So those who are interested on this forum I will post the report from my 2012 hike when ever I get the damn thing up lol.
I set out this year to do 140 days in the sierra with 80% cross country travel. unfortunately I was injured badly crossing Rodgers Pass on day 108 and had to hobble out of the Sierra and home after 111 days total.
In the end I visited 202 lakes, climbed 13 peaks, 53 passes with 42 being cross country. I climbed and dropped around 200,000 feet while traveling 3 national parks, 2 national forests and 3 wilderness areas.
Here is one photo from my starting location of Mineral King, Franklin Lakes:
I'm recovering slowly. I nearly broke my tail bone in a nasty fall and sliced my finger open badly. On day two making my way out a Ranger helped me dig rocks out of my finger.
It was hard to walk out and it's still painful to do much but i'll recover.
The Sierra Animal has returned! I was wondering where you were or what you were up to.
At Hamilton Lake, I met a fellow from Texas who had talked to you last summer. He was leading a group of 6 from Tx, and they were planning on heading over Kaweah Gap and Pants Pass to see Lake Italy -- "because Rogue Photonic told me last year that it was a really pretty place". Unfortunately, one look at Pants and they decided on Kern Hot Springs instead.
At least I got over Pants Pass. Monster pass!
RP: rather than making a single huge trip report, why don't you roll it out piece by piece. IMO, it would be more fun reading in installments.
I think you might have your lakes mixed when you say Italy Lake. That is very far North from Pants Pass in the Mono Divide area.
They probably went to the Kaweah Gap area based on what I told them but not Pants. I did Pants for the first time this year. It's a loose one for sure. Twice I had the whole hill side go on me and I had to run across the slope to get out of the way of the slide.
I honestly don't know how I will write this report this year but it certainly will be in parts.
Sorry to hear you got hurt....it's a real bummer you had to end your trek early. Question from a jealous WZer: How do you have so much time to hike? I wish I could plan on taking 140 days off to hike the Sierras....and lose 41 pounds too......what's your secret....did you win the lottery?
Lol how I have the time is one of the most common questions I get.
I currently work in construction doing suspended acoustical ceilings and wall panels. Also FRP wall panels. But the key is I work for my uncle so I can get off all the time I want and have a job when I get home so I have been taking advantage of it while I can. I just save up all year and hit the trails or in this case just the mountains with no trails. ;)
If you mean unwanted company from the Marmots yes that was sure true. They got me good at Franklin Lakes and destroyed one of my new 100 dollar water shoes that I had never worn before. They also put a hole in my pack, my pot handle and stuff sack. They tried to eat my camera, my gps, my solar panel and cords, my trekking poles, my tent and probably more that I have forgotten about.
Another guy that was camped at Franklin Lakes that was just laying out woke up and a Marmot was chewing up his sleeping bag while he was in it!
It was a good year to attempt such a long trip since we had so little snow. I certainly am happy with what I got done. I feel that my skills in these mountains have reached a point of being an expert without an ego attached. Last year I didn't like going cross country as much due to how much more demanding it is but now I feel as normal off trail as on them. I also have slowly built up my climbing skills where I should start roping up. I have hit class 4 and 5 with major exposure but coming down that sort of stuff without a rope is just difficult! I lost the Rock Route on Clyde Minaret and ended up on some class 5 with a 1000 foot exposure. Luckily while climbing up though!
I just hate that what I had failed to do last year I planned for this year and failed again. Such as completing the Sierra High Route North of Tuolumne and doing the Enchanted Gorge, Cartridge Creek and the Murro Blanco. Oh well who knows maybe next year.
I think I will also try to do a major exploration of the Pine Creek Mine in the future. I found a way into the mine and it has 32 miles of tunnels and 3500 feet of elevation change from top to bottom. Anyone want to spend 3 days under ground with me lol.
So summit lists are: (in order)
Russell
Peak 12,345 (Copper Mine Peak)
Brewer
Peak 12,064 (White Fork Peak)
Peak 12,176 (Cartridge Peak)
Observation
Peak 11,255 (at the corner of Palisade Creek and the Middle Fork of the Kings
Langille
The Citadel
Charybdis
Godddard
Peak 10,755 (South of McClure Meadow)
Clyde Minaret
(Peak name removed) was probably the most cool because the original register is on top and I was the 5th summit ever of the peak and the first in 6 years.
I had many more peaks planned but the weather stopped most of them. I was going to climb Sill and Polemonium but I burnt my extra day with two other hikers at the Dumbell Lakes so I didn't have the time.
Last edited by Steve C; 09/25/1210:10 AM. Reason: peak name removed
... I think I will also try to do a major exploration of the Pine Creek Mine in the future. I found a way into the mine and it has 32 miles of tunnels and 3500 feet of elevation change from top to bottom. Anyone want to spend 3 days under ground with me lol. ...
Cool photos. I haven't made it to the A level myself. I planned to go up there this year and spend an extra day exploring but I thought there wouldn't be any water so I decided to pass it up.
I did go back into Brownstone mine and explored all of it I could safely. The mine was less flooded this year so I was able to explore the rest of the first level. All the ladders in that section are soaked though and I had them begin breaking on me so it was no good. I made it onto the 2nd and 3rd levels but the ladders werent very nice heading to another section of the 3rd level. I took a bunch of photos and videos this time around if anyone remembers my 2010 report.
If I do go into the Pine Creek Mine I think I will go serious on it and bring climbing gear and paint cans to mark tunnels so I don't get lost. I just wish I knew more about the tunnels because I know the mine had major cave in problems in later years and I don't know how much of the mine may be closed off in a vertical sense. I suppose that is what exploration is for though.
I thought it was a bit odd that the entrance I found and went into a bit there was a heavy layer of dust on the air which was rushing out of the opening I went in. I could be wrong but for there to be so much dust on the air would tell me there must have been a recent cave in and the dust was making it's way out of the mine.
Rogue, while you were away, you may have missed the publicity about the renewed assault on summit registers. It has gotten pathetic, and the original remaining seem to be targeted. Black Kaweah is now gone, and was original.
There is an informal agreement amoung the mountaineering community to not post about original registers, as that seems to make them a target for theft.
I'm suggesting that you might want to remove your reference to the peak you mentioned, for that reason.
It's a shame for sure that people would do this because the big question is why are they stealing them and what are they doing with the books?
A woman told me that Mt. Woodworth was considered the oldest in the Sierra. It dated back to some where like 1890 and had the original Leconte signatures in it. She also just liked the idea that it was the same book every single person that has ever climbed the peak has signed. I guess though a couple years back someone took it but in this case it was to donate it to a museum.
1. Someone is hoping to make a profit someday by appearing with a bunch of the original registers, and offering them to a museum for a profit. (I doubt this is the case).
2. Some self-righteous "leave-no-trace" freak with an attitude believes he is doing the world a great favor by "cleaning up" the wilderness. I suspect this is quite likely the case, based on the experience of people like Bob R, where the register on Thor Peak has been repeatedly removed.
If they want to clean up the wilderness they can do a hell of allot better then stealing mountain logs. I run across junk constantly in the backcountry. Even found a huge awning like you would have at a lake car camping for shade in Humphreys Basin. And one of the most common pieces of trash besides rusty cans. Ballons! Pack that out instead!
If they want to clean up the wilderness they can do a hell of allot better then stealing mountain logs. I run across junk constantly in the backcountry. Even found a huge awning like you would have at a lake car camping for shade in Humphreys Basin. And one of the most common pieces of trash besides rusty cans. Ballons! Pack that out instead!
we took that one all the way from Fish Valley to Whitney Portal