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 HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
On Sept 3 - 8, I hiked solo from Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park, on the west side of the Sierra Nevada, to Whitney Portal on the east side. I followed the High Sierra Trail part of the way, but at Kaweah Gap, where the trail crosses the Great Western Divide, I left the trail and hiked cross-country northeast across Pants Pass. That route took me to the headwaters of the Kern-Kaweah River, where I eventually joined the trail descending that valley from Colby Pass. At Junction Meadow, where the Kern-Kaweah joins the Kern River, I reconnected with the High Sierra Trail, and hiked to the junction of the John Muir Trail. Following the JMT almost to Guitar Lake, I again hiked cross-country up the Arctic Lake drainage all the way to the Whitney-Russell pass. I had hoped to climb the north slope of Mt Whitney, but couldn't see a route that appeared safe for a solo hiker. I then went over the W-R pass to Iceberg Lake, loaded up on 3 quarts of water (using freezer Ziploc bags), and climbed the Mountaineers Route of Mt Whitney, so I could sleep overnight in the summit hut. Worst day was taking the Main Mt Whitney Trail to Whitney Portal -- my feet were killing me (toenail problems), and a blister afterward caused my entire left foot to swell. Next time I'll have bigger boots!
Going on such an adventurous route, and with family having concerns, I carried a Spot satellite signal unit so people could watch my progress, and just in case, I could summon help if I got into serious trouble. The nice part of carrying the unit is that I can see my route on a map after the trip. Here's a link (be sure to zoom in): Spotwalla Map
Starting out, my pack weighed about 26 lbs, carrying about 12 lbs of food, and a pound of fishing gear. I did not carry any water treatment tools, only a Snow Peak cup to dip and drink. I carried a Gatorade bottle, nearly empty most of the time, only filling it when I expected long stretches without water. Using my cup, I'd dip and drink at almost every stream crossing I encountered.
The pictures below, and many more, can be seen in this album: HST High Sierra Trail, Pants Pass
Day 1:
More pictures and report coming later....
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
I wouldn't really want to climb the West side of Pants Pass. That would be a hard task.
A note on it's East side though. The chute you took down is indeed Pants Pass but there is a way you can cheat and take an easier route. When on top you walk along the ridge moving South for about 100 yards to another notch where easy slopes lead you down.
Over all sounds like a great trip. I like how you did not filter. My filter broke on me on day 30 of my trip and I did not filter again for 81 days with no problems.
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 Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 213
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 213 |
Great show, Steve!
Isn't it so wonderful to get out there? (Duh.)
And best of all -- it shows you're still qualified as my potential Mountaineer's Route guide in 3 years! :D
6 days away from my own gig (rim to rim).
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158 |
What a great trip. I wonder how that Gatewood Cape would hold up in a storm pitched without stakes. I think you might have lucked out on that. We sure enjoyed speculating about your next move and few people thought you'd spend the night on the summit given the forecast. Your sunset shots are amazing. PS Is the Giardia medicine working?  
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
I'm pretty happy with the sunset shots. Really lucky to see sun through the slot since there was so much cloud cover. I was also lucky with the rain. Other hikers coming from other areas reported having several hours of rain several days. I only had rain on the second day mid-afternoon. So I just sat on a rock with the parka-tent over me and ate my lunch. Other days, there were only a few drops.
It was pretty tough setting up the tent without stakes. I'd hate to try it with rain coming down -- I'd probably do like that lunch, and just sit under it with it draped over me.
I talked with several hikers at Crabtree the night before the summit, telling them how nice it is on top, and tried to get them to meet me via the JMT. They were all finishing the JMT, so were well acclimated. One chickened out when a hiker told him the hut is freezing inside (...yeah, at noon when it is sunny out; but at night when it is cold out, the hut is returning all that solar heat!) Others chickened out thinking it would be too stormy. After my week of watching the 15k cloud ceiling and having little rain, I was confident it would be quite nice on the summit. And it was -- 60 F inside, even without the door!
Giardia? Try as I might, I couldn't find any. :grin: I am happy to certify that all the water along my route is clean and pure.
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
Those are always special moments when the sun will dip down below the clouds and put on a wonderful show for about 5 minutes. Your lucky to get one of those a year.
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
Continuing on...
That first day, upon reaching Bearpaw High Sierra Camp, it wasn't quite 4 PM. I felt pretty strong, and looking at the map, Hamilton Lakes was just 4 miles ahead, only 600' higher. I didn't realize there was some significant loss and gain in elevation: -600, +1200. I made it -- it just took a while.
