Re: Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes
Hmm, no Gaia for me, but I’ll do my research, thank you. What do you mean by “crazy rock throwing crowds at Ediza”? Is there some tradition or new social media fad? ? As for the shower, we carry a Seat-to-Summit Pocket Shower. Weighs 90 g (my measurement) without the cord and the pouch. Love it. Here’s my short little gear review: ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Karina Bezkrovnaia via groups.io Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2022 09:52 To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [JMT-groups.io] Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes ? Spent my morning reading your SNF-Yosemite loop trip report. Reminded my own trip up lake Ireland , Vogelsang and the night I have spent on Emeric and how much I loved Fletcher area too. I do have a question, Steven : what do you use for “shower” as it’s a constant part of campaign ritual of yours :) Thank you for a great compilation! On my last trip up from Rush creek I didn’t manage to go to Iceberg lake, but camped in unbelievable area right under Minarets as I hated crazy rock throwing crowds at Ediza. I will never forget what I saw and very happy ranger at 1K Lake told me to go to Nydiver lakes next time (admittedly I failed to find them). On your question of Clover Meadow and Iceberg TH burn - Gaia premium has fire map overlay, so maybe check that.? ? On Feb 12, 2022, at 19:33, hike@... wrote:
? I remember that trouble. That year, we had a trip planned via the Granite Staircase, but then they closed that section on the account of a fire (small in comparison to what happened since). We found a great alternative: Isberg Pass TH to Hemlock Crossing and Stevenson Meadow. From there, cross-country up to Twin Island Lakes, then Lake Katherine and over North Granite Pass to Thousand People (ehm, Island) Lake. The short section from Twin Island to Kathrine was the “hardest” part. We picked up the JMT/PCT at Island Pass, then left it in Lyell Canyon to go up towards Evelyn Lake. Finally, we looped back via Isberg Pass. That part was still in great shape back then. Here’s a trip report: I remember the moving rest day at Emeric Lake as one of the best days of my life. ? BTW, Does anybody know whether Clover Meadows/Isberg TH burned? I think so, but I’m not sure. ? Steven ? ? ? Eric , thank you ? fair enough - but bummer ! I have found a report on this route from 2017 and it was stating difficulties around Hemlock already! ? On Feb 12, 2022, at 17:02, eric schultz <hikeinyo@...> wrote:
? The trail east of Hemlock Crossing is obliterated. ? We did it last year.? Finding the junction at Cora lake was difficult. We had used Gaia to help us.? Lots of down trees and very soft sandy ground, which made travel very difficult.? I would not recommend it.? We had planned on big miles those days.? We ended up making our miles but it took a significant more amount of time and energy.? Water was difficult to get as well. ? There was some trail but mostly gone.? I would say 95% is off trail.? Very sad that area is beautiful. ? I went over Merced Pass last summer. It was great. Actually we went cross-country along Buena Vista Crest from Buena Vista Pass, so I don't know how the trail is south of there.
In summer 2020 I went over Red Peak Pass and Isberg Pass, though different trips. Red Peak Pass was great. Isberg itself is nice, but much of the land east (and now south) has burned. The trail was obliterated for many miles east of Hemlock Crossing from the 2018 fire — maybe more has been repaired since? But much more burned last year (including a great campsite we found at Cora Lakes), so it might be in bad shape.
