Sierra Nevada 2013
by Harvey Lankford

Part 1 of 3 - Introduction
    History and topography
    Preliminary dayhikes in Mammoth

Part 2 of 3 - Backpacking trip 1:  South Lake to Onion Valley.

Part 3 of 3 - Backpacking trip 2:  North Lake to South Lake via Lamarck Col




Part 1 of 3
Introduction

There are as many expeditions as there are members of that expedition, but this is the story from my perspective. Some of this will be objective or diary-like, so you are welcome to skip forward. Others parts, especially later on, may convey some of the feelings about ‘why do you go to the mountains?’ Some of my son Reid’s writings from 2007 were very poetic and are in italics.

This was my 23rd trip to the Sierra Nevada. It was special for several reasons including a fifth time through one of my favorite areas, Rae Lakes, but this time with a different set of friends. Afterwards, there was a second backpacking trip with a return to the challenge of Lamarck Col and Darwin Canyon. Both trips are reported here, but divided up into three parts for the purpose of listing on the Whitney Zone forum.


History and topography

In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo coined the term Sierra Nevada, the Snowy Range. The Sierra Nevada stretch from Fredonyer Pass in the North 400 miles South to Tehachapi Pass, are bound on the west by California’s Central Valley, and bordered on the east, dropping precipitously ten thousand feet below, by the ‘The Deepest Valley’ – the Owens Valley. Today, the rivers flowing west toward the Pacific meet their end in fertile farmlands of the Central Valley of California or the large population centers like Sacramento and San Francisco. The eastern rivers fade into the Owens Valley, all diverted by aqueducts to Los Angeles. The Sierra Nevada was called the Range of Light by John Muir. Of the Sierra fourteen thousand-footers, Mt. Whitney nudges out the others to be the tallest peak in the lower 48 States.

The John Muir Trail (JMT) is the premier hiking trail in the United States, starting in Yosemite Valley and running 211 miles through the highest parts of the Sierra with countless side trails, canyons, and peaks to explore all the way to Mt. Whitney. The JMT mostly coincides with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), but both are actually located just west of the crest except on Whitney itself. With high passes ranging from ten to thirteen thousand feet, and deep valleys in between, the hiker passes up and down through meadows, forests, alpine zones, and big mountain scenery above the treeline in the High Sierra.


2013 Preliminary dayhikes in Mammoth

7/25/13 –We four fly; Ian & Casey for their 3rd trip, my 22nd in the spring with Clemmie and now for my 23rd with the guys. Lee is on his 1st trip - it is a treat to see the Sierra freshly though his newcomer eyes. We arrive in Las Vegas, visit Hoover Dam, then meet my son for dinner. I spend the night at Seth’s new house.

7/26/13 – I drop Seth off at the airport for his 6th trip across the Pacific- this time for work in Singapore. We drive through barren Nevada, see a drone flying at Creech AFB, have our usual break at the Beatty candy store, and visit the Sierra Overlook on the Bristlecone Pine Rd of the White Mountains. Arriving in Mammoth, there is dense smoke in the air and an afternoon hike around Horseshoe Lake with its volcanic gas–killed vegetation. The after-dinner walk is to Inyo Craters including a skitter on the harsh knife edge cindercone of Deer Mt. These and other forays are part of our acclimatization schedule between 8 and 10 thousand feet, adjusting our bodies to the thin air.

7/27/13 – First things first:  the usual wonderful breakfast at Schat’s Bakkery, then a drive to Minaret Summit’s vista of the Minarets, and a 3 hr hike along the dry-pumice-but-flower-studded crest to Deadman’s Pass overlook. The Ritter-Banner massif is nearly hidden from forest fire smoke piling in from 40 miles away. Afternoon:  camp-related shopping followed by Chef Ian’s spaghetti dinner in our La Residence condo.

7/28/13- Hike from Lake George up to the red-pumice Mammoth Crest. Worst smoke I have ever seen in the Sierra. Afternoon:  final sorting of backpacking provisions. Lee and Casey get a drive-by of the multimillion-dollar homes. They were not there in 1976 when Clemmie and I drove through here on dirt roads.

7/29/13 – leave Mammoth 600am to stage our van. Lee and Ian wait in low Bishop while Casey and I drive the winding, guardrail-less road to high Onion Valley. Mt Whitney Shuttle brings us all back to South Lake for a late 1015am start of the backpacking. Both trailheads are over 9,000 ft but the backpacking in between will take us multiple times between 8,400 and 12,000 ft.


Go to Part 2 – on separate forum thread
Backpacking trip 1:  South Lake to Onion Valley.