TR: Roper’s High Route to Marion Lake (Aug 7-13, 2020)

[Flamingo]

Hi All,

This week I completed a section of Roper's Sierra High Route in Kings Canyon National Park, starting and ending at Roads End. Photos are at the bottom.

ROUTE: I ascended Copper Creek trail and then followed Roper’s Sierra High Route to Marion Lake. I crossed Cartridge Pass, joined the Pacific Crest Trail to cross Pinchot Pass, and then returned to Roads End via Woods Creek.

CONDITIONS: Mosquitos were virtually non-existent, and all the passes were free of snow. Afternoon thunderstorms chased me every day, and I was pelted with rain and hail a couple times.

THE STORY:
On Friday August 7th, I drove from Oakland to the Roads End trailhead. My plan was to wait until the afternoon heat abated, and then climb the Copper Creek switchbacks.

I had previously printed my wilderness permit at home, but I decided to visit the Roads End ranger station anyway to check the bulletin board for relevant notices. As I expected, the ranger station was closed---permits are print-at-home only this season—-but I did find two rangers sitting at the picnic table. We chatted from a distance. They told me they're checking wilderness permits for all hikers on the Woods/Bubbs trails, especially anyone carrying large backpacks. One ranger said they’ve seen an uptick in illegal camping on the valley floor, probably because most of the SEKI campgrounds are closed this summer.

Back in the parking lot, I was sorting my gear in the back of my Subaru when an official SEKI truck parked alongside me. A ranger stepped out and asked to see my wilderness permit. I was surprised by this request, because I hadn’t even started hiking yet. Anyway, my permit was fine and everything was in order.

More Permit Drama
In the parking lot, another man approached me and engaged in an absurd dialog, summarized below. It seemed like he was trying to solicit my approval to cheat the permit system. The man asked me, “Hi, what does your wilderness permit look like?”
I cautiously responded, “It’s printed from home.”
He replied, "The rangers won’t give us a permit. They’re always available for walk-in, but not this year. We drove ALL this way.”
“Yeah, that’s a bummer,” I agreed.
“I have a wilderness permit from last year,” he continued, “and I’m wondering if I could just change the numbers on it..."
“I don’t know man, that’s on you.” I replied. “Did you see the ranger in the truck check my permit, like 5 minutes ago?”
“Well, in the car over there,” he pointed, “some guy left a copy of his permit in the windshield. I wonder if I took a photo of it... Do you think the rangers would accept a permit that’s on my phone?”
At this point, I was done with this conversation, and I said “Hey man, good luck. I need to finish sorting my gear.”

Ascending Copper Creek
One hour later, the sun lowered and I climbed the Copper Creek trail in shade. My pack felt heavy with seven days of food, and I debated the value of every little dried apricot, almond, and albacore packet that I carried.

I setup camp in the upper meadows, and I built a small fire in the established stone ring. I don’t often build fires, but tonight I wanted a campfire as a sort of ceremonial commencement. Coming into this adventure, my head swirled with anxiety from my normal life, and I was hoping this wilderness trip would be an opportunity to gain some objectivity. I sat beside my little fire and watched stars emerge in the purple sky; bats darted across the canyon. I was struck with the wonderful sensation of myself as a very small thing in a very vast wilderness.

On Roper’s High Route
On Saturday, I crossed Grouse Lake Pass and then Goat Crest Saddle and descended into Glacier Valley. I’m glad I researched the route descending into Glacier Valley; my instinct would have been to follow the outlet stream from lower Glacier Lake, but this route would have led me into complicated granite shelves. Instead, my beta indicated to stay high and hug the western cliffs. Following this advice, I found a straightforward route down granite ramps to the head of Glacier Valley.

