R03/R01 TR: Darwin Goddard & Piute Cyns June 19-22 2021

[Stanley Otter]

I have a few trip reports from last year that are embarrassingly late — my apologies for not sharing them in a more timely fashion. I am about to head west again, so I thought I would try to get a couple of them published before I leave.

Harken back to Spring 2021 and recall the oh-my-god-if-I-cannot-hike-in-the-Sierra-this-year-I-might-as-well-be-dead feeling. My planned 2020 hikes were scuttled by the pandemic and fires, so I was plenty anxious for months leading up to my departure. With the barest grip on my impatience and desire to skedaddle, I got both my girls graduated (one from high school, the other from college), found an apartment for the eldest so she could start true adulting several states to the east, threw a graduation party for the youngest (with a bouncy house!), and then flung myself at warp speed across the country in my new little delivery/camping van so I could beat the fire season and experience some Sierra goodness again. The plan for the first hike was a short four-day shakedown and acclimatizing trip out of Horseshoe Meadows to Cottonwood Lakes, Rock Creek, Crabtree Pass, Crabtree Lakes and back. Note that this proposed itinerary does not match the title of this TR.

Day –2 (June 16): Drive from eastern Wisconsin to a nice little rest stop outside Rawlins WY. 18 hours and 1150 miles. I told you I was anxious…

Day –1 (June 17): Finish the drive to Lone Pine CA. 2058 miles all up. Rent a humble spot in the hot dust bowl that is Diaz Lake Campground and pretty much just pass out in the back of the van. A couple loud cracks of thunder ripped through the silence in the middle of the night. Mrmmph? Whuh? I roll over and go back to sleep.

Day 0 (June 18): I stroll into the Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery shortly after 6 AM for my usual Humphrey Bogart’s Skillet and plenty of hot coffee to lay a solid foundation for the day’s adventure. After ordering, I overhear one of the wait staff mention to another patron that her brother-in-law is a firefighter and is out helping to assess the fire that was started in the middle of the night by some lightning strikes. Oh… crap… I finish breakfast and high-tail it up the Whitney Portal Road to its intersection with the Horseshoe Meadows Road where a roadblock is being set up. I talk to the guy and he says they are closing the Whitney Portal Road, but access to Horseshoe Meadows will remain open. Okay… breathe… try to set aside the negative self talk (“You personally caused the first fire of the 2021 season by tempting the Fates with your hubris and your selfish desire for solitude”)… everything is going to work out…

So I go park my butt on the bench just outside the door of the Inter-Agency Visitor Center at 7:30 AM in anticipation of picking up my permit at 8:00 AM and driving up to an elevation of ten thousand glorious feet above sea level at Horseshoe Meadows. At 7:40 AM a ranger opens the door to post a weather report and asks “How are you doing?” And just the way she said it let me know everything was going to go to hell. “I have a feeling I am about to be doing a lot worse in a few minutes,” I replied. “Well, yes, there is a fire right near the Whitney Portal Road and they are closing the Horseshoe Meadow Road, too, and starting to evacuate people.” I am probably the first hiker to know this is an official thing, and after a couple more questions that make it clear this could go on for days, I run back to the van, get my dang phone connected to the network, get my dang computer talking to my dang phone, and call up the dang recreation.gov site. I figure I have five minutes before every other person who wanted to hike in this area is going to be searching for alternate entry points. So I scroll through the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits looking for something well to the north and in familiar territory. In my somewhat panicked state I am not thinking very clearly, but I see a couple spots are available for Lamarck Lakes, and, channeling my inner Homer, I think “Mmmmm…. Darwin Canyon…. mmmmmm…..,” so clickety-click, enter the credit card number, more clickety-click. Done! It wasn’t until later in the morning, driving back north toward Bishop that I realized a) I was going to have to go over Lamarck Col first thing tomorrow, and b) there was also a permit available for Piute Pass that might have been a better choice for the first climb of the season.

After the white-knuckle drive on that literal cliff-hanger of an access road to North Lake, I did a little day hike up to the Lamarck Lakes. Upon returning to the van, I noted with dismay that, in my haste and distraction earlier in the day, I forgot to deflate my air mattress before venturing to higher elevations and then parking the van in the sun. Due to the ironclad relationships expressed in the Ideal Gas Law between pressure, volume, temperature, and amount of gas, the internal baffles had blown out and the thing looked like a giant orange pastry. Ruined. Oi.

