Backpacking

Introduction

When I was a graduate student at USC, Suzy McIntosh invited me to go on a backpacking weekend with her. We spent a night above Big Pine in the 5 lakes basin in the eastern Sierra. I had never been backpacking before, but Suzy assured me that she would bring the necessary so long as I had a pack, pad, and bag.

The trip was a disaster. Her idea of food was dehydrated dinners. There was a huge snow pack (despite it being Memorial Day weekend) for which we were unprepared. But, the biggest problem was that she brought no sunscreen. I know that I also was responsible, but she assured me that she had everything, and I was a “newbie” and obviously too trusting. Needless to say, I got burned to a crisp.

I didn’t backpack again until … Pete Hodes invited several co-workers and friends to go to Smokey Mountain NP for a weekend of packing on Mt. Sterling. I agreed only so long as I was in charge of the food – I was not going to get stuck with dehydrated dinners again.

It rained (real hard and real often). The drive was 9 hours (not 6 as promised), Hikers got ill climbing 4000 feet the first day. In all the trip was long and hard, and I loved it. Pete called the next year with a proposal that I should pick anywhere and we would go on a trip together. This was really the beginning of my backpacking life.

I went backpacking in Mineral King (sequoia NP) that summer and essentially every summer thereafter for more than twenty years thereafter (not exclusively to Mineral King). The following is a listing of major hikes I have taken during the summer throughout the American West.

There is a small description (length, number of nights, companions etc.) and some of the highlights. It is more a personal remembrance page than a detailed description of the hike. A detailed (and often a youtube video) of these hikes can be found online.

Mineral King (1988)

Mineral King is a beautiful valley located at the southern end of Sequoia NP and at the end of a 25 mile windy narrow mountain road. I traveled there once in about 1980. It was the fist time that I had seen a giant sequoia. I was impressed – they are huge.

The saga of Mineral King (from a self serving point of view) can be found at https://earthjustice.org/features/mineral-king-breaking-down-the-courthouse-door. I say “self-serving” because the Sierra Club started the process of developing Mineral King – only to take credit for stopping the development. Regardless, California got tired of fighting and gave it to Sequoia NP (let Disney fight with the feds). It is a beautiful and remote valley: perfect for starting a backpacking trip. I am glad it is protected.

Pete Hodes and I spent 4 nights in the back country over Franklin Pass and back over Sawtooth Gap. Hiking a total of about 40 Miles. Spending one night at Forrester lake was probably the highlight of the trip.

Yellowstone NP (1989)

My brother (Thomas) and I traveled to Yellowstone in the summer of 1989. We hiked through the major fire that burned much of the park the prior year – we wanted to see it. We spent 6 nights and hiked about 60 miles into Heart Lake and across the continental divide just south of Yellowstone lake.

Yellowstone is a long ways out – from practically anywhere. We didn’t visit the park highlights – we were there to backpack and that is what we did. There really wasn’t much special about hiking this hike in Yellowstone.

Sequoia NP (1990)

This was really the beginning of large backpacking treks, We (Pete, Brother and I) spent a week in southern Sequoia with the intent of crossing Kaweah Gap and meeting Stacey (Pete’s wife) in Mineral King for another week hiking in Sequoia.

Despite being late June, snow kept us from crossing Kaweah Gap. Instead, we doubled back and hiked into Mineral King over Paradise Peak after spending the night at Redwood Grove Meadow. The weather was cold, rainy, and snowy. We considered hiking elsewhere, but… the next day the weather broke and we hiked into the back country over Franklin gap (once again). We continued all the way down into the Kern river and all the way up the “Fucking Chagoopa Plateau” (I didn’t name it). We went back to Mineral King via Blacktooth and Timber Gap.

There are a lot of great hikes in Sequoia NP and this is one. The Kern River Hot Springs is special. It has a great view of Chagoopa Falls, is really remote (there was no one else there), it is well developed, and there is great fishing in the nearby Kern River. The hike up the plateau is nearly 4600 feet. We did find a wonderful lake (not much more than a big puddle) at the top – it was a great place to rest, clean up, swim and relax. Also, we camped under the giant sequoias in the Redwood Grove on the way to Mineral King. It was awesome.

Bishop: South Lake to North lake (1991)

Peter Hodes and I took a hike west of Bishop CA starting from South Lake. We traveled over Bishop Pass, Muir Pass, and Piute Pass to North Lake. The trip was 7 days and 55 miles. Along the way we visited Dusy Basin, LeConte Canyon, and Evolution Basin, and Blaney Meadow Hot Springs. A nice detailed map and description of the reverse hike is at https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7045891/north-lake-to-south-lake-loop .

This is a classic “loop” hike in the central/southern sierras. It does about 30 miles of the John Muir Trail (JMT) and visits some marvelous back country hot springs at Muir trail ranch. We visited Yosemite NP after this hike. The hike was in early August, the whole trip was generally cold and we even had a day of rain and a bit of snow . We must have been quite a site hiking out of the mountains in the snow and in shorts. Despite the weather, we had a really nice hike – and made tentative plans to hike the JMT the next summer.