On Sunday August 9th, I crossed Grey Pass (i.e. Windy Ridge), White Pass, Red Pass, and then camped at Marion Lake. I found all of these passes to be straightforward class 2. I especially enjoyed the ascent of Windy Ridge, through open forest with plenty of shade spots. The views from Windy Ridge are incredible from the Palisades to the Black Divide and beyond. While crossing Grey Pass west-to-east, I aimed for Red Gap on the east side (not to be confused with Red Pass). Anyway, I overshot Red Gap and went 300 feet too high and too south; some backtracking solved the problem. From the gap, I found a good use trail descending to the South Fork Cartridge Creek. Later in the day, I ate lunch besides the creek. I hadn’t seen anybody in a couple days, and I was impressed with a deep feeling of wilderness solitude in this basin.

I slogged up White Pass in the afternoon heat. The geography is complicated on the west side of White Pass, and I can understand why previous trip reports have described climbing an incorrect notch. This is one area where I was glad to have GPS waypoints. From the top of White Pass, I greatly enjoyed the traverse to Red Pass. My natural inclination would have been to descend to green meadows at 11,300 feet, and then regain elevation to Red Pass. However, my beta suggested I traverse directly to Red Pass without losing elevation, maintaining approximately 11,600’. Following this advice, I was surprised to find a walkable route through a maze of small ledges. From Red Pass, I found an obvious use trail descending the south side of the drainage, which ultimately led me to the shore of Marion Lake. The bottom section of the descent drops into an infamous sandy chute; it’s heavily eroded, steep, and I used extra caution. This is an area where a false step could easily twist ankles.

Marion Lake: A Special Place
Marion Lake is a gem. I was initially inspired to visit this lake when I read @RoguePhotonic's 2012 trip report (link). There's something special about the water here, and the way it reflects alpine light is difficult to describe. The shade of blue is otherworldly, verging on purple in the twilight. I pitched camp at the established site near the lake’s outlet, and I ate dinner by the lakeshore. The Cirque Crest towers over the lake, illuminated by evening sunbeams that poured up Cartridge Creek Canyon. It was a magical moment.

The next morning I enjoyed a couple hours resting and reflecting at the Helen Marion LeConte Wilderness Memorial. The location and simplicity of this memorial touched my heart. I’ve long been fascinated by the history of the LeConte family, but Helen’s legacy has seemed overshadowed by her husband, Joseph Nisbet LeConte. I know that Helen was an early member of the Sierra Club, and she was one of the earliest ascenders of several Sierra summits. Anyway, being three days from the nearest trailhead, I felt like this memorial is not only about Helen, but it’s also a shrine to the concept of wilderness appreciation itself. I sincerely hope that all future visitors to Marion Lake rigorously practice Leave No Trace, so that we can preserve this special place.

On Monday August 10th, I wandered through Lakes Basin, frequently pausing for photographs and to enjoy the fine scenery. My goal was to cross Cartridge Pass. However, rather than follow the shortest route to the pass, I drifted north towards Lake 10592, which allowed me to tour the delicate marshes and tarns of the basin. What a beautiful place!? Eventually I arrived at the northern foot of Cartridge Pass and I found the obvious use trail up old switchbacks. This route is steep and crumbly, but otherwise this trail is in great shape for its lack of maintenance.

Unexpected Rendezvous with Friends
While descending the south side of Cartridge Pass, I spotted two hikers ascending towards me. I hadn't seen anybody in four days, and I felt surprised and excited to see other people. As they approached, I realized it was two of my friends from ALDHA-West. I thought, what are the chances!? Anyway, we sat on the slope and chatted for 30 minutes. It was joyful to catch up and chat about our trips. We laughed a lot. My friends were on day four of Andrew Skurka’s Kings Canyon High Basin Route (link). Skurka's route sounds difficult! Both my friends are very strong hikers; earlier that day they crossed Explorer Pass, descended to the South Fork Kings River, and now they were climbing Cartridge Pass---all in the same day! They reported that descending the north side of Explorer Pass involved sliding on the seat of their pants, and one of them proudly showed her ripped pants repaired with duct tape.

Thunderheads had been growing all day, and they erupted with rain as I reached the shore of the unnamed lake (10,859’) below Cartridge Pass. I pitched my tent in a hurry, and I managed to climb inside moments before the rain turned into hail. I witnessed a dramatic lightning bolt strike Arrow Peak across the canyon.

