If you've been searching for the best source of information and stimulating discussion related to Spring/Summer/Fall backpacking, hiking and camping in the Sierra Nevada...look no further!
As promised, here is a trip report for a journey from Mammoth to Long Canyon and back, mainly via Crater Creek and Fish Creek.
I already posted a condition update in 2019 Backcountry Conditions Reports but let me just summarize that snow line now is probably about 9000-9500 feet in the area we were hiking by now. Mosquitoes were not yet too bad but will probably get worse.
Trails were full of water and rivers and streams were all raging.
I almost died crossing Fish Creek. I made several terrible mistakes. If I'm lucky I will learn from them, and I hope that sharing them might help others in a tiny way, too.
Moved through all your groups fine images and text. Thanks for the effort nicely putting that together. Although I've extensively backpacked higher elevations of that basin, have never been down lower.
That lizard image was an unusually top blue/aqua hued male Sierra fence lizard, sceloporus occidentalis taylori. Algae in those pools was likely due to decades of inconsiderate solo people and kids that pee in such hot springs. Seen the same elsewhere like at Muir Hot Springs at the trail ranch. Urine is a strong fertilizer for algae.
As for the Fish Creek stream crossing itinerary, am guessing your group didn't have information for that nor an idea of what the nature of crossing it might require. Someone like this person given the huge amount of snow in such a large basin above would not have planned such an early season trip on a year like this without knowing something more certain beforehand like known bridges or high log crossings. Early August 2017 I considered possibly crossing similarly large Mono Creek into Second Recess but knew as soon as I saw how large the creek was at the end of the ferry landing that would be unlikely. For curiosity the next day, I later did hike sans pack down from the main trail just to see what it looked like that confirmed such.
Accordingly for the next few weeks, members here ought to take careful looks on an actual topo at possible stream crossings on tentative itineraries irregardless of what such stream look like mid summer, and especially consider how large of area stream basins are at higher still snowy elevations. Bridges rarely fail but log and rock crossings that may have been at crossings 2, 5, 10 years before are unreliable given likelihood of being washed out during floods or simply be under water.
What nice images and a riveting trail report. You story of the Fish Creek crossing is indeed instructive, and comes at a good time of year to remind people.
Thanks all. We originally intended to cross Fish Creek at a higher elevation on the JMT but the group decided to head lower because of the snow. I guess another thing it’s important to do is get beta on all plan B routes where we are hiking.
I am so glad you are OK! I do not think you need to beat yourself up over doing the crossing back alone. What could have your friends done, that would not have also risked their lives? It sounded like where you crossed back, it was full of logs, shrub, etc. where others on the far side would have been of little help.
Groups are advantageous in a swift crossing with a good run-out using the shoulder lock method where the first person gets the brunt of the current, subsequent people push the person above them upstream and the group slowly creeps across. Once I fell in a big river hopping rocks, by getting my weight too far forward. My pack came off, I landed in the water and managed to get myself out, and my companions retrieved my pack. Stuff tied on the pack as well as my ice axe in my hand went missing. (We always undid our hip belts if we thought there was a chance of falling in; you have a better chance without the pack. In a big group, I did not worry about jettisoning my pack because our group had enough equipment to keep me warm and fed even if my pack were lost. If solo, loosing your pack is a serious survival situation.)