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Re: Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes
Spent my morning reading your SNF-Yosemite loop trip report. Wonderful. Reminded my own trip up lake Ireland , Vogelsang and the night I have spent on Emeric and how much I loved Fletcher area too. I do have a question, Steven : what do you use for “shower” as it’s a constant part of campaign ritual of yours :) Do you mind sharing ? Thank you for a great compilation! On my last trip up from Rush creek I didn’t manage to go to Iceberg lake, but camped in unbelievable area right under Minarets as I hated crazy rock throwing crowds at Ediza. I will never forget what I saw and very happy ranger at 1K Lake told me to go to Nydiver lakes next time (admittedly I failed to find them). On your question of Clover Meadow and Iceberg TH burn - Gaia premium has fire map overlay, so maybe check that.? Karina Bezkrovnaia
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On Feb 12, 2022, at 19:33, hike@... wrote:
? I remember that trouble. That year, we had a trip planned via the Granite Staircase, but then they closed that section on the account of a fire (small in comparison to what happened since). We found a great alternative: Isberg Pass TH to Hemlock Crossing and Stevenson Meadow. From there, cross-country up to Twin Island Lakes, then Lake Katherine and over North Granite Pass to Thousand People (ehm, Island) Lake. The short section from Twin Island to Kathrine was the “hardest” part. We picked up the JMT/PCT at Island Pass, then left it in Lyell Canyon to go up towards Evelyn Lake. Finally, we looped back via Isberg Pass. That part was still in great shape back then. Here’s a trip report: I remember the moving rest day at Emeric Lake as one of the best days of my life. ? BTW, Does anybody know whether Clover Meadows/Isberg TH burned? I think so, but I’m not sure. ? Steven ? ? ? Eric , thank you ? fair enough - but bummer ! I have found a report on this route from 2017 and it was stating difficulties around Hemlock already! ? On Feb 12, 2022, at 17:02, eric schultz <hikeinyo@...> wrote:
? The trail east of Hemlock Crossing is obliterated. ? We did it last year.? Finding the junction at Cora lake was difficult. We had used Gaia to help us.? Lots of down trees and very soft sandy ground, which made travel very difficult.? I would not recommend it.? We had planned on big miles those days.? We ended up making our miles but it took a significant more amount of time and energy.? Water was difficult to get as well. ? There was some trail but mostly gone.? I would say 95% is off trail.? Very sad that area is beautiful. ? I went over Merced Pass last summer. It was great. Actually we went cross-country along Buena Vista Crest from Buena Vista Pass, so I don't know how the trail is south of there.
In summer 2020 I went over Red Peak Pass and Isberg Pass, though different trips. Red Peak Pass was great. Isberg itself is nice, but much of the land east (and now south) has burned. The trail was obliterated for many miles east of Hemlock Crossing from the 2018 fire — maybe more has been repaired since? But much more burned last year (including a great campsite we found at Cora Lakes), so it might be in bad shape.
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I went over Baxter Pass in 2015, so I have a later report than Tom’s but one that is still dated.? I went in Baxter and out Sawmill, so I was going in the opposite direction from what you are looking at.?? The problem section, as other have noted, is between Dollar Lake and the bottom of the Baxter Lakes area.? I had a GPS and had no real route finding problems given I had some guidance at vague spots.? Still, I think I made one or two wrong choices in vague spots and had to retrace my steps briefly.? The east side, Baxter Pass, and the Baxter Lakes area all have good trail.? Coming up from Baxter, I didn’t see any good places to camp until Summit Meadow.? Baxter Pass itself is beautiful, with some wonderfully orange slate.? I saw a bighorn sheep just ahead of me (very briefly) on the last climb to the pass.? ? Coming down from the basin to Dollar Lake, my notes from the time indicate ? “Lots of open meadow and forest on this stretch [just below Baxter Lakes], but not always a lot of discernible trail. Ducks helped, but all I really had to do is head down more-or-less following Baxter Creek.”? “After about a mile, the trail wanders though some boggy lowlands.”? “Then the trail turns a corner and goes up rise…”? “... the route ahead: lots of medium size rocks (4-12") to scramble through.”? “Some times there was a trail through all this rock; sometimes just ducks.” “It took me about 2-1/2 hours to get [to Dollar Lake], just a bit under 3 miles from camp [on one of the Baxter Lakes]. That's real slow, courtesy of the need for careful route finding up top and (more so) a very slow pace through the rock fields.” ? My guess is that you will move faster through the rocks than I did.? There was a sign at the JMT / Baxter Pass Trail junction.? ? Those quoted comments are from my on-line photo gallery / trip report. ?If you are interested, see ? Jim Ringland ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of ravi_jmt2013 Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2022 5:30 PM To: [email protected]Subject: [JMT-groups.io] Baxter Pass #Conditions ? … I think I know the answer to my question already ... but how "unmaintained" is the Baxter Pass trail …
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Loved your account, Gail!? I've always wondered about Baxter and Sawmill. Either you have a great memory or you've retained your detailed notes. I did some googling and found some nice images and videos of both passes. So much different planning a trip and setting expectations these days.? No big surprises like the first time I went up Shepherd Pass from the east.
