Late-July Non-Lethal Route Inquiry--Help!

[isaac]

Hello, fellow mountain lunatics!
I'm hoping someone can give me a tip on a reliable 6-ish day route for a western Sierra entry, starting the last week of July.

Considerations:
- water crossings with lower survival rates than the average auto accident.
- a snowpack seemingly in excess of the last ice-age.

I'm experienced in this sort of wandering madness, but my partner is not. We are, however, both in very good fitness. (Is this starting to sound like a singles ad?)
I'm hoping to find an area to home in on that won't require axes/crampons, pack rafts or scuba gear, and that won't call for a brisk about-face after a failed crossing or terrifying cornice.

As always, I really appreciate the open flow of experience and knowledge here.
My heartfelt thanks in advance.

[maiathebee]

https://www.highsierratopix.com/communi ... php?t=4205

[Harlen]

Isaac writes:

I'm experienced in this sort of wandering madness, but my partner is not. We are, however, both in very good fitness. (Is this starting to sound like a singles ad?)

Well Hello there Isaac! You sound just fascinating! Can you Please send me a recent photo of you.... one from not more than 10 years ago?

Sorry Isaac, I got caught up in that singles ad thing. As for your query about west side Sierra routes w/o Herculean challenges, we were dead-set on going into LeConte Divide high country, leaving from the Maxon TH, right by Courtright Res. That was to be a late June trip, and we bailed because some of our large party balked at all of the snow travel. I did some research, and got some good HST advice, and a few of us felt that a great trip could still be made by limiting the trip to the Red Mountain Basin, and then crossing Lucifer's Pass and Saddle into upper Bench Valley basins. Do you savvy? RMB is just under Hell For Sure Pass. Bench Valley is just to the south, and both are pretty high elevation-- so There Will be Blood!... I mean "Snow!"

Yes, you'd have to be okay with a lot of snow travel, but after crossing the big, wide, Post Corral Creek (which I think will just be a deep wade) you shouldn't have too much trouble with stream crossings of Fleming Creek, and a few others to the south, some of which flow down into Little Shot, Big Shot, and Devil's Punchbowl Lakes.

Our plan had been to follow the above route, and carry on high up along LeConte Divide into Blackcap Basin, and even farther south, and then return via the trail along the North Fork of the Kings. That plan was nixed by the very real fear of difficult creek crossings, including Fleming, which low down would possibly be impossible for us to cross. I did see good potential to do great things up along the LeConte Divide, including a trip to fascinating Lake Confusion, which is set right on the divide, and must have a tremendous view. Check it out on the old maps Isaac. I hope someone else will perhaps detail some of the cool routes in Desolation Wilderness, or the Emigrant Wilderness. All the Best, Ian.

[Wandering Daisy]

How much off-trail (and navigation) experience have you and your partner had? Harlen's route has some off-trail stuff that I would not take an off-trail newbie on. Not sure what you really mean by "non-lethal". That can mean different things to different folks. Does that mean safe, but some misery is OK? Bushwhacking? Mosquitoes? Class 3 scrambling? How many miles a day? Do you want to fish?

I suspect that one of your bigger problems will be just getting a permit. Everyone is on "hold" right now, and we will all descend upon reserve.gov when things open up!

[isaac]

Thanks for the info, Ian! I'll pour over some maps tomorrow.
Daisy/Maia: Class 2.5 is all good. Class 3, maybe not this trip.
Extensive backpacking experience, minimal x-c, though comfortable w/maps. I don't think the major routes into obvious basins would pose any problem.
Comfortable with 20 mile days at sea level; 15 at altitude, depending on terrain. Snow, of course, changes everything.
Considered 3 days Emigrant/3 days Desolation, but heard that Desolation, for all its visual beauty, is the Disneyland of the Sierra, so to speak. That put me off it a bit. Emigrant may still go, but will be a veritable tour-de-mosquito. Though perhaps the whole range will be.
Bottom line--I'd always prefer something in King's Canyon and neighboring environs if it can be had. Hoping to glean some hope/potential routes.
Thanks again, all!

[jrad]

VVR to Upper Graveyard Lakes. Easy X-C Silver Fox Pass to Jackson Meadow (I ALWAYS camp there) ... Purple Lake ... Ram Lakes ... Franklin Lake (poor camping but feasible) to Bunny Lake (excellent camping) via Bunny Lake Pass (may be extra easy w/ snow) ... Cloverleaf Lake (zillions of fish and, maybe still, mosquitoes) ... Dorothy Lake to Constance to X-C Corridor Pass ... McGee Lakes ... Hopkins Pass to Mono Creek ... Up Second Recess to Gabbot Pass to Lake Italy ... Hilgard (trail mostly absent in 2004) down to JMT to E end of Lake Edison ... WATER TAXI to VVR (what a treat for last day!). Can avoid water taxi by going down Bear Ridge (my 2004 route) but I love the water taxi when lake is full.

I did that loop in 2004. About 75 miles. Lots of X-C (will see very, very few people - I saw just a handful in early August). Five X-C passes but all quite reasonable. THE best geology in all of the Sierra bar none! Many, many lakes, mostly beautiful, remote, NOT all granite slabs everywhere.

If tiring after Hopkins Pass (very serious "Use Trail" up N side), one could skip Lake Italy section and just go down Mono Creek to water taxi.

Mono Creek should be OK by then BUT one should check. It is really much more a river than a creek until later in (normal) summer.

