Advice needed: Sneaking from Red's to Tioga Rd

[torpified]

In a few weeks, a friend and I are hoping to walk from Reds to the Mono/Parker Pass TH on the Tioga road some sneaky way that minimizes contact with the JMT/PCT. (Neither of us is good at scenes.)

The idea is to start by heading toward Minaret Lake, and to exit on the trail over Gem/Koip/Parker passes. I'm hoping for advice (or pointers to posts from which advice can be reconstructed) about what to do in between.

We have 4 nights. We've both backpacked a lot. My off trail skills are untested: I like to try to understand what's going on around me, so I carry and frequently consult detailed maps. But I usually follow trails so blatant that understanding is irrelevant. Friend has both cross country and mountaineering experience. We're happy with long days -- like walking on trail from TI Lake to the Tioga Pass TH wouldn't be an issue. Altitude unpleasantness so far has been minimal, appetite related, and effectively addressed by subsisting on Ramen and Fritos. We'll have trekking poles, and I imagine we'll carry microspikes if we're persuaded that doing so will minimize angst. We LOVE barren lakes, high mountain scenery, alpenglow, and weird rocks. Also animals.

Some questions: an obvious way to carry CAREFULLY on after Minaret would be via Cecil and Iceberg toward Ediza. I feel like we've got a lot of good data about that. But what about heading off-trail from Ediza past Nydiver Lakes toward Garnet and Thousand Island? How difficult would be the route-finding and how precarious the travel? (I should say that neither of us minds heights but I at least abhor exposure + instability/technically demanding maneuvers.)

Supposing we wind up somehow at TI Lake, what's the best way (let's say on-trail) to get from there to Gem Pass? Over Island Pass and around Waugh Lake would involve a lot of JMT overlap. But how does it compare scenically to down the PCT then past the Clark lakes and W of Gem Lake? And are there manageable attractive off-trail alternatives?

THANKS!

Although I'm picturing us following the straight and narrow once we're securely E of the PCT, if there are off-trail variations on the route from Gem Lake to the Tioga Pass road --- even ones that are places to camp or places to dayhike from places to camp -- I'd love to hear about them!

[davidsheridan]

Dear torpified, I just wanted to mention that the trek from minaret lake to Ediza via Cecile & iceberg lake can be very difficult and scary and dangerous, for a novice off-trail backpacker.

You should get as much information as you can on this route, including reading this recent tragic report of a fatality along the route.

http://highsierratopix.com/community/vi ... 37&t=19836

I did the route with my wife in a drought here, and it was a lot more difficult and took much longer than I had anticipated.

we really enjoyed camping in The Meadows above Ediza

[maiathebee]

The snowfield next to Iceberg will probably still be there. That will be your main obstruction.

I just hiked from Shadow Creek to Tuolumne with 50% trail 50% xc. I went up to Nydiver via the old use trail south of the lakes, then through the lakes and back down to Ediza via the route that uses the use trail people use for climbing Ritter. I had planned to go over Whitebark pass to get to Garnet but there was too much snow. I think Whitebark will be melted enough for you to avoid snowfields in a few weeks. North side of Whitebark is a lot of talus, somewhat unstable depending on what exact route you choose, and you might not have much choice due to snow. The pass from Garnet to Thousand Island will be easy.

The best way over the crest is going to be on the JMT via Donahue. But then right after that you can do as I did and cut up McClure Creek to the little tarns / valley there and then go over the pass south of Amelia Earhart peak into the basin of Ireland Lake. After that I went over the hump to Fletcher Lake, then a tiny bit of trail from Fletcher to Tuolumne pass. Then I headed xc up to the saddle south of Johnson Peak, climbed Johnson Peak, then headed down xc to Elizabeth lake and took the trail down from there to Tuolumne. I had 3 days where the only person I saw was out on the water on an inflatable kayak on Ireland lake. No other humans. Just marmots.

I don't have time to give you more details about the route until middle of next week. I'll probably have a trip report up before you set out on your trip. But you can find plenty of info on a lot of this route by searching the forum. Also you can check out my photos here if you want.

[Rockyroad]

But what about heading off-trail from Ediza past Nydiver Lakes toward Garnet and Thousand Island? How difficult would be the route-finding and how precarious the travel? (I should say that neither of us minds heights but I at least abhor exposure + instability/technically demanding maneuvers.)

We did the reverse just last weekend. There is a nice use trail from Ediza that follows the creek that flows into it. Spectacular scenery at the source of the creek. From there, you can head to Whitebark Pass, no need to go all the way down to Nydiver unless you want to. On the north side of the pass, there is a steep chute with loose scree/rocks. The snowfield was not an issue as we just climbed the ledges adjacent to it. I'll post a trip report here tonight.

[torpified]

Now that's some fresh intelligence! Thanks, all. I'm looking forward to reading more about your recent (and terrifically photogenic!) adventures.

We are taking the Cecile-Iceberg snowfield seriously and won't hesitate to backtrack there or elsewhere if things look too hairy. We once drastically rerouted a trip through Big Sur due to a persistent, maybe even unhinged, rattling emanating from the impenetrable underbrush lining the trail ahead of us.