Thanks!
On Sat, Feb 12, 2022 at 8:21 PM Gail Pearlman < forgetwho@...> wrote: Ravi, since my info is 41 years old this is probably not very helpful, but - in 1981 I went in at Kearsarge, over Glen, and out Baxter. (I had gone over Baxter in 1975 from the east side.) In 1981, the trail from Baxter Lakes over the pass and out was a real trail, but the trail from the JMT to that point was even then almost nonexistent. First, I could not find the junction of the JMT and the Baxter Lakes trail; I went way past that point down toward Woods Creek. The junction wasn't marked, and the several people I asked, including a ranger, had no idea where it was. Finally two men happened to emerge from it - they'd come out from Baxter Lakes - and so I saw where to enter. Admittedly I had no navigation skills, but I was then "lost" for about two hours, trying to stay on the very overgrown trail. I remember repeatedly taking my pack off, leaving it propped up where I could see it, and scouting ahead to find the trail again. There was also a crossing with no trail visible on the other side; there was a cairn in the middle of the stream which I followed and then found the trail. Once I was at the lakes the trail was clear for the rest of the way - again this was 41 years ago... when I emerged at the trailhead it was deserted. I walked a mile down the road and came to a campground - no idea if that's still there or not - and asked how far it was to town; someone there gave me a ride the rest of the way.?
In 1975 I loved the hike up from the east. It really is a moonscape pass and I loved being above timber on broken rock for so long.
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Hi Ravi,
I hiked Baxter in August of 2020 from the eastside trailhead.? It is about 6200' of elevation gain from the TH to the pass.? The trail was hard to follow in a few spots, with some light bushwhacking below summit meadow.? The tread is quite obvious for most of the trail, however we did loose it in a few spots below the Baxter Lakes complex as we headed west.? My hiking partner put together a short video that may be helpful, should you decide to go this route (link below).? Based on your itinerary, if it was me, I would just backtrack from Rae Lakes back over Glenn and exit Kearsarge to OV.? That would be about 12 miles from Lower Rae Lake.? It is about the same distance from Lower Rae to the Baxter Pass TH, but that TH is isolated and you would probably end up walking an addition 5+ miles to get down to 395.
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Ravi, your best bet for information is over at the highsierratopix forum. If you search for "Baxter Pass" you'll probably have hours of reading.
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In recent years, there has been a trail sign for Baxter Pass near Dollar Lake designating the junction and the sign says the trail is is unmaintained, so at least hikers know where the junction is. I’m going to research trail conditions some more.
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Ravi, since my info is 41 years old this is probably not very helpful, but - in 1981 I went in at Kearsarge, over Glen, and out Baxter. (I had gone over Baxter in 1975 from the east side.) In 1981, the trail from Baxter Lakes over the pass and out was a real trail, but the trail from the JMT to that point was even then almost nonexistent. First, I could not find the junction of the JMT and the Baxter Lakes trail; I went way past that point down toward Woods Creek. The junction wasn't marked, and the several people I asked, including a ranger, had no idea where it was. Finally two men happened to emerge from it - they'd come out from Baxter Lakes - and so I saw where to enter. Admittedly I had no navigation skills, but I was then "lost" for about two hours, trying to stay on the very overgrown trail. I remember repeatedly taking my pack off, leaving it propped up where I could see it, and scouting ahead to find the trail again. There was also a crossing with no trail visible on the other side; there was a cairn in the middle of the stream which I followed and then found the trail. Once I was at the lakes the trail was clear for the rest of the way - again this was 41 years ago... when I emerged at the trailhead it was deserted. I walked a mile down the road and came to a campground - no idea if that's still there or not - and asked how far it was to town; someone there gave me a ride the rest of the way.?