Check out Bearpaw on the satellite view "map".
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The main cabin at Bearpaw. These hikers had come from Mineral King, and were spending two nights before heading out. Pretty relaxing!
Bearpaw is nice, with a fantastic view. But no stream or lake nearby. The people told me all summer reservations are gone in several hours the first day they become available.
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This was the only deer I saw on the trip. She was right by the trail, using her hoof to dig for something good to eat.
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I'm not sure what these berries are. Blueberries? Huckleberries? They tasted ok, but had lots of seeds.
Answer (Thanks to RogueP!): They are Sierra Currants (Ribes Nevadense) -- A gooseberry is in the currant family, I think. (See Google's images).
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The Footbridge over Lone Pine Creek. It's a deep chasm, no way to get water here. There's even a remnant of an old bridge below that broke and fell.
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Here's my camp site at the end of the day - on a sandy spot near upper Hamilton Lake. It was quite warm that night. There were about a dozen other campers here, all using tents. Not sure why people use tents when the weather is so nice!
Lots of small fish in the lake, too. Rules are catch and release. I was too tired to try fishing, and with so many people there, I figured the fish would be wary.
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558 |
Those berries are Sierra Currants(Ribes Nevadense).
I'm really surprised you didn't see deer at Hamilton Lake. This buck while I was there was a pest. He would chew on anything you left out and he was well trained to know when people have to use the bathroom. I had his company on both stays 5 days apart.
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 18
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Joined: May 2012
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This photos are fantastic! Brought back lots of memories from my trip across earlier this summer. What were you using for a stove?
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158 |
I wouldn't really want to climb the West side of Pants Pass. That would be a hard task.
A note on it's East side though. The chute you took down is indeed Pants Pass but there is a way you can cheat and take an easier route. Yeah, from Pants Pass drop down Gaiter Gully to Socks Saddle then over to Bandana Basin and take Tee-Shirt Traverse heading up Raincoat Ridge to Poncho Peak. Much easier and you get the whole outfit.
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 558
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Joined: Dec 2009
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Lol I didn't think I was that vague. The picture below displays what I mean. The small saddle to the left of the photo is the point that you start down on easy slopes. Or in the East to West climb aim for there and walk the ridge. You may have an easy class 3 move between the ridge and actual pants pass. 
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 659
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Joined: Apr 2010
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Great photos. Looking forward to more installments of the report. HST is high on my list for next year.
Watching your style, I find myself slipping into ultra-light territory. Just got an ultralight shelter (Go-Lite was dumping all their Shangri-La 1's a week or so ago at hugely reduced prices; nest is heavy, so made a ground cloth out of Tyvek today as an alternative configuration). Now you have me pondering a Z-pack...after a few years of resisting....
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Re: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632 |
Steve...your trek is so fun to read...I have never even seen all the flowers and berries you photographed...I must not be as observant as you when I hike..first rule of the Sierra Club...never hike faster than you can enjoy your surroundings...at least that's what I was told is the first rule...hey didn't. You have a rope for your dip cup...you could have got a cup of water out of that deep chasm by lowering your dip cup...wow..wasn't your wife worried about you....I know I'd worry...I can't even imagine myself going it alone on the trails...great trip report ...thanks for sharing. Glad you got home safely to your wife and daughter and your Kitty too.
Last edited by lynn-a-roo; 09/29/12 09:38 PM.
Lynnaroo
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
Connor, the stove is an " Esbit Titanium Folding Stove" SierraNevada: I didn't name that pass.  I think the idea is that people would need to slide down on the seat of their pants. I went up the slippery talus side, don't think I ever sat down. Slipped backward a full step several times. That was frustrating. I'll do a full write-up on that section in a later installment. Akichow, ultralight is nice--sure makes the walking more enjoyable. As for Tyvek: I got some once, but it weighs a ton, so threw it out. I have a box of Hefty 39 gallon trash bags, 1.1 mil, one bag weighs < 2 ounces. Slit the bag down both sides, makes a perfect ground cloth. Use a new one every trip. Lynn-a-roo, the Whitney east side trail doesn't have too many flowers -- well it does in the right season. West side trails have more, especially the trek to Bearpaw from Crescent Meadow. You and your friends should do that trip to Thousand Island Lake some summer. The High Route trail has lots of flowers. ...As for worried family: the Spot satellite unit provides a lot of security for me--If anything happens, at least they would know exactly where to look. (As for Kitty: It's 4 kitties now!  )
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
Another installment...
