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Another Year of Planning
#21369 02/10/12 02:44 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
Since I made the decision to hit the Sierra again this summer I have thrown together another major hike itinerary. I posted this on High Sierra Topixs for ideas and I thought I would post it here also.

Anyone have anything they can add to this in terms of things I should do or not do along the way?

It's ambitious I know but there is a reason people call me crazy. crazy

See the notes at the bottom for more details:

June 1 - 1 - Mineral King <--- drive to and stay at
June 2 - 1 - Franklin Lakes
June 3 - 2 - Forester Lake
June 4 - 3 - Amphitheater Lake
June 5 - 4 - Climb Mineral Peak - Monarch Lake
June 6 - 5 - Climb Sawtooth Peak - Columbine Lake
June 7 - 6 - Big Five Lakes
June 8 - 7 - Layover
June 9 - 8 - Little Five Lakes
June 10 - 9 - Lake 11,720
June 11 - 10 - Lake 11,520 <--- Pyra Queen Col - Kaweah Basin
June 12 - 11 - Layover
June 13 - 12 - Hamilton Lake
June 14 - 13 - Mehrten Creek
June 15 - 14 - Lodgepole
--------
June 16 - 15 - Bear Paw Meadow
June 17 - 16 - Big Arroyo
June 18 - 17 - Moraine Lake
June 19 - 18 - Kern Hotspring
June 20 - 19 - Layover
June 21 - 20 - Wallace Creek
June 22 - 21 - Guitar Lake
June 23 - 22 - Guitar Lake
June 24 - 23 - Junction Meadow
June 25 - 24 - Lake 11,400 <--- Pants Pass
June 26 - 25 - Tamarack Lake <--- Lion Rock Pass
June 27 - 26 - Lake 10,760 <--- Pterodactyl Pass
June 28 - 27 - Pear Lake
June 29 - 28 - Lodgepole
June 30 - 29 - Layover
--------
July 1 - 30 - Bear Paw Meadow
July 2 - 31 - Below Copper Mine Pass
July 3 - 32 - Roaring River <--- Cross Whaleback
July 4 - 33 - Talus Lake
July 5 - 34 - South Guard Lake
July 6 - 35 - climb brewer
July 7 - 36 - Layover
July 8 - 37 - Lake Reflection <-- Longely Pass
July 9 - 38 - Roads End
July 10 - 39 - Cedar Grove
--------
July 11 - 40 - Bubbs Creek
July 12 - 41 - Lake 9,500 <-- Gardiner Pass
July 13 - 42 - Lake 10,500
July 14 - 43 - Above Woods Creek <--- Kings Col
July 15 - 44 - Lake 11,120
July 16 - 45 - Layover
July 17 - 46 - Climb Mt. Ickes - Bench Lake <-- White Fork Saddle - White Fork Pass
July 18 - 47 - Lakes Basin <--- Cartridge Pass
July 19 - 48 - Marion Lake
July 20 - 49 - Lake 10,590 <-- Dumbell Pass - Saddle West of Observation Peak
July 21 - 50 - Palisade Creek
July 22 - 51 - Lake 11,600 <-- Cirque Pass
July 23 - 52 - Climb Mt. Sill
July 24 - 53 - Lake 11,420 <-- Potluck / Thunderbolt Passes
July 25 - 54 - Parchers Resort
July 26 - 55 - Layover
--------
July 27 - 56 - Leconte Canyon
July 28 - 57 - Hester Lake
July 29 - 58 - climb Langille Peak
July 30 - 59 - Ladder Lake
July 31 - 60 - Climb Citadel
August 1 - 61 - Lake 11,840
August 2 - 62 - climb charbydis
August 3 - 63 - Layover
August 4 - 64 - Lake 12,320
August 5 - 65 - Climb Goddard
August 6 - 66 - Climb Scylla camp at Lake 12,080
August 7 - 67 - Mcgee Lake <-- Wanda Pass
August 8 - 68 - Evolution Valley
August 9 - 69 - Muir Trail Ranch
--------
August 10 - 70 - Lower Desolation Lake
August 11 - 71 - Desolation Lake
August 12 - 72 - French Canyon
August 13 - 73 - Black Bear Lake
August 14 - 74 - Toe Lake
August 15 - 75 - Second Recess
August 16 - 76 - VVR
August 17 - 77 - Layover
---------
August 18 - 78 - Third Recess Lake
August 19 - 79 - Dade Lake
August 20 - 80 - Pine Creek Mine A level
August 21 - 81 - Extra Day
August 22 - 82 - Brownstone Mine
August 23 - 83 - Granite Park
August 24 - 84 - Bear Creek <-- Italy Pass
August 25 - 85 - VVR
August 26 - 86 - Layover
---------
August 27 - 87 - Graveyard Lakes
August 28 - 88 - Beetlebug Lake
August 29 - 89 - Iva Bell Hotsprings
August 30 - 90 - Reds Meadow
---------
August 31 - 91 - Beck Lakes
September 1 - 92 - Above Nydiver Lakes
September 2 - 93 - Lake 10,680
September 3 - 94 - Layover
September 4 - 95 - Lake 11,520
September 5 - 96 - Upper Lyell Fork
September 6 - 97 - Tuolumne Meadows
---------
September 7 - 98 - Great Sierra Mine
September 8 - 99 - Cascade Lakes
September 9 - 100 - Soldier Lake
September 10 - 101 - Horse Creek
September 11 - 102 - Peeler Lake
September 12 - 103 - Benson Lake
September 13 - 104 - Layover
September 14 - 105 - Matterhorn Creek
September 15 - 106 - Glen Aulin
September 16 - 107 - Tuolumne Meadows
---------
September 17 - 108 - Nelson Lake
September 18 - 109 - Echo Valley
September 19 - 110 - Triple Peak Fork
September 20 - 111 - McClure Lake
September 21 - 112 - Layover
September 22 - 113 - Dike Creek
September 23 - 114 - Lake 11,360
September 24 - 115 - Climb Clyde Minaret - Cecille Lake
September 25 - 116 - Reds Meadow
September 26 - 117 - Mammoth
----------
September 27 - 118 - Deer Lakes
September 28 - 119 - Franklin Lakes <-- Pika Pass
September 29 - 120 - Red and White Lake <-- Franklin Col
September 30 - 121 - Mono Creek <--- Pace Col
October 1 - 122 - VVR
October 2 - 123 - Layover
----------
October 3 - 124 - Blayney Hotsprings
October 4 - 125 - Colby Meadow
October 5 - 126 - Lake 10.360
October 6 - 127 - Cartridge Creek
October 7 - 128 - Marion Lake
October 8 - 129 - Muro Blanco <-- Petes Col
October 9 - 130 - Upper Paradise Valley
October 10 - 131 - Cedar Grove