For shelter on this trip, I carried a vintage Henry Shires’ Tarptent, circa 2004. Over the past five years I’ve been using my homemade cuben fiber tarptent—-which I love—-but it needs repair, so I selected an alternative shelter from my arsenal of old tents. I felt nostalgic when pitching this tent. I had forgotten that the setup is very easy: just 4 stakes and it’s ready. Anyway, I was reminded how much I love this old tent. It's a classic piece of gear, and I'm planning to bring it back into my regular gear rotation.

On Tuesday August 11th, I descended a good use trail to the South Fork Kings River. I found the unmaintained switchbacks to be in good shape and the route easy to follow. I headed east to join the JMT. The notorious talus fields on the north side of the Kings River looked daunting, but in reality they were straightforward to cross. Of the three talus fields, the westernmost field required some rock hopping, the second field has a use trail along its southern edge, and the easternmost field can be avoided altogether by walking close to the river.

Slow Hiking
Back on the PCT/JMT, I spent August 11th-13th slowly returning to Roads End over Pinchot Pass and down Woods Creek. Although I’ve hiked this section of trail numerous times in the past, I've always rushed through at the fast pace of a thru-hike. This time I walked slowly and I savored the landscape. I frequently stopped for photographs, and I soaked my feet in the creek. With no rush at all, I happily sprawled in meadows and watched clouds drift over granite ridges without any concern for time. On the south side of Pinchot Pass, I avoided the JMT altogether and explored a cross-country route along the tarns below Mount Wynne and Mount Perkins. The JMT can feel like a busy hiking corridor, but getting off the trail—-even just 1000 meters—-can be enough to feel wilderness solitude.

Eventually I reached Paradise Valley and encountered a steady stream of day-hikers. Oddly, three different groups asked me “have you seen any bears?” My response was, “not on this trip.”

I returned to the Roads End trailhead at noon on Thursday August 13th. The trailhead was relatively quiet, absent from the heavy ranger presence I experienced the previous weekend. I climbed into the back of my Subaru and took a long nap.

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[Flamingo]

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[Flamingo]

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[Bishop_Bob]

"Will you just reassure me that I can break the law?"

[sekihiker]

What a great route. I appreciated the report and photos. Thanks for posting.
It can be really uncomfortable when folks want you to become a co-conspirator.

[frozenintime]

i love it! we did virtually this exact hike last september (complete with a big storm the moment we reached cartridge lake).

[cgundersen]

Hi Victor,
Wow! Absolutely glorious; what's really spectacular about that loop is that you get those amazing distant views all the way from Mts. Brewer and Gardiner in the early segment all the way up to the Palisades in the later stages. And, from your pal's report, Explorer pass can qualify as Pants pass junior?
Overall, it sounds like the trip took care of the existential issues that were following you up Copper creek. Great report! Cameron

[LMBSGV]

Loved reading your report and seeing the photos. As Cameron said, "Absolutely glorious." I was going to do this route in 2014 until a fire closed the Copper Creek Trail the day I arrived. I had previously done the High Route from State Lakes to Marion and Lakes Basin and was eager to return, but fate intervened and I ended up going to Upper Basin instead. Yes, Marion Lake really is a special mystical place. That’s wonderful you were able to experience it in solitude. Lakes Basin is a great place to simply wander around. The lake below Cartridge Pass is one of my favorites. Thanks for allowing me to vicariously follow this amazing route.

[levi]

Thank you for the beautiful report and photos, and kudos for writing it up so promptly! I really enjoyed reading it, particularly noting how your approach/exertion varied at times, and how you savored your time in the wilderness. I need to remind myself to do that more often.

And major props for how you handled the trailhead numbskull. "Wow" doesn't seem to cut it these days.

[PhilB]

Enjoyed the report and great photos. I've got the exact same Shires Tarptent and should have been setting it up in Lakes Basin about a week before you. For being so lightweight I'm sure it handled that hail storm no problem. Hoping I'll be able to get there next year instead.