Day 2 started with a long climb from Hamilton Lake. The trail starts at 8200', and climbs steadily to Kaweah Gap at 10,700'. The remarkable thing about the High Sierra Trail is that in most places, it was built with an amazingly even ascent rate. So the climb was steady, and not steep -- rather enjoyable, in fact, as I could watch Hamilton lake below, turning ever darker blue as I ascended.
This is a giant Juniper tree growing right by the trail. The cliffs of Valhalla can be seen behind the tree. (album view)
Clicking on most of the pictures will link to a larger view.
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This short tunnel is the most remarkable engineering feature of the entire High Sierra Trail. About 1 1/2 mile and 1000 feet above Hamilton Lake, there is a massive narrow chute that cuts the granite. Builders originally erected concrete anchors and built a suspension bridge, but it apparently broke, probably under heavy snow. The anchors and concrete are still there, and so are several coils of monster cable -- with frayed ends.
This trail and tunnel extends horizontally back into the chute and out again along the opposite wall. I understand that in heavy snow years, this may be the last spot to open for hikers to pass, due to a steep icy snow bank blocking the trail. |
Looking back at the tunnel. Hamilton Lake is far below.
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Pretty flowers along the trail. |
While I was busy taking closeups of pretty flowers and getting water from a stream, I cannot believe I completely missed this view! (This is not my picture. source) Before ascending to Precipice Lake, the trail overlooks Hamilton Lake, with a grand view of Valhalla.
Valhalla is the name of a Great Hall, in Norse or Germanic mythology, where heroes slain in battle lived eternally. |
Precipice Lake -- Jewel of the High Sierra Trail.
Truly a special place. Elevation is about 10,300', the lake is deep and blue, with one side bordered by 300' high cliffs. I took a good break here, climbing around to get pictures from various angles. It is difficult to choose the best ones from all the pictures.
This link is a view of Ansel Adams' "Frozen Lake and Cliffs" taken at Precipice Lake. |
As I climbed around Precipice Lake, I happened upon this -- a big spider having a bee for lunch. Fortunately I spotted it before breaking the huge web. I am amazed that such a creature could survive the winters here.
Click on the picture to see it even larger. |
While I explored the lake, about a dozen hikers came along -- a number I had camped with at Hamilton Lake, and others who had just come over the Great Western Divide at Kaweah Gap. It started raining at the lake, but lasted only long enough for me to put on my rain parka.
Hiking up to the gap was easy and gentle. There, I rested and talked with Emily and Stephanie from the SF Bay Area -- Emily returns to Hamilton Lake nearly every year. This trip she was introducing her friend to the beauty. They had day hiked to the gap, and would return to their camp at Hamilton Lake.
Another group of six men from Texas, who had also spent the night at Hamilton Lake, had been planning on doing the same as me -- leaving the HST, and heading over Pants Pass. The pass could be seen from Kaweah Gap, and it took them about ten minutes to decide to change course and head down the Big Arroyo, following the trail. Unfortunately, the next morning, when I talked to them, one of their group was having intestinal and headache problems, and decided to head back to the trail head, while the rest would move on.
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One last look at Precipice Lake
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 213
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 213 |
Fun read, Steve! I like the way you've aligned pictures with your text. Not quite sure if it will work out that way for my own TR on rim to rim, but it's on my mind. (I have quite a few non-trail pictures.)
The first picture of the tunnel is AMAZINGLY just like the way the Supai Tunnel (1.7 miles down the North Kaibab Trail) looks. You'll see when I post it . . .
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 26
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Joined: Apr 2012
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Great report so far Steve! Enjoyed every bit of it.
I have a question, how difficult was it to reserve a permit for the HST? Did you apply as soon as the permit office started taking applications?
Cody
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 632 |
Steve...I would like to know the answer to RadNar's question too (above).
Love all the photos ...the tunnel..spider..flowers..and especially Precipice Lake and how you pointed out Ansel Adams photo of this same lake.....hmmmm your photo is easily worth $192K....both your photos are equally as good as Ansel Adams' and maybe better.
Last edited by lynn-a-roo; 10/09/12 05:07 PM.
Lynnaroo
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
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Joined: Dec 2009
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The High Sierra Trail is not a hard permit to get. I have never not just walked in and got one. I also have never seen the wall charts they have show full while at Lodegpole.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Feb 2011
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Joined: Feb 2011
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There are also several alternate access points/trails near enough to Crescent Meadow.