JMT (1992)

Pete, Stacey, Brother (Thomas) and I started the JMT from the Yosemite Valley. There was a little known backpackers camp available just behind the horse barn. We were the only campers there that first night.

We started our hike up out of the valley at the mist trail – dubbed “Stair Bastard” by Stacey (she is good if not clean at naming hikes). We skipped the hike into and out of Tuolomne Meadows and just remained in the back country all the way to Mammoth Lakes. There we exited and retrieved a resupply we had left in Mammoth. Brother and Stacey departed while Pete and I continued on. The section of the JMT near Mammoth is overrun with hikers, fishermen, horses, and flies. It was my least favorite.

We continued south from Mammoth over some great hiking terrain until our next (and last) resupply at the John Muir Trail ranch. South from there the tail enters much of the highest parts of the sierras. Of course just south of the ranch is Bishop Pass (a section we had done previously) and then a series of higher and higher passes until the final exit over Trail Pass. The final section of the JMT turns north at Trail Pass for the final climb to the Mt. Whitney Summit. The final day from our camp at Guitar Lake over Whitney to the portal was vastly overrun – to the point that I felt I was hiking though an outhouse.

The JMT is about 220 miles long and took us 20 Days to hike it all (including the 6000 foot descent from Mt. Whitney to the portal). We hitched a ride into town from there. It is a good hike but…much of the hike is overcrowded (Yosemite NP, Kings Canyon NP, Around Mammoth Lakes, and definitely around Mt, Whitney). There are nicer places in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to hike. I do enjoy the section both north and south of Muir Pass.

Kennedy Meadows to Kings Canyon. (1994)

Pete Hodes and I started out at Kennedy Meadows (the southern one off of the Nine Mile Canyon Road west of Ridgecrest CA) and hiked north coming out at Kings Canyon NP.

Starting in the Golden Trout Wilderness the trails are a bit difficult to follow as the cows (that the USDA has determined are natural in the wilderness area) have created and destroyed many trails.

We hiked north through the Monache Meadows turning west to access the Kern River. Then we followed the Kern River Canyon north. Then we hiked up and over the Great Western Divide to Kings Canyon NP. We exited at the road terminus in King’s Canyon NP

Kern River canyon offers great swimming (especially at Little Kern Lake), fishing (and several developed fishing camps), Hot Springs, and Waterfalls. The entire hike is about 120 miles, and we spent 11 days in the back country. There were essentially no backpackers throughout the hike. If you are looking for a good hike, great scenery, easy access and no problem acquiring wilderness permits – this hike is for you.

Tehipite Valley (1994)

After the Kennedy meadows to Kings Canyon hike, Pete and I went out to Fresno to meet Brother and Kathy (my wife). Pete’s wife Stacey was pregnant and her place was taken by her father, John Summers. We went in at Vashon Reservoir and hiked into Tehipite Canyon. We hiked all the way up the Kings River to and over John Muir pass. We visited the John Muir Trail Ranch for supplies and then exited over Hell-for-sure Pass.

Visiting Tehipite is one of the toughest hikes in the Sierra. We didn’t see anyone for 5 days – when we reached the John Muir Trail and the ascent of John Muir Pass. The total hike around Mt. Humphrey is about 110 miles. We spent 11 Days hiking the loop.

For those looking for serious off-grid adventure, Tehipite Valley is for you.

Funston Lake (1995)

Kathy and I planned to hike into the Kern River starting from the Cottonwood Pass area. We went in over New Army Pass to begin our 10 day hike. The winter was long and heavy on snow so even in early August the pass had a 10 – 14 foot cornice of snow on it. Once over the pass, the mosquitos were thick. Meadows were actually blackened by the hordes of bugs. As I don’t get paid for these adventures, we decided to exit over cottonwood pass the next day and find another place too hike.

That night however we camped in a fairly dry valley of loose gravel – probably some silt left from a volcanic explosion some years prior. There were essentially no bugs and as we were already there – well we headed off the trail toward the old volcano and did not have any problems with bugs the rest of the trip.

We visited Funston Lake for a couple days. Funston is inside the volcano and there is no surface outlet. It is also a couple of days walk from the nearest trail. There were no hikers to be found. We also visited the north end of the Golden Trout Wilderness before heading home.

While returning the wind blew as a cold front moved through. We spent one last night off trail. Kathy went and got lost. It took nearly three hours to find her. We hiked out the next day over Cotttonwood Pass.

We spent 10 days in the back country. Since most days were spent hiking off trail, we did not cover the same amount of terrain as usual. It was our first real adventure into off trail hiking. The hike was essentially all at or above 9000 feet. Given it is in the southern Sierra, the weather in August is pretty dependable. while trailhead permits may be difficult, once you leave the trail you will leave all hikers behind.

