Re: Southern Sierra High Route & Muro Blanco Loop (the NJTC Loop for lack of a better name)
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 4:28 pm
I just came across this post. Since I hiked up the Muro Blanco once (ten years ago now), I will share some comments and photos, as well as some shots from Lakes Basin the next day during a magical few minutes. (The photos are from my first little Panasonic digital camera, so the resolution was not great)
I had been toying with the idea of hiking the MB for years, and finally decided to do it in early September 2012, which was a very dry year, figuring that I would be able to hike mostly in the riverbed itself and avoid bushwhacking (as Arnot described apparently).
I also decided to travel uphill in the MB rather than down, thinking that the likelihood of slipping/falling when stepping/leaping from rock to rock in the river bed would be somewhat less if I was going uphill rather than downhill.
The photo below is midday at the beginning of the MB hike. After hiking due east up the Paradise Valley trail along the South Fork Kings River, I had reached the point where the South Fork turns 90 degrees to a north-south channel, the Muro Blanco canyon. I've just crossed this bridge over the South Fork. The national park trail does not follow the South Fork any further. The trail continues east up the very popular Woods Creek branch, behind and to the right where I’m taking the picture from. So this picture, looking north, shows the very beginning of what will become the Muro Blanco.
I was a little bit apprehensive at this point about starting what I knew would be miles of potentially bushwhacking. But along the entire route I was able to avoid bushwhacking except for one section of maybe 100 yards. The rest was rock and boulder walking/hopping in and along the riverbed, interspersed with some sandy and slabby areas. It was slow going, but actually not nearly as bad as talus hopping for miles, because the rocks in the river bed were nicely rounded and even somewhat leveled, in contrast to the jaggedness of talus.
I reached the upper part of the canyon, where it begins to open up, after about 7 hours of hiking, and came upon a flat slabby area on the river to camp.
Looking down canyon. I had a nice refreshing dip in the little pool. Much of the river in the higher part of the MB was like this, flowing down slabby areas that culminated in pools dammed up by boulders.
Looking up canyon. It was very enjoyable, easy cross country travel in this area.
Classic U-shaped canyon. It drizzled a little bit. Scattered thunderstorms had been forecast.
Late in the day, I decided to try to get halfway up the pass that went over the Monarch Divide, to a small lake, rather than stay down in the canyon for the night. This shot shows the ridge on Arrow Peak that I had climbed 15 years earlier (by moonlight)--the ridge running from the foreground and up to the summit from the left side.
This is by the first lake I reached over the pass down into the Lakes Basin. Clouds formed and dissipated all afternoon. I took a few hours break, rested, and read my little book.
This ridge on Mt. Ruskin is supposed to be a fun climb, with a great view from the minor summit. I considered it but decided I should conserve energy.
Getting toward evening, more clouds started to form. As happens frequently with moist air in the mountains, it started to rain very lightly and softly, but this was far from a typical cold mountain rain. It was warm and light, like a tropical shower, with absolutely still air. It felt like being in Hawaii, but this was in the Sierra Nevada, in September, at 11,000 feet. That was the actual color, with the sun low on the horizon and shining through thin clouds, creating this amazing gold (no color enhancement whatsoever).
Everything was completely calm, except for the soft sound of the creek, with a golden sunlight shining through the rain, backlighting each drop. It actually brought tears, it was so magical. And briefly, a double rainbow.
I’d hoped to set up camp down by the lower shores of this lake. But it got dark too quickly, and I ended up just picking a flat spot by a body of water in the dark.
The next morning, from my little impromptu campsite lower down in the Lakes Basin. It's kind of fun to throw the sleeping bag out in the dark and not know what you're going to see in the morning!
It has occurred to me that, rather than hike the lower part of the Muro Blanco at all, one could descend the upper part of it, which at times of low water would not be difficult. The upper part is very scenic and worth exploring, down to where it starts to close in. Then hike back up. If one were doing a multiday trip in the Bench Lake/Cartridge Pass/Lakes Basin area, an additional day spent exploring the upper part of Muro Blanco would be worth considering.
I had been toying with the idea of hiking the MB for years, and finally decided to do it in early September 2012, which was a very dry year, figuring that I would be able to hike mostly in the riverbed itself and avoid bushwhacking (as Arnot described apparently).
I also decided to travel uphill in the MB rather than down, thinking that the likelihood of slipping/falling when stepping/leaping from rock to rock in the river bed would be somewhat less if I was going uphill rather than downhill.
The photo below is midday at the beginning of the MB hike. After hiking due east up the Paradise Valley trail along the South Fork Kings River, I had reached the point where the South Fork turns 90 degrees to a north-south channel, the Muro Blanco canyon. I've just crossed this bridge over the South Fork. The national park trail does not follow the South Fork any further. The trail continues east up the very popular Woods Creek branch, behind and to the right where I’m taking the picture from. So this picture, looking north, shows the very beginning of what will become the Muro Blanco.
I reached the upper part of the canyon, where it begins to open up, after about 7 hours of hiking, and came upon a flat slabby area on the river to camp.