Lizzie and me and three friends hiked into the Tablelands of Sequoia-Kings National Park on Friday the 28th. We used The Watchtower route out of Wolverton, and carried on the first day to the Pear Lake Basin. I have skied in before, alone and with the whole family, but always to Table Meadows or above, so we had never been right to Pear Lake itself. It is a really nice basin with a lot of potential for scrambling on the cliffs above, including routes up Alta peak. From there we moved camp to one of the many lakes in Table Meadows on our way over to Moose Lake. Lizzie and I dropped our backpacks en route, and hiked up to crest of the Tablelands for the amazing views, and to stash a bear can for my subsequent trip to Deadman and Cloud Canyons, and around.
Moose Lake itself is everything we had imagined it would be- a beautiful lake with more fine views south and east, and it was also empty. Lizzie and the friends left from there in a nice circular route down through Alta and Mehrten Meadows, and Panther Gap, while I carried on for another week to track the wild Gunderson over Glacier Ridge (more on that semi epic later).
The photos will tell the story best:
Whenever we are close to the giant sequoias we must pay a visit. These trees amaze us every time! there are great groves just 15 minutes south of the Wolverton Trailhead.
The way in is through thick red fir forest, and the fall colors seen here are mainly bracken fern.
We had never seen The Watchtower up close- there must be some fine climbs in there. We preferred this route to the “Over The Hump” trail.
Pear Lake.
Sunset at Pear Lake with friends.
The views from the ridge above Moose Lake are great, and from upper Tablelands we could see as far as Ritter and Banner!
A nice stretch of the Great Western Divide behind Lizzie- from Centennial to Farquhar. That fine looking granite peak farthest right is an unnamed mountain near the head of Glacier Ridge.
Coming back down to Moose Lake for the first time in the late afternoon light. We were really happily impressed by the setting, and it was great to get into some new country.
Properly trained, a man can be dog’s best friend.