Wherever you go, there you are. SPOTMe!
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
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RadGnar wrote: > how difficult was it to reserve a permit for the HST? Did you apply as soon as the permit office started taking applications?I didn't reserve. You have to reserve over 2 weeks in advance, and I was too late. So I figured I'd get a walk-in permit, same as you can on Whitney, or a no-show as last resort. But since I was starting out on Labor Day Monday, (and more people would start on a Friday or Saturday, and more people earlier in the summer), I figured I'd be ok. I drove up to Lodgepole on Sunday to get a walk-in permit, and got there at 3 and was told I had just made it, that they close at 3 PM. (I didn't know that.) Turns out the fellow stayed at the counter until at least 3:30, so I was ok. There were plenty of permits. And I could have picked one up early Monday morning, too. They open at 7 AM. No-shows become available same-day at 11 AM. The bad part about getting a permit to start at Wolverton, is that you are supposed to stay one night on THAT trail, before joining the HST. Lynn-a-roo wrote: > hmmmm your photo is easily worth $192K....both your photos are equally as good as Ansel Adams' and maybe better.Show me the money! I was surprised to look up the Ansel Adams picture, and realize his was a closeup of one small part.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
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Another installment: Days 2 and 3 On day 2, I ate lunch at Kaweah Gap, enjoying the view looking at the Pants Pass area to the northeast, Black Kaweah and the Kaweah Range to the east, and Big Arroyo to the southeast. I cannot believe I didn't take any pictures! The area is expansive wilderness. From that point, I left the High Sierra Trail, and headed northeast. Part way to my destination, rain broke out, so I huddled under my parka for a while. I made it to my campsite, at the outlet of Lake 10725 in Nine Lake Basin. (You can view this map, even zoom in on satellite view, and see the spot where I camped.  Looking back from my camp site toward Kaweah Gap and Eagle Scout Peak. I had read, from this web report, Trans-Sierra trip, August 2004, where they wrote, "This lake had some nice big trout in it, probably from a hatchery, unfortunately." So I went prepared with some recommended lures and equipment, to try to catch one of those "nice big trout". Unfortunately, I think that lake is completely devoid of fish. The water was crystal clear, and peer as I could into its depths, never did I see a trace of any fish. I walked the banks for several hours casting my line in various places, but not a bite! So much for "hatchery plants". I am thinking the report I read was referring to the next lake below, closer to Kaweah Gap. It was teeming with fish, others were catching them, but they were small. So part 1 of my fishing fantasy was a bust. Next day, I wanted to try to climb Black Kaweah. I rose at dawn, packed a day pack along with my SPOT Tracker unit, and headed back toward Kaweah Gap. I had spent lots of time peering at maps, thinking I might climb this peak from the north, even though Secor did not mention it being accessible from that side. After viewing the steep slopes in person, there was no way. So then I followed what I thought was a route that would work. Secor mentioned climbing via the "west ridge". Unfortunately, I hadn't packed a map showing all the valleys coming off BK, and I thought "west ridge" meant the ridge extending to the west from the peak. Baloney! Apparently he really meant the south-extending ridge to the west of the primary southern approach. Here's the map.Not knowing I was on a futile route, I hiked half a mile down the Big Arroyo section of the HST, then cut diagonally over and up to what I thought was the correct ridge. I ate my breakfast by the Big Arroyo creek.  I spent hours climbing steep third class rock with lots of loose boulders. By lunch time, I reached my high point, where I could finally see the Black Kaweah summit ...another half mile to the east!!! I had topped out on a false summit. My view of the peak:  It would have taken hours to try to traverse the treacherous section to get to the correct route. I gave up that idea, enjoyed my lunch, and took pictures. As I rested there, I could hear, and the could see, two climbers making their way to the actual summit.  At my high point, I found this rock. I thought it was a meteorite at first, because it was extra heavy -- must have had lots of iron and minerals -- but it was not. Meteorites have a rounded outer shape.  Looking down from where I had climbed.  My camp site is by that lake in the center.  A zoomed-in view of Mt Whitney and the needles from my viewpoint.  Back to my camp, for the second night. This is the only time I set up my parka tent, since it was overcast and rain threatened. But it never rained. I had forgotten my tent stakes on this trip.  The next morning, I was going to head up and over Pants Pass.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,158 |
Great photos. I remember following your Spot track and speculating where you were going next.
