R03/R01 TR: 6/7-15 2022: Bishop Cr-Dusy Basin-Palisade Lake

[SweetSierra]

I was at Four Jeffrey Campground Sunday afternoon when the big wind started. Even that early some tents had blown flat. I decided to sleep in my Outback at the Piute Pass parking area instead of staying in the campground, not due to the wind but just to organize my backpack to get an early start up the Piute Pass trail the next day. The wind was incredible. It rocked my car every minute or so with what seemed to me to be 40 mph blasts. Dust swirled into mini tornadoes. As the peaks shrouded in the dark clouds, I wondered what it was like for people in Dusy Basin or Piute Lake. Glad your tent held WD with the trekking poles. The wind was still strong enough the next day to create waves that crashed against rocks at Loch Leven's outlet for several hours.
Thanks for the trip report and beautiful photos of Palisade Lakes area and Dusy Basin. Those are both such special places.

[Wandering Daisy]

Harlen, I do not think you are gaming the system if you put in route itinerary and reserve.gov accepts it and prints it out. The rules are so complicated now that I do not even think the FS staff can keep track of it. I assume the buck stops with reserve.gov. My experience has been rejection when I chose a stay that was not "legal". Also, you could legally do a day-hike from any of the lower lakes along the tail, such as Long Lake or Bull Lake.

With snow and river crossings, it is not just getting across, it is the consequence of falling. The detour I took around the switchback on Bishop Pass was a harder "snow climb", but it had good run-outs. The snow covered switchback was on a cliff- if you fell you would tumble off the cliff. Crossing Palisade Creek on the Simpson Meadow Trail was feasible, but only about 50-100 feet before the confluence with MF Kings. If swept into the Middle Fork you would not survive. On river crossings, downstream hazards really have to be taken into consideration.

Ladder Lake, Ampitheater Lake and Simpson Meadow require river crossings. Being short, I am terrible at crossings so very cautious.

The snow was at that temporary "melt" phase, with warm nights, where snow over talus is a slog at best and dangerous at worst. From commonloon's conditions report (he was a few days behind me), I think he went on the SHR from Palisade Lake to Dusy Basin. I think if someone were with me, I would have gone SHR- but was reluctant to do it alone.

SweetSierra- I have been in worse wind, but that windstorm was significant. I am really glad it did not rain.

[SSSdave]

Late June 2002 after being at Matlock Lake a couple days, I was stopped by a group of INF personnel on backcountry training near Little Pothole lake enroute to East Dragon Lake. The lead person said that was not a legal route and that I actually would need to return to Bishop for that leg. Note the two trails diverge about 3/8 mile from OV. Since the Bishop Office had allowed such without comment, and given I was obviously a decades experienced backpacker lugging a large 6x7 camera, she was nice enough to write me up a new permit right there.

Back in 1986 over the Labor Day weekend when people used to line up at sunrise at the INF Bishop office, by time we got to the front of the line the Bishop Pass quota was full so 4 of us instead chose the Treasure Lakes trailhead with a plan to use the col north of Goode the next morning then go over Bishop Pass into Dusy Basin to meet up with a few others. A few years later that trick was no longer allowed haha. Same trip we climbed Columbine via Knapsack Pass.

That was the same trip I took the below amazing 35mm SLR sunset image of Isosceles Peak that is only possible for a couple weeks beginning near end of August when the sun is no longer blocked by the sw shoulder of peak 12668 but before it is blocked by higher Black Divide areas. That shallow tarn only has water late August after wet winters.

https://www.summitpost.org/isosceles-pe ... 6/c-151840

[Wandering Daisy]

That is a great photo SSSDave. Isosceles Peak was like a magnet for what little rays of sun came through in the storm. I suspect it's geography has a lot to do with that- location, elevation and what else surrounds it.

[Trailguru]

South Lake to Palisade Lake plus Dusy Basin
6/7/22 to 6/15/22

I hit the “PCT Bubble” going north while I was going south. I quit counting; there must have been over 50 hikers. I was impressed by how cheerful, polite, helpful and willing to share the trail were most of the thru-hikers. I was shocked to see a woman with a toddler in a baby carrier, with a little girl about 3 years old following her and shortly behind a boy about 4 or 5 and the dad. They looked very spent and miserable. At Grouse Meadow a group of PCT hikers were swimming. The North Fork of the Kings River was roaring! Palisade Creek crossing at the junction was more than I wanted to do. It was early so I continued up the trail, taking a break while chatting with a German PCT hiker. Amazingly, there were few mosquitoes, but it was hot as hell.

Wonderful TR WD,

I will be heading to Dusy Basin tomorrow. I wonder if the family you ran into were them:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce4WrYcFWQK ... _copy_link

They are hiking the entire PCT with their young family. I think they should be on that Netflix Show called "Old Enough." Their Day by Day account is incredible given how young (and incredibly cute) the kids are

[Silky Smooth]

Thank you for the honest and intimate trip report, Liane and I appreciated you sharing the little things. It's def an interesting season in the sierra this season, the weather has been incredibly fickle as the temps. The hiker highway does seem busy like years past before the pandemic. Two things you touched on I wanted to comment on.

