Karl Keating's 2007 High Sierra Backpacking Trips
Thanks for your interest in joining me on a backpacking trip in California’s Sierra Nevada. I hope the following paragraphs give you sufficient information about the proposed hikes, which are open to congenial adults who are experienced backpackers.
1. These are wilderness hikes. While there will be camping spots along the trail, there are no developed campgrounds. Everything you need for the outing needs to be carried from the trailhead on your back. There will be sufficient-to-plentiful water along the trail.
2. These hikes are not appropriate for anyone younger than late teens or for people with little or no hiking experience. There is no upper age limit.
3. These hikes are not sponsored by Catholic Answers, and I am not a babysitter. You will be responsible for your own travel, equipment, and safety.
4. These hikes, or a close variant of them, are described in the book “Sierra South.” Look there for detailed itineraries, from which we will vary on occasion.
5. You will need a hiking permit. I already have mine, and those accompanying me are responsible for getting their own permits from Sierra National Forest (Hike 1) or Inyo National Forest (Hikes 2 and 3). Each permit costs $5.
6. At the time of this writing (April 17), I have one companion on each of these three hikes. The trailhead quotas set by the national forests are not yet filled, meaning there is room for one or more additional people on each hike. But, if you want to come with me, you will need to secure a permit immediately (but not, please, before being in touch with me by e-mail; see below for my address). Several nearby dates already have their quotas filled.
7. You will be responsible for getting yourself to the trailhead, either in your own vehicle or in a rented vehicle. There is no public transportation to the trailheads, though there is public transportation to Fresno and Bishop, the nearest towns of note. It may be possible to get a ride from those towns with me or with one of the other hikers. (But I drive a two-seat Jeep, which means I can take only one person.)
8. While there are bears in the Sierra, I seldom have seen any. It is not likely that any will be on view on any of these hikes. Nevertheless, approved bear canisters are required on Hikes 2 and 3. If you don’t own a canister, you can rent one from the ranger station in Bishop. On Hikes 2 and 3 you are not permitted to use the counterbalance method to store your food. The bears are too smart for that technique.
9. I will provide a recommended gear list. I prefer to go light. Hike 1 is short—just two nights on the trail—so I expect to have a total pack weight (including food and water) of about 15 pounds. The other two hikes involve five nights on the trail; I’ll have to take more food, of course, and possibly extra clothing because of the higher elevations. This means a somewhat larger pack, but I hope to keep the total weight to below 25 pounds. Go thou and do likewise (or at least make a close approximation).
10. If you want to join me on any of these hikes, or if you have questions, contact me by e-mail at kkeating()()at()()catholic.com. (Of course, you must remove the 8 parentheses from that address and must replace the “at” with the proper symbol.)
11. The dates listed below are the trail entry and exit dates. It will be necessary to arrive the day before in order to get a sufficiently early start on the trail entry date, and you will need to plan to return home on the day following the trail exit date. I plan to spend the night before Hike 1 in Fresno or in neighboring Clovis and the nights before Hikes 2 and 3 in Bishop.
Here are the three hikes:
Hike 1
Dates: June 20 to June 22
Trailhead: Bear Creek Diversion Dam
Round-trip length: 20 miles
Average daily distance: 7 miles
Style: Out-and-back
Trailhead location: 2 hours’ drive from Fresno on the western side of the Sierra.
Comments: This is my first Sierra hike of the season, and so it’s the easiest and is at the lowest elevations, but the route still reaches the John Muir Trail, covering a 3-mile portion of it a little south of where hikers commonly turn off for a stop at Vermilion Valley Resort. We won’t be going by the resort, though you could drive to it before the start of the hike. We’ll camp two nights, one alongside the trail, the other off trail at the terminus of the route, which is at scenic Apollo Lake. This hike is early in the season, but there probably won’t be any snow along the trail: This has been the driest winter in the Sierra in 30 years.
Hike 2
Dates: July 9 to July 13
Trailhead: Bishop Pass
Round-trip length: 31 miles
Average daily distance: 6 miles
Style: Lollipop
Trailhead location: On the eastern side of the Sierra, out of the town of Bishop.
Comments: This hike takes us over Bishop Pass to Dusy Basin. There we go cross-country, passing many alpine lakes and ending back on trail at Palisades Lakes. From there we take the John Muir Trail west and north to the Le Conte ranger station. Then it’s up a different trail back to Bishop Pass. Elevations range from 8,000 feet to 12,400 feet.
Hike 3
Dates: August 6 to August 10
Trailhead: Italy Pass (Pine Creek)
Round-trip length: 53 miles
Average daily length: 11 miles
Style: Loop
Trailhead location: On the eastern side of the Sierra, out of the town of Bishop
Comments: This hike goes up steeply from the Pine Creek trailhead to Honeymoon Lake—the hard work is over on the first day—and then, the next day, goes cross-country over Italy pass. After that, the route joins the John Muir Trail where Hike 1 leaves it for Apollo Lake. We head south on the JMT and pass Marie Lakes and then leave the JMT to go up the French Canyon trail to exit over Pine Creek Pass. |
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