The beginning of the hike has low miles to account for most likely hiking on tons of snow.

Many of the numbered lakes were not listed on my maps so I clicked the nearest contour line on Mapsource for name so it may be a bit confusing.

The out and back of the High Sierra Trail is so a friend of mine can do it and get back to his vehicle.

Drop down from Bench Lake hopefully by the best route the local Ranger can advise me.

One or two days like Lakes Basin it shows me only moving camp about a mile. This is for a layover style day.

After Ladder Lake I will attempt to cross the Black Divide West of Hester Lake. If I cannot I will drop down North to the Muir Trail and make my way around to Black Giant Pass.

When leaving McGee Lake I will take a route up past the lakes East of Emerald Peak.

I'll take Third Fourth Divide out of the Third Recess and then attempt to cross the ridge to the South East in order to reach Treasure Saddle.

I have an extra day planned around the Pine Creek Mine A level to spend more time exploring the area.

I plan to do some serious exploring of Brownstone Mine after the time I spent in it in 2010.

From the Graveyard Lakes I want to pass directly over to the North down to Peter Panda Lake then over the ridge to Beetlebug Lake.

After following the Sierra High Route to Twin Island Lakes I will move up the basin to the North of the Lakes and try to cross the ridge to the SW of Rodgers Peak into the Lyell Fork area. Then ascend up towards Lyell Col but hopefully up directly to the SE of the summit to hook around and bag the summit itself. Then descend down to Lyell Canyon.

I would go up Dike Creek to Mcdonald Pass then up to the small lake West of Clyde Minaret and over South Notch.

Leaving Mammoth would be up onto the Mammoth Crest.

I would hitch a ride again from VVR to Florence and go from there.

Last edited by RoguePhotonic; 02/10/12 02:53 PM.
Re: Another Year of Planning
RoguePhotonic #21372 02/10/12 03:01 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,251
Likes: 1
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Whilst at Guitar Lake, I assume you'll bag a freebie Whitney, so as to not harm any permits?.


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Another Year of Planning
RoguePhotonic #21374 02/10/12 04:42 PM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
OP Offline
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
Yeah that's why there are two nights there. Up and back down from the summit.

That's one thing I love about doing these sorts of long hikes is I have a total blank check for the whole Sierra. I got hassled in Yosemite by a Ranger telling me I needed a new permit and that she was going to check in on me with the wilderness office to make sure I got one. Well of course when I went to the permit desk they told me I do not need another one.

There are a few technicalities such as in Yosemite I have been told if you exit the wilderness at all you need a new permit but Rangers have told me that sort of thing does not apply to long distance hikers.

I'm sure even the 24 hour out and back in that SEKI does wouldn't be enforced either.

What will be horrible is when I have to go into the permit office at Mineral King and have them enter one at a time 130 days of hiking!

Last edited by RoguePhotonic; 02/10/12 04:51 PM.
Re: Another Year of Planning
RoguePhotonic #21386 02/11/12 05:18 AM
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,034
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,034
Originally Posted By: RoguePhotonic
Yeah that's why there are two nights there. Up and back down from the summit.

That's one thing I love about doing these sorts of long hikes is I have a total blank check for the whole Sierra.


yup, the yo-yo Muir Trail permits we got in '09 and '10 were the same way, especially when issued in Yosemite, since in Yosemite they don't enter any route details. It would have been difficult to explain to rangers what we were doing in Sequioa NP with a permit that stated entry Cathedral Lakes Trail head and exit Lyell Canyon 5 weeks later. On the other hand, nobody ever checked our permits outside of Yosemite, ever, so I don't know what kind of problems we would have had.

My biggest issue was the re-entry at Whitney Portal after resupplying there, and it took a long time to get official confirmation that you are allowed to exit the wilderness for 23 hours and 59 minutes and still have a valid permit if you return to the trail in time, even at Mt. Whitney where you'd have a hard time obtaining new permits.in the middle of summer.

Re: Another Year of Planning
RoguePhotonic #21391 02/11/12 11:27 AM
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
OP Offline
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
I've only gone out and entered again in the Whitney Zone once and I did not see any Rangers or get checked. This was July 7th While in 2009 I was forced to go out to Cedar Grove and then drive around to Whitney. I was out of the Wilderness for nearly 48 hours when I started up Whitney. Even spent the night at Trail Camp.

We'll see if it continues to be true for me this summer that only woman check your permits.


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