Mid August Trip Suggestions (Mineral King/SEKI)

[mbehlen]

Hello All!

You are always a great wealth of knowledge and you have helped me on my first backpacking trips last year! So thank you! With the season upon us I need your help!

I am attempting to plan a trip to Mineral King to do the Mineral King Loop (Black Rock Pass to Sawtooth Pass). Here is the low down: I am going Solo and I am simply scared. I want to experience the high sierras and I have never done so. I have never climbed a "pass" and it worries me. I am in 75% great shape (I run 5ks often) and run 3 times a week. I am 100% better shape than when I hiked Dinky Lakes Loop x2, Point Reyes (too easy), and the Skyline to the Sea (TO EASY) last year. My only concern is do you think that a beginner(ish) in the Seki area can pull this loop off? The loop itself is 30 miles and I have 1 day to acclimate and 4 days to do the loop which should be more than enough. What are your thoughts?

The other trip ideas I have are:
-4 Days making a loop around 1000 Island Lake
-A Loop around Yosemite somewhere for 4 nights and 5 days (I live an 90 minutes away)
-Doing an out and back in Desolation Wilderness.

Notes: I want to see some VIEWS as I am out mostly hiking and doing photography. I don't need a lot of downtime to do anything else but eat and sleep. I do like to take lunch breaks though (30 min or so). Lastly: My Base-weight is around 17 pounds without food/water.

I have 5-6 days to kill of vacation and need to get out on the trails. Maybe I need a little encouragement?

Thank you for your encouragement and your thoughts!

[rightstar76]

If you want encouragement, then head on over to Leor Pantilat's YT channel. Also, his website. He's got a video on the Desolation Wilderness. Also, some Yosemite videos. Lots of views for sure. No Mineral King videos though. He solo runs in one day what most people take a week to backpack. I could never do anything like it. But it puts things in perspective. Hey if a person can jog this alone in a day, I can do this on a multi-day backpacking trip. Just google and you will find.

Now my thoughts. If you really want to go by yourself, then by all means do so. There will be a few rough spots i.e. waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of wildlife or a flash of light from a meteor (it happened to me). There's no one to talk to so it can be scary. It's part of being alone in the mountains. So you really should want to do it.

But, if you really don't want to go alone, or you're not sure, then only go one night and see how it goes. That way you can decide if you want to go by yourself for a longer period of time (or go with a group instead).

Hope this helps.

[balzaccom]

I'll be a little more encouraging. This is not an isolated loop. There will be other people around. Stay on the trail, stay found, and you should not have any problems. This is a wonderful area, and giving yourself 4 days to hike 30 miles is quite reasonable. A few suggestions:

1. Take a day-hike around Mineral King to help acclimate yourself the first day.
2. take it easy on that first climb out of Mineral King. If you start at 8 a.m., you could hike at 1 mph and still get over the pass by lunchtime. Then it's all downhill. Do NOT push yourself the first day.
3. If the first day doesn't go well, don't be afraid to bail out and make it a simple overnight trip. You could do another one of those on the following two days, and still have a great time.
4. Because you are going alone, test EVERYTHING you are taking before you hit the trail. Set up your tent, cook some food, make sure your lights have batteries, etc. Because you are alone, you need to make sure everything works before you drive up the road to Mineral King.

5. Almost forgot: have a great trip.

[Rockyroad]

If you are staying on trail and going clockwise, it is about 11 miles to Black Rock Pass so I assume you will be going over the second day. The views of Spring, Cyclamen, and Columbine Lakes will give you motivation as you grind up the pass. This was also my first solo major "pass" and I was blown away by the view. Lost Canyon and Columbine Lake are beautiful and the trail along this loop is clearly marked except for the some of the segment between Columbine Lake and Sawtooth Peak, where I saw multiple paths which should all work. Also, there is no single trail from Sawtooth Pass to Monarch Lakes so you choose your path down the fun sandy slope. I did this loop in 2010 and the only areas where there were other hikers was around the Cliff Creek/Pinto Lake area, Columbine Lake, and within about 5 miles of the trailhead. There may be others around during your trip but be prepared to be alone too. Have a great time!

[Wandering Daisy]

Am I missing something here? I thought Sawtooth Pass was hard to find/follow and one can easily get into loose scree. Has the pass been improved since I used it years ago? I did not think it was ever recommended for beginners, regardless of how good shape they are in. If you do it, going down is much easier than going up. I have never been on Blackrock Pass, but I thought it was also challenging.