In 1975 I loved the hike up from the east. It really is a moonscape pass and I loved being above timber on broken rock for so long.
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Re: Send bear canister to post office in Lone Pine.
#gear
Re general delivery, my personal experience is that the availability of this service is not guaranteed and varies by post office. I have had general deliveries refused and returned by small offices since they “don’t have room” for the storage, and even if they are willing to accept the package, they may not be willing or able to hold it for a full 30 days. Bottom line: every post office if different and you should verify general service delivery service or risk an ugly surprise.
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Re: Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes
I remember that trouble. That year, we had a trip planned via the Granite Staircase, but then they closed that section on the account of a fire (small in comparison to what happened since). We found a great alternative: Isberg Pass TH to Hemlock Crossing and Stevenson Meadow. From there, cross-country up to Twin Island Lakes, then Lake Katherine and over North Granite Pass to Thousand People (ehm, Island) Lake. The short section from Twin Island to Kathrine was the “hardest” part. We picked up the JMT/PCT at Island Pass, then left it in Lyell Canyon to go up towards Evelyn Lake. Finally, we looped back via Isberg Pass. That part was still in great shape back then. Here’s a trip report: I remember the moving rest day at Emeric Lake as one of the best days of my life. ? BTW, Does anybody know whether Clover Meadows/Isberg TH burned? I think so, but I’m not sure. ? Steven ? ?
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From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Karina Bezkrovnaia via groups.io Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2022 17:59 To: [email protected]Subject: Re: [JMT-groups.io] Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes ? Eric , thank you ? fair enough - but bummer ! I have found a report on this route from 2017 and it was stating difficulties around Hemlock already! ? On Feb 12, 2022, at 17:02, eric schultz <hikeinyo@...> wrote:
? The trail east of Hemlock Crossing is obliterated. ? We did it last year.? Finding the junction at Cora lake was difficult. We had used Gaia to help us.? Lots of down trees and very soft sandy ground, which made travel very difficult.? I would not recommend it.? We had planned on big miles those days.? We ended up making our miles but it took a significant more amount of time and energy.? Water was difficult to get as well. ? There was some trail but mostly gone.? I would say 95% is off trail.? Very sad that area is beautiful. ? I went over Merced Pass last summer. It was great. Actually we went cross-country along Buena Vista Crest from Buena Vista Pass, so I don't know how the trail is south of there.
In summer 2020 I went over Red Peak Pass and Isberg Pass, though different trips. Red Peak Pass was great. Isberg itself is nice, but much of the land east (and now south) has burned. The trail was obliterated for many miles east of Hemlock Crossing from the 2018 fire — maybe more has been repaired since? But much more burned last year (including a great campsite we found at Cora Lakes), so it might be in bad shape.
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Gosh, I’m not sure since it’s not something that I’ve ever evaluated. On that same trip I went over Forester Pass late afternoon and camped on the south side and I was awoken at 2am by a llama bell. I thought I was dreaming! I couldn’t believe someone went over the chute that had snow (I had used microspikes) in the dark!? As far as Colby Pass, I really don’t remember the specific terrain being more difficult than Forrester but I can’t say?for sure.
:)
Matthew?