Smoke from hours-old Inyo Creek Fire

Day 1 (June 19): Enough of the back story. Upward an onward to more slapstick mishaps! For example, I forgot to put my water purification materials back in my pack after using them below the Lamarck Lakes. On the way up I met a young couple who were getting back on the Sierra High Route after a resupply in Bishop, so I asked them about conditions further south since I planned to hike the southernmost portion of the SHR next. They assured me that Frozen Lake Pass was not, indeed, frozen, and then bounded away, sustained by their youthful vigor, plentiful cartilage, and acclimatized lungs. There was terrific wind at Lamarck Col, and I was terrifically winded getting there. Far below, the lakes of Darwin Canyon were laid out in sequence — a beautiful sight for Sierra starved eyes. I camped on Darwin Bench where the streams from Darwin Canyon and the lakes below Alpine Col converge.

Lamarck Lakes Trail

Lamarck Col -- left of center

Darwin Canyon from Lamarck Col

Darwin Bench

Day 2 (June 20): I had thoughts of crossing Evolution Creek and going up McGee Canyon, but it was a nice clear day and I wanted to see Evolution Basin again because the last time I passed through it was overcast with thunderstorms. I was not disappointed. On the way up to Davis Lakes Pass, I encountered a coyote. I was grateful to be downwind of her because I already smelled like carrion and was in danger of being mistaken for her next meal. As I crossed over the pass, I met a couple of gentlemen a bit older than me who were recreating a trip of theirs from some thirty years ago that involved hiking up South Fork San Joaquin River and then North Goddard Creek. We chatted for a bit as we snacked, and I learned that I simply must hike through McGee Canyon someday.

I made my way along the south shore of Davis Lake until I had a clear view of Hudson Pass directly to the south. I made my way between the two lakes just beneath the pass and then west around a prominence behind which was a straightforward, if rocky, route to the top. Somewhere in there I lost the little basket off one of my hiking poles. If you find it, you can keep it — no need to send it to me. Secor says of Hudson Pass “It is best to cross the higher, eastern side of the pass.” I did not find this to be the case, but I suspect that it has to do with conditions following normal/high snow seasons. The south side of the pass is a disorienting mess of talus mounds and no real clear views with clues of where to go until you get a good distance away from the pass itself. I ended up going around the north side of the lake due west of the pass to get down. I will write a description for the cross country pass forum when I get a chance.

The Hermit reflected in Evolution Lake

Mt Huxley and Upper Evolution Basin

Coyote near Davis Lakes Pass

Davis Lakes from Davis Lakes Pass

Hudson Pass from small lakes north of pass

Hudson Pass from behind rocky prominence

Mt McGee & Davis Lakes from Hudson Pass

[Stanley Otter]

Once down, I picked a pretty straightforward route south for about a mile until I came to the fairly steep ridge that extends west of Mt Goddard. My initial thought was to follow the stream that empties into Lake 11184, but I followed the edge of the bluff further west and found an easier way down and then over the gentle rise that separates Lake 11184 from Martha Lake. The Martha Lake shoreline was a bit barren for my tastes, so I followed the outlet stream that eventually becomes the South Fork San Joaquin River down for a bit until I found a likely hut-sized boulder with a nice tree growing next to it. I dumped my pack, grabbed my towel and collapsible bucket, and stepped away to perform some much-needed watery ablutions. After their completion, I returned to observe a marmot finish snacking on the salt-enhanced rubber of my second hiking pole and begin to sniff around Boone (my teddy bear) who was trapped in the webbing of my pack and couldn’t run away, which is his usual defense. A standoff ensued in which it finally became clear to me that this boulder was the marmot’s home and it was unreasonable of me to expect her to move on. So I did.

Hudson Pass (dead center) from lake due west -- I came down the talus field left of center

Peak 12212 & LeConte Divide

Martha Lake from the ridge west of Mt Goddard

Mt Goddard from west shore of Lake 11184

Day 3 (June 21): A glorious saunter down Goddard Canyon in the morning. Sun on the Le Conte Divide. River and forest both gradually growing as I descend into the canyon. I manage to walk right past the John Muir Rock for the second time in my life without noting its presence. A hot and waterless climb up the first half of Piute Canyon. I don’t know how stock make it through the lower parts of that trail — maybe they don’t anymore. Camped about a mile west of Hutchinson Meadow.

LeConte Divide and South Fork San Joaquin River

Upper Goddard Canyon

Mid Goddard Canyon

Piute Canyon

Day 4 (June 22): Out. Nice views of glacierless Glacier Divide.

Humphreys Basin and Glacier Divide

Dennis

[balzaccom]

Really nice report...and great photos.

really amazing how little snow there is for June! This year won't be much better...

[Wandering Daisy]

I have never heard of Hudson Pass and went to our map of x-c passes and there was no mention. It would be great if you would do a write-up on that pass. If it is where I think, did it have a lot of steep snow to ascend? The more used route(s) from Davis Lake to Martha Lake is to go around Davis Lakes and then up onto the bench and traverse the bench west of Goddard Peak. I have gone around the south shores of the Davis Lakes; most people go around the north shores.