Regarding that rock with the lichen on it, it looks like it's origin is volcanic basalt, probably metamorphized to make it denser and harder than average. Hard to imagine now, but all the granite we see exposed today was formed deep beneath the ground under extreme heat and pressure. For most of the High Sierra, the rock above the granite formed by volcanic flow after volcanic flow. Most of the volcanic material became weathered much more easily than granite, and then eroded away as the mountains uplifted and glaciers carved away at it. That's why we see remnants of volcanic rock types in various places, and always on top of the granite (unless there was dramatic folding or faulting in the area). Wherever you see the volcanics up above, you'll probably see more flowers and vegetation on the slopes and in the valley below. You probably know all this already, but someone else might appreciate a little geology primer. I'm not a geologist but this comes up all the time engineering dams in the Sierras.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Thanks, SN. The green on the rock is not lichen, but more a result of copper based minerals. The rock was definitely heavier than others around, and parts of it looked like it was pure iron. The Black Kaweah summit is not granite, but a much darker rock.
I believe a few of the mountains in the Sierra are actually more of a metamorphic origin -- islands of rock different in origin than the massive and predominant Sierra granite. Mt Ritter and Banner Peak are similar with the darker rock.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 213
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Joined: Dec 2009
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Can we rule out the rock being ingenious or sentimentary?
(Sorry -- can't resist making these poor puns when anyone talks about rocks.)
Steve -- don't take the wrong route when you get to the Grand Canyon!
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Nov 2009
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Very nice Steve - looks like you had a great solo adventure. A shame you were stymied on Black Kaweah - it looks like you got close. When Bob Burd talks about this being a climb to take seriously, it's probably best to pay attention. A lot of the routes are posted as class 3, but most everything I've read and heard says that's BS: class 4 to some degree on virtually every approach. It's on the bucket list. That bucket list is just getting too big . . .
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Feb 2011
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Joined: Feb 2011
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Hard to tell from your photo, and even from your SPOT, but you may have been even closer on BK than you thought: a check of your photo down to Big Arroyo against the same angle in Google Earth shows you were very close to Secor's West Ridge route.You were probably on the peak just above the notch where the route meets the ridge. Great adventure: looking forward to the Pants Pass episode, and especially your climb into the clouds on the MR.
Wherever you go, there you are. SPOTMe!
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
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OP
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Hard to tell from your photo, and even from your SPOT, but you may have been even closer on BK than you thought: Thanks. But no, I was a long way from the peak. See the two pictures above the green rock. The two shown on the summit are on that far point in the picture above them. I would have had to down-climb over really treacherous loose rock, then picked my way for half a mile on third and forth class rotten rock. I am sure I made the wise decision to descend back to camp. THAT was hard enough for me!
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
Day 4: Over Pants Pass, to Junction Meadow, and the JMT.
Sept 6: This was going to be a long day, so I set my watch alarm to wake up about 4:30. It always takes me almost an hour to break camp, but I was off by 5:15. I decided to just eat a granola bar and hike a few hours before breakfast. It seems to work for me. Here's a view from my highpoint the day before:  I set off in the early dawn, with just enough light that my headlamp wasn't necessary. I found a bench-like area to use to head up to Pants Pass -- I think it was a geologic "dike" of rock that was a bit softer than the surrounding granite. It was easy walking until the slope steepened and I had to climb the loose talus. That's where the fun began. Heading up the ramp, with Pants Pass in my sights.  The west side of Pants Pass would be fun to descend. With enough loose rock, some of it small enough, one might be able to plunge-step, or step and slide a bit with each step. Going up was not easy. I was glad my pack was probably about 20 pounds. It was tough finding anything solid enough to stop and rest every few steps. If I stopped on anything in between, it might have started slipping downward. I carefully worked my way up, finally topping out in a notch, two hours from my starting point. Looking back west from where I'd been, in Nine Lakes Basin. I had started from outlet of the closer lake. Kaweah Gap is the low pass just above the far lake.  My SPOT unit reported Pants Pass at: GPS coordinates: 36.57432,-118.52812 Caltopo view (Pants pass is 2nd contour north of the 12000 contour--the pass is not the lowest point.) Looking down the east side of Pants Pass was an "oh crap" moment. The chute was too steep with loose gravel over hardened dirt. I took the blocky rocks to the left.  