Trip Advice for North Lake/Humphrey’s Basin:
Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:50 pm
Greetings:
I am planning a 4 day/3 night backpacking trip from north Lake through Humphrey’s Basin and points beyond for Sept 21-24, 2012 and am seeking advice on potential routes/destinations. I am a level 4 with regard to backpacking experience that encompasses ~15 years with 1-3 trips per year, primarily in the central, high and Tahoe Sierra, though I have also led backpacking trips into both Denali and the Peruvian Andes.
With regard to terrain, I am comfortable fording a moderately challenging river, have some experience traversing glaciers with only ice axe and crampon, have ascended many a high Sierra pass, and summated ~10 North American peaks (11-13K) that required, at most, unroped, Class 3 moves on rock.
My primary interests for this trip are to camp/fish at 1 high elevation lake, camp at 1 (lower) elevation forested creekside site , and to summit 1 peak. I will be traveling solo with my 5 year old Golden Retriever. There are a myriad of possible itineraries I can envision that will in all reality, change with the passing of storm cells while I am out there
Thus far one possible itinerary is:
Day 0: Drive from sea level to the private lodge on South Lake Rd (off Rt 168; >8000 ft ASL) and stay there o/n.
Day 1: Drive to North Lake, park, and set out towards Puite Pass mid morning. Camp/fish late day at Desolation Lake
Day 2: Fish Desolation Lake early am. Backpack down to and camp at Hutchinson meadow.
Day 3: Backpack up to, camp, and fish Packsaddle Lake
Day 4: Summit Matthes Peak via Packsaddle pass, return to camp, backpack to Piute Pass then to North Lake TH. End trip.
I am not wed to summiting Matthes peak but have earnestly examined all the peaks along the Glacial Divide seeking the easiest path especially since the only way my dog will negotiate a class 3 move is me hauling him over the hump. He is ok boulder hopping talus fields so long as he can find a somewhat level spot to land after each jump. He is comfortable negotiating snow, but in such a low snow year as 2012 my goal is to skirt around the glaciers of the Glacier Divide if possible. No crampons/ice axe this trip.
I do not want to pack more than 12 miles in any day (as my pack will likely be heavy), 8-10 per day is ideal. Other peaks in the area that interest me are Mt Goethe, Wahoo Peak, Four Gables, Pilot Knob. If I limit my time in Humphreys basin/summiting a peak, I have considered the possibility of either exploring French Canyon or Lower Piute Ck (turnaround at JMT/entrance to SEKI Park). Though I have heard lower Piute Creek is not very nice.
As you can see, there are several problems with the proposed itinerary, of which one is the danger in scheduling a peak summit on the last day. If weather prohibits the ascent, I will have to forgo a summit attempt, whereas scheduling a peak ascent on the 2nd day would leave me 2 additional shots at an ascent when the weather clears. From what I have told you, it is clear there are countless possibilities, but given the 2 weak points in my trip: 1)dog’s ability to negotiate rock and 2) solo trip, I am seeking an adrenaline pumped itinerary that is tempered with safety and (summit) success. As I get older I have become more risk averse; hence most of my summit attempts in recent years have yielded retreats for a variety of reasons.
Sorry for the exhaustive description, but maverick advised posters to give sufficient information. Thanks for reading!
Howard
I am planning a 4 day/3 night backpacking trip from north Lake through Humphrey’s Basin and points beyond for Sept 21-24, 2012 and am seeking advice on potential routes/destinations. I am a level 4 with regard to backpacking experience that encompasses ~15 years with 1-3 trips per year, primarily in the central, high and Tahoe Sierra, though I have also led backpacking trips into both Denali and the Peruvian Andes.
With regard to terrain, I am comfortable fording a moderately challenging river, have some experience traversing glaciers with only ice axe and crampon, have ascended many a high Sierra pass, and summated ~10 North American peaks (11-13K) that required, at most, unroped, Class 3 moves on rock.
My primary interests for this trip are to camp/fish at 1 high elevation lake, camp at 1 (lower) elevation forested creekside site , and to summit 1 peak. I will be traveling solo with my 5 year old Golden Retriever. There are a myriad of possible itineraries I can envision that will in all reality, change with the passing of storm cells while I am out there
Thus far one possible itinerary is:
Day 0: Drive from sea level to the private lodge on South Lake Rd (off Rt 168; >8000 ft ASL) and stay there o/n.
Day 1: Drive to North Lake, park, and set out towards Puite Pass mid morning. Camp/fish late day at Desolation Lake
Day 2: Fish Desolation Lake early am. Backpack down to and camp at Hutchinson meadow.
Day 3: Backpack up to, camp, and fish Packsaddle Lake
Day 4: Summit Matthes Peak via Packsaddle pass, return to camp, backpack to Piute Pass then to North Lake TH. End trip.
I am not wed to summiting Matthes peak but have earnestly examined all the peaks along the Glacial Divide seeking the easiest path especially since the only way my dog will negotiate a class 3 move is me hauling him over the hump. He is ok boulder hopping talus fields so long as he can find a somewhat level spot to land after each jump. He is comfortable negotiating snow, but in such a low snow year as 2012 my goal is to skirt around the glaciers of the Glacier Divide if possible. No crampons/ice axe this trip.
I do not want to pack more than 12 miles in any day (as my pack will likely be heavy), 8-10 per day is ideal. Other peaks in the area that interest me are Mt Goethe, Wahoo Peak, Four Gables, Pilot Knob. If I limit my time in Humphreys basin/summiting a peak, I have considered the possibility of either exploring French Canyon or Lower Piute Ck (turnaround at JMT/entrance to SEKI Park). Though I have heard lower Piute Creek is not very nice.
As you can see, there are several problems with the proposed itinerary, of which one is the danger in scheduling a peak summit on the last day. If weather prohibits the ascent, I will have to forgo a summit attempt, whereas scheduling a peak ascent on the 2nd day would leave me 2 additional shots at an ascent when the weather clears. From what I have told you, it is clear there are countless possibilities, but given the 2 weak points in my trip: 1)dog’s ability to negotiate rock and 2) solo trip, I am seeking an adrenaline pumped itinerary that is tempered with safety and (summit) success. As I get older I have become more risk averse; hence most of my summit attempts in recent years have yielded retreats for a variety of reasons.
Sorry for the exhaustive description, but maverick advised posters to give sufficient information. Thanks for reading!
Howard