TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4/11/

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seanr
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TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4/11/

Post by seanr »

After the storms last week, I hiked Owens Peak from Walker Pass via the PCT, Olancha Peak via Olancha Pass and the PCT, and then Cardinal Mountain (up the west/county line ridge & down the south chute) via Taboose Pass.

Olancha and Owens will be snow free until fall unless you go out right after any further spring storms. I was thankful to go on the heels of a storm for scenery purposes and because snow was the only water source besides an ugly trickle in Gomez Meadow (between Monache Meadow & Olancha Peak). Cardinal Mountain and Taboose Pass can probably be climbed mostly snow free if persistent about avoiding it, but there is patchy to continuous consolidated snowpack on horizontal, shaded, and north facing aspects above 10,000 feet. 3-24 inches (generally about a foot) of powdery snow made things interesting for me from the second creek crossing by the big waterfall upward, but the fresh snow has been melting very fast.

I enjoyed the flowers blooming down low on these hikes. They were most plentiful on the Owens Peak hike, but very nice along lower Taboose Creek.

Information on these hikes is not hard to come by so I'm leaving this brief. Let me know if there is anything specific you'd like me to post an image of from Taboose Pass area south of Big Pine to Walker Pass area. I may be able to help. George Creek and Williamson were certainly calling to me. Below are some of the highlights from Cardinal Mountain-Taboose Pass:
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Please do check weather forecasts and research conditions. I spent some time giving a ride to an inadequately prepared backpacker who found me at Walker Pass campground before the second (bigger) storm rolled in. It turned out he graduated a year before my wife from the same high school named after a famous mountain. Anyway, he thought it was nice enough out to show up out of shape and backpack from Walker Pass to Lone Pine in early April. He wisely turned back after after a few days due to the first storm and spraining his ankle among other factors. He missed the nice trail angels who drove through and spoke to my wife and I ten minutes before he appeared from his somewhat questionable shelter (or maybe the restroom) and found me. He was out of water and cold. He didn't realize the campground and area is lacking water. Additionally, he mentioned being out of shape and developing blisters. To top things off, he was reluctant to hitchike from the adjacent highway. Anyway, he seemed to be doing well besides a limp and fatigue. I was glad he aborted his trip and learned from the experience.
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ExploreABitMore
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by ExploreABitMore »

Great trip report and photos! Thanks for sharing, sure makes it tempting to head up Taboose.

By the way, how did you get those captions under your photos? Is that just italicized text with no spacing, or something more special?
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seanr
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by seanr »

ExploreABitMore wrote:Great trip report and photos! Thanks for sharing, sure makes it tempting to head up Taboose.

By the way, how did you get those captions under your photos? Is that just italicized text with no spacing, or something more special?

Thanks, I'd definitely be back near there if I had the time!

It seems like the easiest way for me to post images from my smartphone is to hit the upload attachment button below the main text box. From there you can enter text for each image in a separate box.
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by Hobbes »

Dang, I'm so jealous. I'd like to hit Taboose in May to catch even a little snow, but the way things look, it might be gone, gone baby.

We've got two storms lining up, next week and the week after, so perhaps a little additional coverage can be achieved for some May hiking.
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maverick
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by maverick »

Thanks for the info and pictures.

Sean wrote:
I enjoyed the flowers blooming down low on these hikes. They were most plentiful on the Owens Peak hike, but very
nice along lower Taboose Creek.
What elevation are we talking about along Taboose Creek? Was it this flower garden along the trail, though even with this
drought year it would be to early for it to be blooming this early: http://WildernessApertures.com/img/s11/ ... 8418-6.jpg
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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seanr
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by seanr »

Maverick, thanks for sharing! I wish it bad been like that! No, a few glimpses of color in the sandy stretches probably below 6,500 feet was better than nothing for me. I'll have to head back sometime!
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:lol:

PCT from Walker Pass to Owens shoulder had variety with many plentiful stretches throughout. I guess it is not surprising given the similar elevation.
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maverick
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by maverick »

Okay thanks.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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seanr
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Re: TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4

Post by seanr »

Hobbes wrote:Dang, I'm so jealous. I'd like to hit Taboose in May to catch even a little snow, but the way things look, it might be gone, gone baby.

We've got two storms lining up, next week and the week after, so perhaps a little additional coverage can be achieved for some May hiking.
I hope so too, but the next chunk of time I have for easily getting out far from home is Memorial Day. Unless a little storm comes through, like it often seems to around then, it may seem more like 4th of July. I imagine wildflowers may be decent around then. Good luck!
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