Uintas (1996)

The summer of 1996 was dubbed the Pro Fun Tour by Kathy’s brother Marty. We spent the entire summer camping, hiking, canoeing, rafting, bike riding, and generally having a lot of fun in and around southern Utah (see https://shawnpheneghan.wordpress.com/2022/04/29/the-pro-fun-tours-twenty-utah-summers/). We went backpacking for a week in the Uinta Mountains east of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The mountains and passes are generally about 10,000 feet and the lakes are not rocky bottom but soil. I here the fishing for trout is good but the swimming is not (kind of mucky). There was nothing particularly special about the Uinta Mountains. We spent an extra day on our loop as Brother’s wife was ill one day – so we rested. The result is that hiked out about six miles on the last day with no food and no breakfast.

Ruby Mountains (2000)

Kathy and I met Colleen Keller and her then current husband, Andy, in Lamoille Canyon near Elko, NV. to hike in the Ruby Mountains, Colleen and company departed after the first weekend and Kathy and I stayed to hike for another 8-10 days.

The Ruby Mountains are a beautiful, unspoiled and uncrowded range just south of Elko. Unfortunately, we encountered biting flies unless we were in the highest part of the range. So, we stayed high. We hung half of our food near Dollar Lakes and hiked south along the Ruby Crest National Scenic Trail. We returned to Dollar lakes after a week to retrieve our food supply and head north but … our food was not there. We had to cut our trip short.

The Ruby Crest National Scenic trail is a wonderful place to hike. Fishing is great, the weather was excellent, the views from the peaks are exceptional, swimming is excellent and the crowds are non-existent.

Yellowstone (2003)

I returned to Yellowstone with my wife in 2003. We entered the park in the southwestern corner at the

Bechler Ranger Station. We had planned an eight night hike to Shoshone Lake and back. However, since I was two days early for my permit, I started early and it ended up being a 10 day trip. The second to last day was planned to be a long 12 mile day. Unfortunately I got second choice of campgrounds at both ends each camp adding about 3 miles of hiking. The end result is we had one 18 mile day. On day one (with ten days food in our packs) we had to ford the Bechler river. It was about 35 Yards across, and knee to mid thigh deep. It was also cold.

This section of Yellowstone has a myriad of hot springs and geysers. It was generally not too crowded – though like most of the park it is well used. As usual we did not see a great deal of wildlife. (If you want to see wildlife use a car on on the the roads.) We did however find wild blueberries, raspberries, and lots of huckleberries.

The Bechler river area offers plenty of trails, hot springs, geysers, and berries. There is great swimming at Shoshone. What you won’t see are the crowds that mob the roadways. Unlike my earlier trip into Heart Lake, this area comes highly recommended.

Northern Yosemite (2006 and 2007)

Northern Yosemite is significantly less crowded than the southern part, dominated as it is with the JMT, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and other such highlights. There are several ways into the area but among my favorite are through the Hoover Wilderness outside of Bridgeport, California.

In 2006, Brother joined Kathy and I as we hiked up Robinson Creek from Twin Lakes to Peeler Lake and entered into Kerrick Meadow in Yosemite NP. Robinson Creek has pretty heavy hiking pressure because of the lakes on the way and fishermen that like to hike in and fish. Peeler lake at the pass drains both east and west. In 2007 Kathy and I entered via Buckeye Creek. There is significantly less hiking pressure on Buckeye, there is also no lake at the entrance to the park (or elsewhere for that matter) – once again at Kerrick Meadow.

Kerrick meadow and the beginnings of Rancheria Creek is one of the most beautiful areas. One year we returned over Rock Island Pass and Crown Lake. We spent seven nights on these hikes.

Hiking into Northern Yosemite via the Hoover Wilderness is another highly recommended area.

Virginia Lakes (2012)

We (Kathy and I) hiked out of Virginia lakes to Glen Aulin high sierra camp in Yosemite NP. This 17 mile hike starts in the Hoover Wilderness and enter Yosemite at Summit Lake. Summit (like Peeler) is in the saddle and drains to both sides of the pass. There was essentially no hiking pressure until we reached Glen Aulin. The hike in Virginia and Cold Canyons was completely empty.

We spent a total of 7 nights with one of them being at the high sierra camp. We did not get a “room”, but did get dinner and breakfast at the camp.

This was the last long backpacking adventure I took.

Conclusion

Besides these “longer” trips, I took many shorter trips in Shenandoah NP, Great Smoky Mountains NP, Glacier National Park, Zion NP a variety of wilderness areas and several state parks in Maine, Ohio, and Kentucky among others. Backpacking is a great way to A. Lose Weight, B. Quit smoking, C. Enjoy a great vacay at little cost, D. Enjoy great exercise, and E. Visit some places rarely seen. It is a highly recommended undertaking.

I tried once again at 62 years of age but gave up after one night and never backpacked again. I miss it.