On Sat, Feb 12, 2022 at 6:42 PM Marion Davison < mardav@...> wrote: I have attempted a trip over Colby Pass a couple times, but had to bail long before reaching it for various reasons.? I have had people tell me that Colby Pass is impassable to stock.? I hike with llamas and they are extremely sure footed. They actually prefer walking on slabs. Speaking as a person who has done Colby Pass, what is your opinion about livestock on the pass?
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Marion, Colby was in good shape in 2018 No problem for llamas.?
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On Feb 12, 2022, at 6:42 PM, Marion Davison <mardav@...> wrote:
? I have attempted a trip over Colby Pass a couple times, but had to bail long before reaching it for various reasons.? I have had people tell me that Colby Pass is impassable to stock.? I hike with llamas and they are extremely sure footed. They actually prefer walking on slabs. Speaking as a person who has done Colby Pass, what is your opinion about livestock on the pass?
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I have attempted a trip over Colby Pass a couple times, but had to bail long before reaching it for various reasons.? I have had people tell me that Colby Pass is impassable to stock.? I hike with llamas and they are extremely sure footed. They actually prefer walking on slabs. Speaking as a person who has done Colby Pass, what is your opinion about livestock on the pass?
On Feb 12, 2022 6:29 PM, Matthew Francis <matthewrfrancis@...> wrote: Ravi, I second what Tom said about Colby Lake. I camped there last summer and I was the only person there. Here’s a snap of my camp spot.?
Best, Matthew?
On Sat, Feb 12, 2022 at 6:12 PM Tom Kennefick via <tomkennefick= [email protected]> wrote: I don’t know Baxter pass.? The hike through big wet meadow, Colby lake, Colby pass and beyond is fantastic.? Definitely camp at Colby lake if you can.? The trail across Colby pass was in great shape a few years ago. Baxter pass hits the JMT at dollar lake which is past Rea Lakes. ? You are only about 2 miles from Woods creek at that point so a loop back to roads end is an easy option at that point. On Feb 12, 2022, at 5:30 PM, ravi_jmt2013 <ravi@...> wrote:
?This is the time of year for planning trips and that's always a lot of fun for me -- I have a dozen maps scattered around my living room as I type!
One of several of my potential trip plans involves starting in Sequoia National Park on the west side and connecting to the JMT via Colby Pass and the upper Kern before joining the JMT north of Tyndall Creek where I would head northbound.? The most logical exit point given the time I have available this year would be Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley, but it seems a real shame to be so close to Rae Lakes, one of my favorite spots, without visiting, so I think I would want to cross Glen Pass to visit the lakes.? However, rather than turn around after that and go back southbound over Glen and then exit over Kearsarge, there's the option of exiting over Baxter Pass.
I think I know the answer to my question already ... but how "unmaintained" is the Baxter Pass trail? Is it just rough or is it totally obscured? It appears as a dotted unmaintained trail on the Kings Canyon High Country Harrison map, but it does appear as a trail. From reading other commentary on this trail, I know that it is steep and hot when entering from the east side, but maybe it isn't so bad when exiting?? I assume that the trailhead itself on the east side is pretty isolated so walking the five miles from the trailhead to 395 would probably be necessary before hitchhiking to lone pine, so would need to plan for those extra miles as well.
This is probably not a brilliant idea but thought it might be a useful topic for others who are considering this trailhead either for entry or exit.
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Ravi, I second what Tom said about Colby Lake. I camped there last summer and I was the only person there. Here’s a snap of my camp spot.?
Best, Matthew?
On Sat, Feb 12, 2022 at 6:12 PM Tom Kennefick via <tomkennefick= [email protected]> wrote: I don’t know Baxter pass.? The hike through big wet meadow, Colby lake, Colby pass and beyond is fantastic.? Definitely camp at Colby lake if you can.? The trail across Colby pass was in great shape a few years ago. Baxter pass hits the JMT at dollar lake which is past Rea Lakes. ? You are only about 2 miles from Woods creek at that point so a loop back to roads end is an easy option at that point. On Feb 12, 2022, at 5:30 PM, ravi_jmt2013 <ravi@...> wrote:
?This is the time of year for planning trips and that's always a lot of fun for me -- I have a dozen maps scattered around my living room as I type!
