High Sierra Topix

Hey all, planning a trip for up to 6 days the first week in August and looking for ideas. I have a couple things to keep in mind:

most importantly, my wife will be 30 weeks pregnant at the time, so I want to stay within 1-1.5 long days of a trailhead, just in case something "happens". also im looking for somewhat low miles, from the east side, scenic lakes, looking for photo opportunities etc. I'll be solo, so no aggressive CC, but Id like to try my hand a little bit. Here's what I'm thinking:

-Lamarck lakes> Lamarck col> Darwin bench> evolution lake and then back the same way (this is very appealing since there are permits available as of right now)
-bishop pass> dusy basin> knapsack pass to barret lakes and back
-river trail> Ediza> iceberg, cecile, Minaret lake and back
-exploring Sabrina basin and jumping from lake to lake and doing day hikes

I don't know a lot about Mono pass and beyond- anything in that area noteworthy?


other suggestions?

carry a delorme so you can text her regularly.

absolutely, I carried one last year and it really makes being away from family a lot easier. Would not go without one now, for safety and for her piece of mind

There's plenty to see in the Mono Creek area, as described in this recent thread:
http://highsierratopix.com/community/vi ... =1&t=17561
-Phil

If you really want to stay close, look at Little Lakes Valley, or Saddlebag Lake in Yosemite. Both of those offer lots of options, while still being within only a few miles of your car.

Sabrina and Dusy are both good, great for photography, good fishing, a bit crowded near trails but have plenty of solitude off-trails. Both give enough to do for a 5-6 day trip. However, once into Barrett Basin getting out in a day is a bit harder due to the distance to get back to a trail. And do not forget all the places east of Bishop Pass where you could easily spend 2-3 days, especially if you fish. I did a trip report of a combo Dusy-east of Bishop Pass route last year (? or was it 2016). At Sabrina, there are basically three drainages to explore- the lakes above Blue Lake (Baboon, etc), the main drainage which is the most crowded and the Fishgut Lake drainage. Baboon and Fishgut involve short but tricky off-trail travel. I also did a trip report of that trip.

The Minarets, being along the PCT/JMT can get croweded, have permit problems and there are restrictions on parking at a trailhead. If you had to come out on short notice, you would have to wait for a shuttle bus. You can only drive your own car in and out very early AM and late PM.

Little Lakes is nice, but absolutely clogged with day-hikers and dog-walkers. Again, you need to get off trail to get any solitude.

I am not sure if I could do a 5-6 day trip up by Saddlebag Lakes - great for a shorter trip though.

Thanks for the suggestions- I think I’m leaning towards dusy for 4-5 days, picking up and moving a couple times within the area just to explore. I was pretty bummed about having to go through the area last year in complete darkness, so this is a perfect excuse to get back. And it doesn’t seem to get that crowded there does it? Also, any good peaks to climb from the basin, class 2-3?

Dusy Basin can get a little crowded around the trail especially around weekends. But if you venture off the trail to some of the more remote lakes you really will feel pretty alone unless someone happens to be camping at that lake/spot.

In terms of peaks... Columbine Peak is an easy Class 2 with some very minor Class 3 sections. This can be climbed directly from Knapsack Pass. The other peak would be Mt. Agassiz. Climbed directly from Bishop Pass via any number of routes but the most straightforward one goes up the most prominent chute. It's not as steep as it looks. It's loose but nothing horrendous. It's all Class 2. Isosceles Peak has a Class 3 route which I know nothing about on the Northeast Face. It will probably be tricky finding it and keeping it Class 3 since just about every other route on the peak is Class 5. Giraud Peak has a Class 3 route but its' a bit tricky. It will definitely have a nice view like Columbine of the Palisades.