Last summer I had the opportunity to join a group of ultralight backpackers from BPL on a trip in Emigrant Wilderness. I was fortunate to meet Andrew and Chris on the trip and like most people in the group they were well versed in the latest UL gear, food, techniques and cuben fiber bling.
During that summer trip we all shared stories about our latest journeys over the UL campfire. After hearing about a winter trip I took last year Andrew mentioned possibly doing a group snowshoeing trip in the winter. He was finishing up a personal challenge to do a Sierra backpacking trip every a month for a year and a snowshoeing trip was a good fit that winter.
We agreed to get something scheduled for that winter but the busy holiday season came and went and before long it was January 2014. By early 2014 we decided to head out in March, weather permitting. Although it was a dry winter a few late season storms hit the Sierra and there was plenty of snow!
With about four days available for the trip we decided to try the classic Evolution Loop on snowshoes. The loop is about fifty miles and this seemed like a reasonable distance for a four day trip. I would go in a day early to check the conditions then we would decide which way to start when they arrived the following day.
Due to the large amount of fresh snow at high altitude our plan turned out to be overly ambitious. The recent storms left two to three feet of fresh powder on the north facing slopes. I spent the first day breaking trail through deep powder and by the time I got above timberline at 10,400 feet it was time to make camp. It had taken six hours to go five miles. Echo Col was six miles away over difficult cross country terrain on unconsolidated snow. At this rate it would take four days just to get to Muir Pass.
By the time Andrew and Chris arrived the next day we decided to follow my tracks back up to Sabrina Basin and see how far we could go. . .
The road to Sabrina Basin was gated outside of Aspendell so we walked the first 1.8 miles to the trailhead.
I have been wanting to get an up-close and personal look at the Minarets ever since I rushed by them (much too quickly) while thru-hiking the John Muir Trail a few years ago. Their dark volcanic spires are beautiful and striking against the collection of small alpine lakes at the base of the range.
After spending much of the winter diligently studying Steve Ropers cross country route that traverses the area I was ready to hit the trail. . . or off-trail as much of the route required.
Fortunately a three day window of time opened up on the way back from another trip in the northern Sierra this summer. . . So with permit in hand I was ready to leave from the Devils Postpile trailhead near Mammoth Lakes.
The first river crossing near Devils Postpile National Monument:
After taking a few winter trips in the local San Jacinto mountains this winter I was excited to take a real Sierra winter trip. For my first real winter experience in the Sierras I decided to start from familiar ground, the North Lake trailhead near Bishop. The plan was to cross the Sierra Crest at Piute Pass, then cross the Glacier Divide at Alpine Col and finally back over the Sierra Crest at Lamarck Col. I had four days and three nights to make the loop on snowshoes.
Driving out of Bishop for some big mountain adventure.
The start of our journey at the Onion Valley trailhead.
Day 1 started with some logistics. After leaving our cars at the South Lake trailhead near Bishop we took a shuttle to Onion Valley. Although it was convenient to start and end this section of the SHR from the east side of the Sierra it meant that our first day would be spent hiking toward the official start of the route at the Copper Creek trailhead at Roads End. By the time we made it to Onion Valley it was already 10:30 am.
Day 3 was the beginning of the cross country section of the SHR. After hiking a short time to the top of Granite Pass we left the trail and contoured northeast to Grouse Lake. The water in this pristine alpine lake was beautiful.
Tarn above Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal: 16.5 Miles
Sept. 22nd, 2011.
I woke up to the sound of groups of hikers passing by at 3:45 am. They were heading up the switchbacks by headlamp. I wasn't comfortable hiking on an unfamiliar trail at high elevation by headlamp, so I relaxed and dozed off.
Within an hour or so I could see their headlamps on the side of the mountain, way way up toward the top. A friend had told about seeing this same thing many years ago, and now here I was.
By 6:30 am I had gathered my gear and while wearing every piece of clothing I had I started up the trail toward Mt. Whitney. For the first 20 minutes it was seriously cold, but soon I removed almost everything and hiked there rest of the way in shorts with silk long johns, a wind breaker and lightweight hat/gloves.
The views of Mt. Hitchcock and Hitchcock Lakes in the sunrise was beautiful. While hiking up toward Trail Crest I passed a few bivy camp sites (possible camp spots for next time). The trail was basically dug out of the granite most of the way. There was a storm passing from the east and although it was sunny there was snow blowing over from the other side of the ridge.
In the morning the storm from yesterday was long gone and the view back toward Upper Basin and Mather Pass was crystal clear.
Upper Basin and Mather Pass from camp.
It was a clear morning and soon I was at the top of Pinchot Pass. The views to the north of Marjorie Lake were amazing. Like the views from many of the passes on the JMT, the vast scale of the area is hard to express or capture in photos.
Looking north from Pinchot Pass.