One of several of my potential trip plans involves starting in Sequoia National Park on the west side and connecting to the JMT via Colby Pass and the upper Kern before joining the JMT north of Tyndall Creek where I would head northbound.? The most logical exit point given the time I have available this year would be Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley, but it seems a real shame to be so close to Rae Lakes, one of my favorite spots, without visiting, so I think I would want to cross Glen Pass to visit the lakes.? However, rather than turn around after that and go back southbound over Glen and then exit over Kearsarge, there's the option of exiting over Baxter Pass.
I think I know the answer to my question already ... but how "unmaintained" is the Baxter Pass trail? Is it just rough or is it totally obscured? It appears as a dotted unmaintained trail on the Kings Canyon High Country Harrison map, but it does appear as a trail. From reading other commentary on this trail, I know that it is steep and hot when entering from the east side, but maybe it isn't so bad when exiting?? I assume that the trailhead itself on the east side is pretty isolated so walking the five miles from the trailhead to 395 would probably be necessary before hitchhiking to lone pine, so would need to plan for those extra miles as well.
This is probably not a brilliant idea but thought it might be a useful topic for others who are considering this trailhead either for entry or exit.
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I don’t know Baxter pass. ?The hike through big wet meadow, Colby lake, Colby pass and beyond is fantastic. ?Definitely camp at Colby lake if you can. ?The trail across Colby pass was in great shape a few years ago. Baxter pass hits the JMT at dollar lake which is past Rea Lakes. ? You are only about 2 miles from Woods creek at that point so a loop back to roads end is an easy option at that point.
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On Feb 12, 2022, at 5:30 PM, ravi_jmt2013 <ravi@...> wrote:
?This is the time of year for planning trips and that's always a lot of fun for me -- I have a dozen maps scattered around my living room as I type!
One of several of my potential trip plans involves starting in Sequoia National Park on the west side and connecting to the JMT via Colby Pass and the upper Kern before joining the JMT north of Tyndall Creek where I would head northbound. ?The most logical exit point given the time I have available this year would be Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley, but it seems a real shame to be so close to Rae Lakes, one of my favorite spots, without visiting, so I think I would want to cross Glen Pass to visit the lakes. ?However, rather than turn around after that and go back southbound over Glen and then exit over Kearsarge, there's the option of exiting over Baxter Pass.
I think I know the answer to my question already ... but how "unmaintained" is the Baxter Pass trail? Is it just rough or is it totally obscured? It appears as a dotted unmaintained trail on the Kings Canyon High Country Harrison map, but it does appear as a trail. From reading other commentary on this trail, I know that it is steep and hot when entering from the east side, but maybe it isn't so bad when exiting? ?I assume that the trailhead itself on the east side is pretty isolated so walking the five miles from the trailhead to 395 would probably be necessary before hitchhiking to lone pine, so would need to plan for those extra miles as well.
This is probably not a brilliant idea but thought it might be a useful topic for others who are considering this trailhead either for entry or exit.
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Re: Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes
Eric , thank you ? fair enough - but bummer ! I have found a report on this route from 2017 and it was stating difficulties around Hemlock already! Karina Bezkrovnaia
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On Feb 12, 2022, at 17:02, eric schultz <hikeinyo@...> wrote:
? Ryan The trail east of Hemlock Crossing is obliterated. ? We did it last year.? Finding the junction at Cora lake was difficult. We had used Gaia to help us.? Lots of down trees and very soft sandy ground, which made travel very difficult.? I would not recommend it.? We had planned on big miles those days.? We ended up making our miles but it took a significant more amount of time and energy.? Water was difficult to get as well. ? There was some trail but mostly gone.? I would say 95% is off trail.? Very sad that area is beautiful. Eric I went over Merced Pass last summer. It was great. Actually we went cross-country along Buena Vista Crest from Buena Vista Pass, so I don't know how the trail is south of there.