I think the major difference between your proposed route and what you have done in the past, is the roughness of the "trails" on the passes and a few places where the "trail" can "go missing" if you do not pay close attention. People who have off-trail experience, are usually not bothered about these things. With no off-trail experience, depends on how calm you can stay when the trail suddenly becomes not what you expected, particularly when solo.

Someone, correct me, if I am totally off base with this. Just my two cents worth.

[Rockyroad]

The trail, if there is a continuous one, up and down Sawtooth Pass, does go missing sometimes. However, the destination and direction is clear. I agree with WD that you do need to be calm when the trail disappears. I actually enjoyed going down the loose sand/scree. Because it was deep, my feet sunk in instead of sliding over it so there wasn't much potential for slipping. At least that was my experience. I would hate going up Sawtooth Pass from the west. Maybe there is a more established trail now with different conditions.

If the first night's camp is at Cliff Creek (near Pinto Lake), Blackrock pass can be slowly done in the morning when you are fresh. 3000' in 3 miles is challenging but doable.

Maybe we need more information on what exactly scares the op.

[wildhiker]

Hi mbehlen,

Why Mineral King for your first big solo Sierra backpack? I see that you mention that you live only 90 minutes from Yosemite. Why not do a trip there? The trails are well-maintained and generally have other hikers in case you are worried about being alone. There are several good one-way hikes from Tuolumne Meadows down to Yosemite Valley, using the YARTS bus to connect the ends. Leave the car in the Valley and use the late afternoon YARTS bus back to Tuolumne Meadows to spend the night there in the backpacker's camp to acclimate and then start the hike the next morning. Reservable permits for all the trailheads out of TM are pretty much all taken for August, but one person can usually get a walk-up permit to start the next day, which would work fine if you spend the first night at TM to acclimate. I think the best hike is up Rafferty Creek to Fletcher or Vogelsang Lake, then over Vogelsang Pass and down Lewis Creek to Merced Lake, and then all the way down the Merced River back to the Valley. From the Cathedral Lakes trailhead, you could hike the John Muir Trail down to the Valley, with a detour over Clouds Rest. From Tenaya Lake, you can hike up to Sunrise Lakes, and then over Clouds Rest and catch the JMT down to the Valley.

Another Yosemite alternative that is more wild with fewer visitors is to start at the Granite Creek/Clover Meadow area in the Sierra Forest south of the park (at the end of a long, slow road just like Mineral King) and do a loop up to Lillian Lake, then up over Post Peak and Isberg Passes (camping somewhere along the way) to Sadler Lake and then down the Granite Creek trail back to the trailhead. You do have to walk a mile or two on the road to complete this loop. Great views from the passes and beautiful lakes.

-Phil

[Wandering Daisy]

I think if you live in Fresno, you are about 90 minutes from either Yosemite or SEKI. If anxiety on the trip due to uncertainty about the passes would ruin the trip, then, it would be better to do your first solo on better trails and easier passes. However the anxiety could be due to simply being alone. Either way, if you do your first solo on a route you are at least somewhat familiar with, the anxiety is less of an issue. Wildhiker's idea of going to Yosemite may fit the bill.

Although getting a permit may be difficult, the Rae Lakes Loop is actually a good beginners solo. The trail is in good shape and easy to follow and there are plenty of others. The only issue is the crossing at Paradise Valley, which, if late in the season, should be no problem.

[maverick]

My vote would be to do the Agnew Meadow>Ediza Lake via Shadow Lake Trail (spend two nights here, so you can go visit Iceberg Lake the next day)>Garnet Lake>1000 Is Lake>out via the High Trail. Going in via the River Trail to 1000 Is Lake and doing this in reverse is okay too, but doing the High Trail while leaving, will give you some great shots of Shadow Lake, with the Minarets as a backdrop, just get an early start, so you can be at a one of the great viewing points before the sun rays hit the Minarets.

[mbehlen]

Wow everyone, you are always so helpful. I really appreciate it! So my plans have changed a little bit and with your advice I am going to try to do a trip in Yosemite. The days I have are: Sunday 08/05/18- Wednesday 08/08/18. I will have less time that I thought I would have especially if I need a day to acclimate. I need to be home Wednesday Night. Would you kind folks recommend me a out and back or loop for 2 nights and three days (considering I will need to get a permit the day before in TM on zero day)? As I said before I would like to climb high and see some views! If you don't think this time frame is good enough for Yosemite maybe a suggestion for SEKI that fits this time frame would be awesome! (4 days and 3 nights with driving)

Edit: I can leave early Sunday Morning around 6:00am and be in Yosemite around 8:30am (I think).

Cheers!

-Your (kinda) noob Hiking Friend,
Michael