To the south of Pinchot Pass is a beautiful alpine area with meandering streams and wide open views of the red colored mountain peaks to the west. The view from below the pass of the gigantic southwest face of Mt. Wynne highlights the stripes of light colored granite. The trail is easy and I made good time to the Sawmill Pass trail junction.
The view of Mt. Wynne and Pinchot Pass (on the left) from the south side of Pinchot Pass.
The trail on the south side of Pinchot Pass.
The section of trail from Sawmill Pass to Woods Creek suspension bridge was probably my least favorite part of the JMT. It follows mainly granite stairs up and down along the creek for almost 4 miles. It may be that not eating enough was starting to tap my energy with some lagging at this point in the day. Sometimes I just didn't want to stop and eat, but by the time I reached the bridge I forced myself to stop for lunch. Feeling a little better I crossed the Woods Creek bridge. The suspension bridge was a big landmark for me. After reading so many trip reports about the bridge I was excited to see it in person.
Woods Creek Bridge.
I took a video while crossing the bridge. There are many camp sites on the opposite side, but as usual the entire area was vacant this late in the season. I saw one couple that looked like they were having a disagreement which made me extra stoked to be solo on the JMT. Just me and nature. Sweet!
Crossing the Woods Creek bridge.
The trail up to Rae Lakes from Woods Creek is steeper than I had anticipated and I just kept my slow and steady pace up the switchbacks and rocky trail. It started to rain lightly as I passed through some of the forested area. I passed a good large camp site littered with downed trees about half way up to the lakes. Later a small group would ask if there was a good camp for them nearby and I recommended the area.
Soon I reached the Dollar Lake and missed the classic photo opportunity of the lake with Fin Dome in the background. More time for photos later.
For the first time on the entire JMT I started to see large groups of people camping along the trail. At Arrowhead Lake there were a few groups of people wearing full rain gear taking photos along the lake. Full size free standing double wall tents, guys standing around in boots and warm jackets talking about the 'real world'. It all seemed so strange. I was warm as long as I kept moving along in shorts, t-shirt and trail runners. The light rain was keeping me at a nice comfortable temperature and I was hitting my late afternoon second wind. It felt like all of the less picturesque parts of the trail earlier in the day were a small price to pay to enjoy these late afternoons.
First view of Glen Pass under cloudy skies.
I could hear a group of people hanging out at the ranger station as I passed by but I just kept moving. After being on the trail solo for so long I wasn't anxious to break the mesmerizing feeling of being 'with' nature. The view of the first Rae Lake was beautiful and the storm clouds still hadn't produced much rain. I picked up the pace and started looking for good camp sites. I remember seeing a trip report where someone had camped right above the southern Rae Lake with good views of the Painted Lady. I just kept going and figured at worst I would find something just below Glen Pass.
Finally I reached the last Rae Lake and the views matched the pictures I had seen before. I hiked up a bluff up to a plateau and found several flat camp sites with great views of the lake and Painted Lady. After setting up camp I was a little startled by a man who came out of nowhere to say hi. He was camping nearby at the lakes outlet and was in the middle of a week long stay. After chatting for a while I made dinner (in the dark) and got to be early. The plan was to get up early and make it over Glenn Pass and Forester Pass to set up for the final stretch toward Whitney.
Camp on bluff overlooking Rae Lake and the Painted Lady.
Many thanks to Nick Gatel from Backpackinglight.com for organizing a fun trip through some of his stomping grounds in the Anza Borrego desert. We left our GPS units at home and followed Nick along mostly cross country routes that were based on his experience in the area. After leaving the Alcoholic Pass TH on Saturday we didn't see another person (or human footprint) until hiking out on Sunday.
We followed a wash/trail up to Alcoholic Pass. Nick mentioned that the pass is named after the cattle ranchers who used this pass to access the bars in Borrego Springs many years ago.
After a quick 600 foot incline we made it over Alcoholic Pass with some good views of the Santa Rosa Mountains.
Walking through Chola gardens on the way toward Butler Canyon. . .
Soon we were following Butler Canyon.
Then up the remains of an old indian 'trail' cross country toward the Playa.
The Playa with the Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains in the distance.
Nick decided to sleep under the stars and was trying out a Zpacks poncho/groundsheet, Neo-Air and cuben quilt.
Jace kicked it in luxury, a GG Squal Classic. When he needed some advice with the tent Glen Van Peski actually invited him over for personal UL instruction at his house. Now that's customer service.
Jim's Tarptent Squal2.
Chad was using a bivy and later setup a tarp in storm mode when the winds kicked up.
I was trying out a homemade cuben fiber tarp shelter based on Glen Van Peski's cuben wedge. I had just finished sewing this up on Friday afternoon and was looking forward to testing it out. Little did I know that it would be facing 50 mph wind gusts later that night.
I was using some other homemade gear; cuben backpack, sleeping bag/quilt, bivy, poncho/groundsheet, windshirt and rain gear.
