High Sierra Topix

Flux, that sounds like the trip I have slated for Aug. 2nd.

Judging from the accumulated totals, the Anza Borrego area of the Mojave will be a good bet for an early spring trip. It's been a season where the storm track is split with the southern branch favoring areas south of Big Bear and there's still lots of winter in the forecast.

Bill Morell wrote:Flux, that sounds like the trip I have slated for Aug. 2nd.

I saw that thread and hope you have a blast. I wanted to get back into that area last year and we were set, but the lakes were still frozen and fishing was a priority. Ended up doing Bishop pass and Aggasiz, not to shabby an alternative, peaks and tons of trout. We may end up doing a shorter French / Royce trip, which is fine with me because it means I have to go back and get into the Bear lakes later!!

The beautiful thing is there are so many places to see. Even the next basin over could boggle the mind. Just keep getting after it!!

Carne_DelMuerto wrote:I'm always thinking about trips for the future. I had a blank wall in my new apartment that needed covering, so I did this:

I used to have the same map of California in my living room. Looks like you have Desolation on the right, and Mono Divide High Country to the left of it. Can't make out the rest. I don't have a good wall like that, so I lay out all the individual maps on the floor and line them up. So far the only thing I have planned is a local trip in early April, so I better get dreaming!

cahiker wrote:Looks like you have Desolation on the right, and Mono Divide High Country to the left of it. Can't make out the rest.

Good eyes. Below Mono Divide is KC High Country and on the left is Hoover and Emigrant.

Our Sierra excursions this year will begin with some mellow time at our old log cabin on the Mokelumne River at Hermit Valley along Hwy 4 (7,000 ft elev.), hiking down river. After that we will head to Bishop and go over Paiute following a route well described by cgundersen a few years ago- up to Ramona Lake, then a high traverse to near Darwin Bench, head down to Evolution Basin, romp about there a bit, then back out over Lamarck Col. No biggie.

I'm wondering how far we can get the first day- I tend to pack heavy, tho in the past we have made it to Merriam Lake in a (first) day over Paiute, but that was about as much as I'd like to manage. We have also gone E-W over Taboose all the way to the beginning of Cartridge Pass in a day. I really don't like camping at Hutchinson Meadow or environs, so maybe we can make it to Upper Honeymoon the first day. Thoughts?

On the way home we will do the Rogue River- me in a whitewater kayak and my wife on a raft. Four days, three nights.

That's our story!

@maverick - I usually do a Carrizo trip in the spring, too, but it looks like this year will be a bust. I usually take easter weekend so our alternate is to head up to Lava Beds. I love visiting that place in the spring, especially on a holiday weekend, because it is completely empty. We've had the campground to ourselves. We take the USPS maps of the lava flows and look for backcountry caves, and found one last year that had only been visited by park rangers and scientists in the past five years according to the register.

Wow, great trips planned!
Haven't been to Mitre Basin, that peaked my interest.
Love Northern Yosemite and Granite Park and a few others...haven't been to the Sawtooths in Id since my kids were young.
But...I will soon look at my big JMT 3 map series and pick an area I haven't been. Do you guys do what I do? I take a yellow highlighter and mark my route after every trip...my maps are quite yellow by now!:)

I've been doing summer dreaming about Kaweah Basin/Red Spur/Picket Creek basin for too many years and I'm hoping to finally get there via Colby Pass, leaving on July 25 for a 10 day trip. I'm also hoping for a couple of nights around June 22 with my wife at Pear Lake along with car camping at Lodgepole to visit the Sequoias. Then there's the yearly hope (depends on work) for an October trip either car camping or backpacking to any one of any one of several places from Yosemite to Horseshoe Meadow.

I will do some early backpacking in the Sierra.- If conditions are right, I want to go into Dumbell Lakes in late June. I will probably do my usual May "conditioning" hikes in Yosemite. I am hoping that I can do a very early trip down Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne. Unless we get rain soon, any April hiking at Henry Coe State Park is out. No water in the creeks.

I am headed to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming from mid-July until first week in Sept. So far the Wind Rivers have about 90% average snowpack and it looks like it may end up a very average year. I have a 200 mile, 33-35 day trip planned along the spine of the Wind Rivers. I have two outfitter resupplies planned. I am agonizing over all the logistics right now. I have friends locally who will help out with transportation. So far its a solo trip, but I hope to con someone into going with me, at least on parts of the route. As some already know, I wrote an off-trail guidebook to the Wind Rivers a few years ago. I have always wanted to develop a "high route" for the Wind Rivers similar to Roper's High Route in the Sierra. I have the route figured out and just need to "do it". If this works out I may put this route in the next edition of my guidebook.

When I get back I hope to do one or two 5-7 day trips in the Sierra. One will be a relaxed fishing trip with my husband. And in late Oct, if snows have not started, I hope to get into the Marble Mountain Wilderness for about 5 days.

Hey, kpeter, I did a week hike in the Sawtooths in 1969! I just scanned some old slides and realized how beautiful that area is. Hope you have a great trip! Can't wait for your trip reoprt.