Road to VR can be horrible. It was worst ever last year until mid-summer (incredible potholes, all fixed as far as Mono HS by August sometime - ask VVR folks). Nevertheless, is popular road with use even by a garbage truck (weekly?) as well as RVs and boat trailers! The road itself can be more of an adventure than the hiking some years.

More amenities than most any TH area in all of Sierra at VVR and Mono HS. Food, supplies, showers, hot soaks (free or paid). Actually, I think the best TH area in all of W Sierra. Excellent access to spectacular E Sierra using loops.

If interested in geology: http://personal.denison.edu/~greened/ge ... rrison.pdf ... amazing stuff to see. FAR, FAR, FAR surpasses the usual granitic slabs everywhere.

An alternative X-C pass is Gemini Pass. Kinda scary near top if have no ice axe or crampons (is still a remnant glacier with sliding-into-rocks danger if not very careful ... may be much easier in high snow year).

Fish Creek (Cascade Valley) is quite special area generally. Ram Lakes area can be especially beautiful with abundant flowers. Trail from Purple to Ram Lakes can be confusing. I put enhanced cairns a couple years ago since is easy to get side-tracked. Good camping around Ram Lakes but not much on to Franklin Lake area (unless you want to camp in sandy hollows N and W of Franklin). Probably want to camp just N and W of Franklin before attempting Bunny Lake Pass - looks more intimidating than it is (or was when I pioneered a route). On to Lake Wit-so-nah-pah, one of most beautiful in the Sierra, I think. Lots of competition for that qualification, of course, lots.

[Mike M.]

Isaac, It's too early to tell what conditions will be like in late July this year but I think we might get lucky. After an unusually mild spring, scorching hot weather is forecast for the central valley beginning this week. This will accelerate the snow melt. My guess is that much of the high country will be open by late July. Keep your eye on the weather forecast for Fresno. I also like to monitor the snow depth at Charlotte Lake.

What you're likely to see in the last week in July is higher than normal stream crossings, but the peak melt will have passed. Higher passes will still have snow on them, but there will be consolidated tracks along the snow-covered trail at the highest elevations, allowing for relatively easy travel without special equipment, provided you are wearing hiking boots. My main concern would be mosquitos -- expect lots of them.

Mike M.

[Wandering Daisy]

jrad, not to be a spoiler, but the route you describe is a fine route, but not one for anyone with "little off-trail" experience, no matter how fit they are and how many miles they can do on trails. Plus, that route will have SIGNIFICANT snow on all the passes.

The same general gist of your route can also be done with more miles on trails. PCT to Sliver Pass with layover to explore the lakes up top. Then PCT to Virginia Lake. Then to Purple Lake on PCT. An off-trail loop that may be OK for off-trail newbies, would be to Ram Lake, dh Franklin, back to Virginia Lake from below Ram Lake (pass Glennette Lake). No big passes on that loop. Back on PCT to Tully's Hole, McGee Trail. Then Roper's High Route - Tully Lake- Bighorn Pass- drop to Laurel Lake and pick up the trail down to Mono Creek- and trail back to Edison Lake. That is a "taste" of reasonable off-trail with a mostly trail route. The only tough part would be between Rosy Finch Lake and Laurel Lake. You could also go from Rosy Finch Lake to Bighorn? Lake and take the Mott Lake trail back to intersect the PCT below Silver Pass.

This year it is wise to be prepared to simply bail out and return the same route you entered if you run into dangerous conditions.

[wildhiker]

We did a hike in some of the same Silver Divide areas recommended by jrad in mid to late August of 1998 - also a heavy snowpack year, but not as much as this year. There was snow on both Silver Pass and Shout-of-Relief Pass (on the SHR), but not hard to navigate, and many lakes above 10,000 feet still partially or fully frozen. We carried our packs up McGee Pass (okay on the west side) with intention to loop back over Hopkins Pass to Mono Creek, but had to retreat when we saw the enormous cornice hanging over Hopkins Pass. This was about August 20 in 1998.
-Phil

[dbargaehr1]

We did a hike in some of the same Silver Divide areas recommended by jrad in mid to late August of 1998 - also a heavy snowpack year, but not as much as this year. There was snow on both Silver Pass and Shout-of-Relief Pass (on the SHR), but not hard to navigate, and many lakes above 10,000 feet still partially or fully frozen. We carried our packs up McGee Pass (okay on the west side) with intention to loop back over Hopkins Pass to Mono Creek, but had to retreat when we saw the enormous cornice hanging over Hopkins Pass. This was about August 20 in 1998.
-Phil

One thing to note is that despite the higher snowpack, the meltoff seems to be much quicker than 97-98 this year. Here's southern and whole sierra CDEC charts comparing '98 (pink line) to this year (blue line).

Screen Shot 2023-06-27 at 9.37.16 AM.png

Will echo that the silver divide and fish canyon area are fantastic. One thing to note is that IIRC reds meadow will be hard-to-access or inaccessible this year due to maintenance, and that was our launch point last year into fish canyon and up to Purple Lk then over duck pass back to Mammoth. There's alternative routes to get into fish canyon from Mammoth Lakes. Here's my TR from the area.

https://www.highsierratopix.com/communi ... te#p174880

Note that last year was a much lower snow year so it was completely snow-free and dry trail excepting the crossing at Cascade Valley Cutoff. Keep an eye on sentinel hub playground satellite images and look at past big snow years, especially 16-17 as it seems like the most analogous year to our current one. Late July is gonna be interesting this year, and i suspect it will be mosquito city.