In summer 2020 I went over Red Peak Pass and Isberg Pass, though different trips. Red Peak Pass was great. Isberg itself is nice, but much of the land east (and now south) has burned. The trail was obliterated for many miles east of Hemlock Crossing from the 2018 fire — maybe more has been repaired since? But much more burned last year (including a great campsite we found at Cora Lakes), so it might be in bad shape.
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Re: Navigation problems - how common? where?
#JMTsurvey
On Sat, Feb 12, 2022 at 02:19 PM, Ethan wrote:
"I'm taking the Red Line to the Blue Line."
LOL .. Here in Washington DC, you would need to go to the Metro Center stop near the White House to transfer from the red line to the blue line train!?
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This is the time of year for planning trips and that's always a lot of fun for me -- I have a dozen maps scattered around my living room as I type!
One of several of my potential trip plans involves starting in Sequoia National Park on the west side and connecting to the JMT via Colby Pass and the upper Kern before joining the JMT north of Tyndall Creek where I would head northbound. ?The most logical exit point given the time I have available this year would be Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley, but it seems a real shame to be so close to Rae Lakes, one of my favorite spots, without visiting, so I think I would want to cross Glen Pass to visit the lakes. ?However, rather than turn around after that and go back southbound over Glen and then exit over Kearsarge, there's the option of exiting over Baxter Pass.
I think I know the answer to my question already ... but how "unmaintained" is the Baxter Pass trail? Is it just rough or is it totally obscured? It appears as a dotted unmaintained trail on the Kings Canyon High Country Harrison map, but it does appear as a trail. From reading other commentary on this trail, I know that it is steep and hot when entering from the east side, but maybe it isn't so bad when exiting? ?I assume that the trailhead itself on the east side is pretty isolated so walking the five miles from the trailhead to 395 would probably be necessary before hitchhiking to lone pine, so would need to plan for those extra miles as well.
This is probably not a brilliant idea but thought it might be a useful topic for others who are considering this trailhead either for entry or exit.
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Re: Merced / Red Peak / Isberg Passes
Ryan The trail east of Hemlock Crossing is obliterated. ? We did it last year.? Finding the junction at Cora lake was difficult. We had used Gaia to help us.? Lots of down trees and very soft sandy ground, which made travel very difficult.? I would not recommend it.? We had planned on big miles those days.? We ended up making our miles but it took a significant more amount of time and energy.? Water was difficult to get as well. ? There was some trail but mostly gone.? I would say 95% is off trail.? Very sad that area is beautiful. Eric
I went over Merced Pass last summer. It was great. Actually we went cross-country along Buena Vista Crest from Buena Vista Pass, so I don't know how the trail is south of there.
In summer 2020 I went over Red Peak Pass and Isberg Pass, though different trips. Red Peak Pass was great. Isberg itself is nice, but much of the land east (and now south) has burned. The trail was obliterated for many miles east of Hemlock Crossing from the 2018 fire — maybe more has been repaired since? But much more burned last year (including a great campsite we found at Cora Lakes), so it might be in bad shape.
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Thank you, Rob! Was planning to call anyway. Karina Bezkrovnaia
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On Feb 12, 2022, at 16:04, RobBrandt via groups.io <robbrandt@...> wrote:
?A SNF ranger told me last fall that he didn't expect Mammoth Trail to Reds (over Granite Stairway) to open this year.? That's a key access point from Isberg to Reds, I believe.? You would be wise to call SNF to verify that it's open before setting out.? It COULD be, that the Isberg->Granite Stairway is OK, that only the lower portions of Mammoth Trail are closed.
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Karina Bezkrovnaia
Jim Ringland
John Powell
ravi_jmt2013