I've gathered from poking around (there's an "Ediza base camp" TR from kpeter that cites notes from SSSDave) that there's an alternative to Whitebark Pass for accessing Garnet from Ediza. The rough plot is to cut NE from the Nydiver drainage to a pond-bearing saddle between points 3267 and 3143 on the ridge south of Garnet, then angle toward the W end of Garnet Lake. A "green streak" figures in accounts of the route; sometimes an "old Nydiver trail" is mentioned. Is this something we should be considering (bearing in mind that we're very good at turning around)? More specific questions include: would the old Nydiver trail be helpful, and if so, how to find it? How tricky is it to find a way through the green streak, or for that matter down to Garnet from the ponds? (I'm assuming that the way to find the ponds from the green streak is to aim for the gap between the uphill humps the green streak points at.)

[c9h13no3]

I just want to cast one more vote for not taking the Cecile-iceberg connection lightly. If there's a snowfield, you should really have crampons, and late season that snow could be hardening towards neve. If there's no snow, I hear it's a loose mess.

My wife and I kicked steps up the late afternoon snow in July '17 without crampons, and thought it was one of the dumbest things we've done. In September, the snow will only be harder. Crampons will not only make you safer, but you'll move faster too.

[torpified]

My wife and I kicked steps up the late afternoon snow in July '17 without crampons, and thought it was one of the dumbest things we've done.

I don't know you well enough to tell whether that's saying something. Still, point taken. I'm predicting that we'll head up to have a look (for one thing, I'd be very excited to see névé), then take the long way round to Ediza and/or Iceberg (which I'm also very excited to see).

[c9h13no3]

Ritter supports a couple small glaciers, go up there to see alpine ice.

[Dave_Ayers]

Since you'll be going over Koip Pass, I suggest climbing Koip Peak as well. It's a straightforward class 1 scramble up about 700 feet or so elevation and view is well worth that.

You could continue on to Kuna Peak as well (13,005, 3rd highest in Yosemite) which is a class 2 scramble, down then back up from Koip if you like. More peak bagging info at summitpost.org of course.

[kpeter]

Now that's some fresh intelligence! Thanks, all. I'm looking forward to reading more about your recent (and terrifically photogenic!) adventures.

We are taking the Cecile-Iceberg snowfield seriously and won't hesitate to backtrack there or elsewhere if things look too hairy. We once drastically rerouted a trip through Big Sur due to a persistent, maybe even unhinged, rattling emanating from the impenetrable underbrush lining the trail ahead of us.

I've gathered from poking around (there's an "Ediza base camp" TR from kpeter that cites notes from SSSDave) that there's an alternative to Whitebark Pass for accessing Garnet from Ediza. The rough plot is to cut NE from the Nydiver drainage to a pond-bearing saddle between points 3267 and 3143 on the ridge south of Garnet, then angle toward the W end of Garnet Lake. A "green streak" figures in accounts of the route; sometimes an "old Nydiver trail" is mentioned. Is this something we should be considering (bearing in mind that we're very good at turning around)? More specific questions include: would the old Nydiver trail be helpful, and if so, how to find it? How tricky is it to find a way through the green streak, or for that matter down to Garnet from the ponds? (I'm assuming that the way to find the ponds from the green streak is to aim for the gap between the uphill humps the green streak points at.)

Yes, SSSDave explained this route to me, which has the advantage of going via that pretty little pond, rather than a scree scramble. I did this coming from Garnet to Ediza, which is easier since the approach to the top is gradual on the Garnet side and steep on the Ediza side.

Here is the route from the Ediza direction.

1) Take the trail from Ediza towards the PCT intersection.
2) After crossing the Nydiver outlet stream (which could be dry) start exploring left (north) of the main trail. In you head NNW you will occasionally find switchbacks on the dry hillside that are the remains of the old Nydiver trail. You can take these switchbacks up the hill or just slog ahead. If you take them, or if you stray left, eventually they will take you back to the Nydiver outlet area. You can see them on Google Earth if you look carefully.
3) Do not cross the Nydiver outlet--you head uphill to the N and eventually NE, emerging above a large ledge, and aim yourself up a draw toward the pond that is SE of point 3267. This is a very steep pitch but is mostly soil, so long as you stay in the area that is marked on the map as a green draw.

IMGP4016.jpg

4) The pond area is lovely--you can poke your head out in different directions for the views. From here it is a level walk to get past a couple of smaller ponds to the east of 3267.

IMGP4014.jpg

5) Coming down into Garnet from east of 3267 you can angle toward the inlet end. Great paintbrush in that area. A couple of gullies you will need to go down and back up again.

IMGP4006.jpg

Ediza to Garnet.jpg

The lower section of red line I show straight, but this is where the switchbacks may be found.

Finally, I should note that this will not save you much if any time over just taking the trail the whole way. But it makes it easier to get to the west end of Garnet and takes you through prettier terrain. It is a compromise between the main trail and Whitebark Pass.