Chilling out after a long day in the desert.
Later the wind really got going. It was about 40 mph consistently until 3:30 - 4:00 am when we started getting some 50 mph gusts. Both of the tarptents were flattened. Chad and I made it through using some low profile tarp setups. The next morning we were all ready to get going. . .
We followed along this ridge and eventually made it down to Box Canyon on the right.
Jim navigating the ridge down toward Box Canyon.
Here's a map of the route.
Thanks again to Nick for showing us some of the 'Desert High Route'.
This is the day I found my trail legs and felt totally acclimated. I woke up feeling strong and rested and after drying out my quilt, bivy and tarp from the condensation and rain I hit the trail. My pack was light (with almost no food) as I walked through the meadows just below Sallie Keys Lakes. I fell into my usual two mile/hour pace and quietly came across two groups of deer in a clearing. The morning fog was just lifting from the meadows and the sky was clear and blue. I made it down the switchbacks to Muir Trail Ranch to collect my resupply and after socializing with some familiar hikers I made my way along the San Joaquin River toward Evolution Valley.
Sunrise on Sallie Keys Lake.
A family of Deer along the trail.
I was starting to see some familiar thru-hikers as we ran into each other at various times along the trail. As I sorted out my resupply more and more people made it to MTR, a popular resupply point at the middle of the JMT. It's been months now since I left the trail and I can't remember all of the names, but we had a good time talking gear and food at the ranch. Talk of food seems to be the main topic of conversation with thru-hikers. One guy joked that his base weight was only eight pounds, but he carried forty pounds of food.
After resupplying my pack weighed 17 pounds with all the food I needed to complete the final 110 miles to Whitney Portal in 7 days.
Entrance to Muir Trail Ranch.
Resupply cabin at Muir Trail Ranch.
Resupply at MTR.
The obligatory ultralight scale photo. 17 pounds for the final 7 days/110 miles.
San Joaquin River.
The trail along the San Joaquin River is beautiful with great views of the river. I passed the Piute Trail Jct. and crossed the bridge into Kings Canyon National Park. Kings Canyon is home to Evolution Valley, Muir Pass, Pinchot Pass, Forester Pass and the other high passes that followed.
Bridge over Piute Creek.
The entry to Kings Canyon.
It was 5:00 pm by the time I reached Franklin Meadow and the switchbacks up to Evolution Valley. I was starting to really hit my stride and in the later afternoons I seemed to have unending energy. I made it up the 700 feet of steep granite steps and switchbacks up to Evolution Valley and in less than an hour I was crossing the creek at Evolution Meadow.
The benefit to traveling in the 'late season' during mid to late September is that there are no crowds and very few mosquitoes. Unfortunately this time of year also means shorter days and by 6:30 pm it was getting dark. It was 7:00 pm before I made it to McClure Meadow and made camp for the night. I slept under the trees with the sound of Evolution Creek quietly passing by.
I got another late start and somehow didn't get on the trail until 9:50 am. I must have needed the recovery time and at least I was leaving an hour earlier than the day before. Camping at Quail Meadows was a perfect place to rest and get ready to hike up Bear Ridge first thing in the morning. I was fresh and ready to head up the 2,000 feet of switchbacks. The trail is well graded along this steep section and it didn't take long to get to the top. I noticed the first tree graffiti carved into the white bark of the trees in this area. At first I thought it was some way of indicating the altitude, but soon I realized people had actually carved their initials into the trees. I wondered who would do that in such a pristine wilderness area?
Bear Ridge switchbacks.
Tree graffiti on the JMT.
I made good time and quickly passed the Italy Lake Trail Jct., Bear Creek Meadow and Rosemarie Meadow. Soon I was chasing the clouds up toward Seldon Pass and passing beautiful Marie Lake. I was still noticing some difficulty getting a full breath of air toward the top of the pass and I felt like I was struggling at the top.
The view of Marie Lake on the way to Seldon Pass.
After Seldon Pass I wandered through an amazing pastoral area filled with flowing creeks and a small lake/tarn surrounded by granite walls. It reminded me of the puffy grass and meandering streams just below Donohue Pass. Total peaceful beauty.
Meandering creek on the way to Heart Lake.
Once past Heart Lake I caught my first glimpse of Sallie Keys Lakes. I had read much about these beautiful remote lakes and I was surprised to come across a lone hiker walking along the shore without a backpack. It turns out he was with a large group that had a base camp set up between the two lakes. There was even a group taking pictures of two girls in row boats on the lake when I passed by. I found a peaceful remote spot in the trees across the lake and set up my tarp and bivy. I did my usual evening routine of stretching and had some dinner by the lake. It was actually calming to fall asleep to the familiar sound of 'Brown Eyed Girl' being played on guitar across the lake that evening. . . I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of rain from another passing storm. Another great night on the JMT.
