to the last mile or so.