TR: Blackcap, Blue Canyon, Tunemah, Bench Valley, Devils Punchbowl

[SSSdave]

One of your most successful fishing expeditions, well done. Thanks for all the photo work so enjoyable to look at fueling dreams.

I do like all 3 of the west facing Le Conte Divide basins that are optimal for sunset dusk work. Expect to draw up a plan for a leisurely semi base camping trip just to Red Mountain Basin that would need to date late July. Note long ago did take the short cut cross country into Devil's Punchbowl and vaguely recall some willowy unpleasantness GE in this era could remedy. The key for my own trip would be clear atmospheres during a period with some air cleaning thunderstorm weather. I do like the upper Bench Valley lake scenery.

[michaelzim]

Daisy

Indeed, so much of our trips overlapped and cool to see you ended up in the exact same campsite I had pondered at that lower no-name Tunemah Lake = 10458. It's not like there are an abundance of sites (IMHO) so that grassy flat spot was almost an anomaly. Ended up staying at the upper lake, so passed on that pleasing spot. We camped below that "11987" peak and it sure does show off well in different light. Impressive!

Having been in Blackcap and Red Mountain basins prior to the Tunemah venture I was intrigued to see such beautiful fish from Punchbowl. As I am confused mightily by the naming of these mountains trout (their colour does not seem to match their names to my eye), what are the species you caught there? Totally different in appearance to the Golden and Rainbows Ian pulled out.

No doubt when I finally get my version of trip report done we will see some more matching photos too - though Ian already posted many to show the vivid beauty of these areas. Thanks much for the great TR, and getting to Portal from Maxson in a day and a half is also impressive!

Best ~ Michaelzim

[Wandering Daisy]

I did not get to Portal in a day from the TH. Two days.

I really am not any good at identifying fish. I hope someone who does this better than me can identify them. I think one of the fish I caught at the lake on Tunemah lower bench was a Rainbow. The rest probably are brookies.

[SSSdave]

Portal Lake 6 pan sized rainbows
lake 10458 3 rainbows (one fat one)
Cathedral Lake 14" rainbow, one fish meal. Note small head.
Devil's Punchbowl 4 eastern brook, one toothy big mouth female, nice dinner.

[cgundersen]

Daisy,
From your photos (and Ian's) and John's ranking of E. Tunemah basin, I'm even more obsessed than ever to finally get into that area after whiffing on three prior tries. In spite of the routing errors you reported, your perseverance obviously paid handsome dividends. I too will be curious whether anyone has tackled that shortcut from Devil's punchbowl that you were contemplating. It looks straightforward, but then again, the wilderness can be full of surprises.......and thankfully, found cameras! Cameron

[goddard's will]

Wandering Daisy
Hello again.
I'm the fellow that you chatted with at Cathedral Lake, and have been looking forward to reading your trip report and the details of your full adventure. My outing was an abbreviated 5 day outing from the Maxon trailhead to Blackcap basin and back, with Cathedral Lake definitely being the highlight of the trip.
I also enjoyed our chat, and after viewing your fish photos was reminded that it's mostly 'the angler and not the gear' that fills the stringer. Great photos, and I particularly like the morning photo of the peak reflected in the pond near the Cathedral Lake outlet. That's an intriguing route you found from the head of Crown basin up to the Cathedral Lake basin. I looked long and hard at the route Roper describes from Portal Lake up, but I opted for the longer, easier traverse northeast from Portal lake towards Pearl Lake and then upward on the the well-cairned ledges topping out near Chapel Lake.
Am anxious to get back to that area, especially while it is still relatively free of smoke. I agree that the march in from the Maxon trailhead is pretty mundane, at least until one is greeted by the meadow just below Portal Lake that offers the first closeup open vews of the higher peaks and ridges. The long approach did make for advancing at a good clip, as there is not much to distract from the 'just walking' process.
And.....Those must be some dicey backroads to stress out a solo mountaineer like yourself!
Thanks for sharing a terrific trip report.

[robertseeburger]

I really enjoyed this TR.
I was basically in the same places in a trip in 2018, and would really like to go back.
And from my perspective...no one gets to that basin east of Tunemah Lake, and like others have said... two in very short duration!
Wow!
Great photos and enjoyed reading the TR with map in hand..following the route. This is an area I hope to return to ..perhaps next year!
(I still would like to see someone take the old Tunemah trail from Tunemah down to the Kings River as a loop trip. I tried and using the route I took I had to turn around, but would like to try again, or read a TR that does this. )

[Wandering Daisy]

I have less anxiety climbing on my own two feet than driving a car, or worse, being a passenger in a car. The road to the Sequoia NF trailheads (Rowell, etc) is "paved' but extremely narrow, one lane, cliff on one side, no shoulder, and broken pavement. I am terrible at backing up a car if I were to meet someone, especially a truck hauling a horse trailer! There also is a chance of an outer piece of the road simply crumbling. On the plus side is the less expensive FS permit that is actually easy to get and the easiest access to Deadman and Cloud Canyon.

Based on what I have read, the "old" Tunemah trail is gone and the route is a real bushwhack. On a previous trip I did drop down below the lakes east of Tunemah, about half-way down to Goddard Creek and that part probably would go, but could also get to be a bushwhack. I have seen bear scat at the lakes east of Tunemah and wonder if they come up from Goddard Creek or up from Alpine Creek.

Although I had to deal with more mosquitoes, sogginess and wading crossings, my earlier season trips were more enjoyable, especially the wildflowers and clearer air. A bit of snow on the mountains also made for better photos. It is such a lush area when grasses and meadows are at their peak. It looked a bit "tired" this time. Pre-monsoonal weather is also easier to deal with, as well as cooler temperatures for walking.

[robertseeburger]

WD, I did another trip out of Wishon for 3 days a little bit earlier this month.
I looked at my pictures, and decided that it wasn't worth posting as a trip report here.
But I echo your sentiment about certain areas being "tired". A creek was dry that I had difficulty fording just a couple of years ago.
And a lake I went to was way down from its normal level and I wondered about it eventually turning into a meadow.
It was very dry. I understand the word you used "tired". Not all the Sierra is like this fortunately.

[Harlen]

I believe we have been shorted one Trip Report by Wandering Daisy. Near the end of the fine TR above, she wrote:

...I would meet my husband at Princess Campground in Sequoia NF; he would be joining me with the trailer. We would hang out four days, drop my car at Roads End and he would drop me off at Wolverton for my next trip.

We are left hanging... did she or didn't she wander off again into the Tablelands, and return via the South Fork of the Kings River? I'm guessing she either went up into Cloud or Deadman Canyons to finish the trip she got snowed or rained out of a few years back?

Down in there somewhere?:

100_0514.jpg

Cloud Canyon from Coppermine Peak. South Guard, Mt Brewer and North Guard to the left.



Of course, Wolverton might also lead into Kaweah Gap, and on to Kaweah Basin, and around??

Around here?:

100_0721.jpg

Northeast from Kaweah Gap.


It's the time of year to pull Trip Reports out our hats. Looking forward to it Nancy, ... or has it been written up, and I somehow missed it? If so, please bump it up for us.