Had I known there was an easier way, I would have used it. I've read afterward that all I needed to do was climb south out of the notch, follow the ridge about 50 yards, and the descent is down much larger blocky rock. I could look up and see once I got down -- it would have been easy. An hour later I had descended to near the first small lake in the picture above. Finally, a sunny spot to stop and eat breakfast. Here's a picture of the Titanium Esbit Wing stove. I make my own wind screen with aluminum foil. It takes a quarter ounce of fuel to heat my granola the way I like it. The Esbit hexamine tablets worked well on this trip, except on the Mt Whitney summit. Not enough oxygen there, I guess. (Edit: on a subsequent trip, using a new tablet worked great at the summit! Remnant fuel wouldn't burn as hot or fast.)   After my breakfast, I continued down to the lake at the headwaters of the Kern-Kaweah River. Other hikers have take a more east-west route, staying south of the river, on a roughly direct line between Pants Pass and Gallats Lake. Once I finished descending to the headwaters, the walking was as easy as a trail -- flat meadow and shallow stream. It took 4 hours to cross Pants Pass from my camp to the first K-K lake. The fish in that first lake were abundant and voracious. I stopped and fished a short time, catching and releasing about half a dozen 6-inchers. They hit the lure as soon as it touched the water.  After the fishing, I covered a lot of miles. Down the nearly flat drainage, until I hit the trail coming from Colby Pass. Down the trail past Gallats "Lake". Not really a lake, but a huge meadow with a stream meandering through it.  I stopped for a very late lunch in Junction Meadow.  My original trip plan was to hike to hike to Wallace Lake to fish, then take a cross-country pass to Arctic Lake. After realizing how tough it was to do any climbing that was not described in Secor's book, I figured I'd better scratch that off-trail pass. Turns out that was a very wise decision, as hiking up the Arctic Lake drainage the next day, I could see the pass I'd hoped to cross was at best a 4th class rappel. So... I decided that since I was skipping Wallace Lake, maybe I could spend the last night on Whitney. To do that, I needed to make it to the JMT. So off I trudged... 4.3 miles later: Last picture of the day.  It had taken 13 hours to cover the distance. I should have taken some pictures at my camp at the Wallace Creek crossing on the JMT. There must have been 30 campers that night. I met a trio who I'd encountered my first day. They had stayed on the trail down to Kern Hot Springs, arriving here the same time. My shortcut over Pants Pass allowed me to spend one day climbing Black Kaweah.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 453 Likes: 1
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 453 Likes: 1 |
Not sure how I missed this before but great stuff Steve. The HST is on the to-do list one of these days.
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 581 Likes: 10
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 581 Likes: 10 |
Steve,
Great TR! Is it continued elsewhere?
Thanks!
@jjoshuagregory (Instagram) for mainly landscape and mountain pics
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104
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OP
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,520 Likes: 104 |
Snacking Bear: I think I ran out of steam on the trip report. Sorry. The last day and a half were not too eventful.
I hiked from the JMT/HST junction at Wallace Creek part way on the JMT southbound, then detoured up the Arctic Lake drainage. I was considering trying to climb the north slope of Whitney, but I couldn't see any route that didn't have extremely steep granite. I think anyone who does it is hiking on snow using crampons, which give much better traction.
So I continued over the Russell-Whitney pass and down to Iceberg Lake. Loaded up on water, and then climbed up to the Whitney summit, and spent the night inside the hut. It took 2 hours from Iceberg to the summit. Wish I could have talked to the hikers camped at Iceberg, but it was late, so I just grabbed water and headed up the Mountaineer's Route. The hike down was so uneventful that I don't recall anything significant from it. It was fun, though, to see all the JMT hikers arrive at dawn from Guitar Lake, to watch the sunrise.
Here nine years later, I've had a TKR (Total Knee Replacement) which is great -- no pain, no weakness, no trouble. It's a great improvement over the knee that went downhill after my big/best hiking years. Now I'm looking ahead to maybe an ankle replacement on the same right leg. Broke it when I was 22, tore the joint wide open in a motorcycle accident. Now the joint is almost bone-on-bone; I have to wear a major brace for hiking, and get a steroid shot to keep it happy. I think the bad ankle may have led to the knee failing, as my other is still really strong and worry-free.
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1 member likes this:
Snacking Bear |
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Re: HST: High Sierra Trail and Pants Pass
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 15 Likes: 5
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 15 Likes: 5 |
Snacking Bear,
I completed the HST via Pants Pass last summer with a few friends. We had a ton of fun with the cross-country section from Kaweah Gap to Gallats Lake over Pants Pass being the absolute highlight. I’ve been dreaming about coming back and doing it on skis sometime!
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