One regarding palisade creek crossing, that is where i lost my gps a few years back after coming from simpson meadows and granite pass/state lakes area. 0.75/mile up creek there is a confluence of trees down and it gets a little smaller, you hold onto the down logs to cross the creek. Only safe spot Liane and i could find up/down palisade creek that looked remotely safe. Creek was raging then too, its a dicey little crossing. GPS is near a work site, i believe i left it near a stump. Backcountry ranger had no luck, could be in the creek.

That bishop pass snow forms quite often and has been the sight of numerous injuries over the years. It is a very gnarly spot and depending on the snow/melt of the year it can be kinda dicey to get around.

Glad you adapted your trip. From my understanding, you can change within zones, it is more to limit numbers in delicate areas e.g rae lakes, bull frog lakes. When we did SHR a couple years ago. For some sections in the wilderness they don't have exact sections for it in the reservation system, so they pick the closest adjacent zone or recognized land mark the system has. We were out for 8 days and the permit itinerary didn't really make sense.

Loved the photos thanks for sharing another wild trip WD. I like that Harlen, it has a nice ring to it

[Wandering Daisy]

Yes, I think that was the family. I backpacked with my young children, and what struck me was the lack of sun or bug protection for the little one in the carrier. He was asleep, head falling out of the carrier at a painful angle, jiggling with his mom's every step, bare head out in the direct sunlight. The dad was far enough behind not to see the situation. Honestly, my first impression was "child abuse". I certainly have mixed feelings about kids so young doing the PCT. They did not look like they were having much fun at all. The parents had a choice about this; the kids did not. And to do it for a commercial gain (Netflicks) makes me question the motivation for such trip. Well, that is just my opinion. I am sure many others think it is wonderful.

I had a canopy with a top pocket for diapers and a roll-down half nylon (for shade) and lower half mosquito netting that firmly attached to the rim of my Kelty Pack- a set-up that contained sleepy kids to a shaded, safe space. And I ALWAYS had someone right behind me to keep an eye on them.

Have a good trip, Trailguru. I think most of the snow should be gone.

[wildhiker]

Yes, I think that was the family. I backpacked with my young children, and what struck me was the lack of sun or bug protection for the little one in the carrier. He was asleep, head falling out of the carrier at a painful angle, jiggling with his mom's every step, bare head out in the direct sunlight. The dad was far enough behind not to see the situation. Honestly, my first impression was "child abuse".,,

I tend to agree with Wandering Daisy's assessment. Family backpack trips (which many of us on this forum have done, including my wife and I) are good for family bonding and teaching the children to be comfortable in nature, but 2,600 miles and six months seems excessive to me. Those children are missing out on lots of other interactions and skills development. And what does a two year old learn who is being carried all the time and never has time to really play in nature? He learns that he is a passive piece of baggage, with no agency. And that extended trek must be hard on the children's developing bodies. Heck, it's hard on adult bodies.

-Phil

[shawnterustic]

What a great trip report (and beautiful photos)! I took a friend for her inaugural trip up Bishop Creek that weekend, with hopes of popping over to Dusy, but we ended up staying at Bishop Lake (where I was very, very happy that my non-freestanding tent survived the wicked winds!) to keep it from veering into Type 3 fun for her. We also saw the kayakers - I think 6 or so in total. I wish *they* would post a trip report, because watching them haul those kayaks up the pass was something else!

As for that family hiking the PCT, I've been following their Instagram posts out of sheer curiosity and from the sounds of it, the kids are having a lot more fun out there than the parents! It's gotta be exhausting. I've run into another family (this one, with only one kiddo - maybe kindergarten age?) hiking the PCT a few times now on trail and in town, and the kid is downright exuberant about what they're experiencing out there...during each of our brief interactions, I got a very excited earful about the cool people he's met and the cool stuff he's seen I sure wouldn't want to do a thru hike with young ones, but more power to 'em!

[Wandering Daisy]

I take all blogs and "posts" of PCT hikes with a grain of salt- PCT hiking seen through rose-colored glasses. Most people do not take videos of the bad times. Small kids love the outdoors, until the moment they don't. PCT hiking requires making miles- not free to quit just because the kids no longer like it. I obviously ran into them at a bad moment- but I doubt this was the only one. My kids were quite independent at a young age- when they decided no more walking, that was it! I also ran into a family with 4 kids (doing North Lake to South Lake) looked like pre-teen to about a 7 year old. The three older kids were fine- the younger one was NOT having fun and made that very clear! She must have refused to carry her pack- poor Dad had her pack on his front, his own huge pack on his back. He rolled is eyes when we passed.