I had forgotten how early in the season the fire at Whitney Portal started. I think there may be a bit more snow this year than last this June because it has been a colder early season, so slightly delayed melt, particularly north of Mammoth Lakes.

[SweetSierra]

I was on a solo backpack and hiking out of Cottonwood Lakes basin the day the fire started. There was a terrific lightning storm the night before. In the morning, a little haze to the east made me think something might be up. Hikers told me the road might be closing but I found it was open to the junction of the Whitney Portal Road. I heard later Horseshoe Meadows Road didn't close and there were no evacuations.

That's a great photo (and maybe a rare photo of one during the day) of a coyote on Davis Pass. The last time I was on Davis Pass it was deep in snow in July after a big winter.
Nice photo of Evolution Lake, which I hiked to last year and loved. I've been there a few times. Before last year it had been several years since I'd hiked through Evolution Valley.
The cascades and waterfalls along Piute Canyon are beautiful. It seems like parts of it would be pretty exciting on a mule.

Thanks for the trip report.

[wsp_scott]

Nice coyote photo, I'd like to see one on the trail.

looking forward to the rest of your trip

P.S. I totally understand delayed trip reports. I'm in the process of putting together a couple from the Wind River Range and Yellowstone from Sept 2021 sometimes things take a while

P.P.S. Bounce house for high school graduation, nice! I'll bet she and her friends had a blast

[Mike M.]

Stanley, thanks for the great trip report. They are never too late.

I think I hiked over what you call "Hudson Pass" in 2018, on my way to Martha Lake and Reinstein Pass. I "discovered" this pass in 2012 and hiked down it to Davis Lakes on a sore knee, coming from Martha Lake. I'm not sure it's what Secor calls Hudson Pass, but it is the same pass I used in 2012 and 2018. See Day 7 of my 2018 trip report for photos: viewtopic.php?t=19420. The post includes a map with the route I walked.

Mike M.

[Stanley Otter]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I was unable to access the forum for the last five days or so -- was their some sort of outage or was it just me? I bug out tomorrow for Rocky Mtn NP and then head to the Sierra to hike the JMT superhighway with a friend rather than my preferred off-trail outings, so this will be brief and the other TRs will have to wait.

balzaccom -- Incredibly dry already in spots in June last year. On my next outing, when I crossed over Frozen Lake Pass into Lake Basin, it was already *crunchy* underfoot. Sad.

SweetSierra -- I never did hear how long that Horseshoe Meadows Road closure last. Sounds like it did not happen after all.

wsp_scott -- I hate to get lapped by the calendar, but my other reports will have to wait for later. My fault.

Mike M. -- Yes, looks like the same territory.

Wandering Daisy -- I am sorry, I have run out of time for now, but here is a sequence of photos of Hudson Pass. I did not find the pass particularly steep and from your description it sounds like I ended up on the bench west of Mt Goddard that you mention. I got there by way of the north shore of the lake SE of Peak 12434. (Ignore the GPS markers/symbols in the first image, those were made pre-trip -- the red line shows roughly my path without all the false starts as I wandered around up there trying to figure out the best way down.) I think in an average or high snow year that north slope would be a lot more challenging, and as I mentioned in the TR that might explain Secor's advice to "go high" to the east (left in the approach photos). In any event, last year it was just the usual jumbled talus and whatnot. Hope this helps.

Edit: After looking at the topo and thinking about it, perhaps Secor is cautioning against going over the lowest elevation here, which is directly above the snow field according to the topo (though it looked higher from my perspective). My commentary/thinking is perhaps too narrowly focused on the bit right at the top. I bet that's it...

Topo of Hudson Pass. Red line shows my path around "prominence". A use path is visible on the north side for some parts down low.

Approach from north. Hudson Pass far left of center. Snow field in center is marked on topo and the formation I call the "prominence" is in the foreground to the right.

Approach from north from behind rocky prominence. Snow field to the right is the one on the topo.

Approach from north. Secor says go high on east/left. I went low on right/west below triangular snow field.

Approach from north.

Descent. View is roughly southwest. Where to go?

Descent. Peak 12434. I passed along visible northern shoreline of lake below. The "edge" in the foreground is a cliffy bit on the western shoreline.

Descent. Lake below Peak 12434. Way down is chute off to the right not in this image.

View ENE from below south side of Hudson Pass. Pretty sure I came over lower dip about 1/3 from left side of image. Crazy jumble up there so not absolutely.

View ENE of path down to north shore of lake below Peak 12434.

Path down to lake below Peak 12434 on far left. Glad I did not try coming down to the western shoreline...

[shtinkypuppie]

Looks like an awesome trip. I especially appreciate the map with the rough route drawn in - I was struggling to follow you on the topo. What class would you reckon Hudson is?

[Stanley Otter]

It's class two for sure. No scrambling required, just lots of talus.