TR: SHR, cartridge pass & 60 lakes basin, 8/31-9/7 2019

[Bluewater]

I read the whole thing twice. I really like your 'photo essay" style and that color you captured in the sunset photo at Catridge Lake is amazing. Thanks for the reminder that this is some of my favorite terrain.

[johnz]

I really enjoyed reading your trip report. The picture of State Lakes under the morning clouds evokes a great sense of foreboding. I also like the picture you took down the drainage between White and Red pass with Devil's Crags looming in the background.

We went through the same section of the SHR as you guys a few weeks before and we were surprised by how much of a trail it had become. There were practically switchbacks up Red Pass. I hope that a place like Glacier Meadow doesn't develop a herd path through it. We didn't notice any.

[gary c.]

Beautiful!

[AaronRDavis]

Fantastic photos and report. Thank you for sharing. I'm planning the SHR/Cartridge portion of your route for late July, and this really stoked my excitement about it.

[frozenintime]

thanks all.

john, we followed a fairly engineered trail most of the way from red pass to marion. since it's such rocky terrain, i can't imagine a herd path would grow there and i assume that it was built (by the sierra club?). but i don't know. on the other side (between red & white) we traversed a bit higher than roper seems to suggest, and it was super sloppy and decidedly not a trail. but that doesn't mean there wasn't a use trail 10 feet away that we missed.

aaron, have fun! you're in for it.

[sekihiker]

I've been on all the paths you took on this trip, but never with such spectacular lighting. Your photo compositions are some of the best I have ever seen for this area or any part of the Sierra for that matter. Thanks for sharing your talent. I thought the long report was just right - a spectacular collection of photos with just the right amount of words.

[sekihiker]

I have always wanted to descend the Muro Blanco after doing this section of the HSR. Late season is best because evidently you have to walk in the stream most of the way. Has anyone here done that?

For another take on a trip down Muro Blanco canyon, see: http://sierrahiker.com/ArrowPeak-MuroBlanco/index.html

[Mike M.]

Wandering Daisy asked:

I have always wanted to descend the Muro Blanco after doing this section of the HSR. Late season is best because evidently you have to walk in the stream most of the way. Has anyone here done that?

Coming from Mather Pass, I hiked down the Muro Blanco in early September 1986, camping first near where the Cartridge Pass Trail meets the river. The hike down to Woods Creek from there was a hard, sweaty trudge. By the end of the day, my feet were beat and I looked like a dusty, dirty foot soldier. The upper portion of this hike is interesting and beautiful. The water level was low enough for me to easily move to either side of the river and I was able to avoid most of the bushwhacking. My recollection is that I was able to find many granite sidewalks to ease the way, but there were lots of boulder and talus fields to traverse too. It was a long day. The landscape gets confining, with limited views, the deeper you get into the route. The last leg is through dense forest, requiring close attention to low-lying branches threatening to grab your pack.

If you are a masochist and yearn for a challenge, this hike is for you. I would probably do it again, but only if I was looking for a shortcut out to Road's End. Otherwise, been there, done that.

Mike M.

[creekfeet]

Excellent report and photos! You've inspired me to explore many parts of the mountains I've never seen before. And while it seems like you kept a positive attitude and got some great photos out of it, I swear it seems like you got more precipitation on your trip than we've gotten all winter in CA. Especially liked the part about waiting out a storm in a talus cave, as one of my favorite Sierra experiences was eating lunch in a talus cave below Pyra Queen Col during a hailstorm (albeit with no lightning thankfully).

[kpeter]

Stunning. Thank you!