Archives for January 2019

Quick Summary: 

When: June 2018

Length: About 25 Miles

Scenery: Epic

Elevation Change: Much (especially for a flatlander). Low – 7,069’ High – 11,679’

Route Finding: Challenging in spots, especially if there is still snow cover (which there was in June).

Video: This video is made up of Go Pro pics taken every 60 seconds along the trail and then stitched into a 5 1/2 minute video. If you are not prone to motion sickness, check it out at the bottom of my Home page, or on YouTube.

Of Note: It seems that most of this 25 mile route, while beautiful throughout, needs special attention to keep one from falling on their arse, or worse, tumbling down a mountain side. Whether it is trying not to slip on loose rocks, or narrow mountainside paths on loose scree, or crossing steep snowfields (in June), the incredible scenery is best enjoyed while standing still. Fortunately for me, I was able to take it all in because I needed a lot of rest.

Map Key:                 

• These are spots where I could have used a better map and/or paid closer attention.

• Mosquitos.

 

• Campsite

• Marmot sighting.

 

• Scenic

•   Major detour. I followed Monarch Creek instead of the trail. It’s tricky terrain going down, and not recommended with a heavy pack.

The Details (for those with too much time on their hands)

Day 1, Friday (getting there)

Mineral King Road was as advertised. It took me over 1 ½ hours to drive the 25 mile length of this road to Mineral King. The original road was said to have been created by miners in 1873 after silver was discovered in the area.   I arrived at 10:15 pm at the Cold SpringsCampground after a 7+ hour drive up from Long Beach.

I found a walk-in campsite and set up camp using my headlamp. I lay in my tent in the dark and kept thinking I saw lights flashing. Was this a hallucination left over from the 80s? No. I soon realized that as my hand brushed across my sleeping bag, static electricity was creating the light show. Perhaps I had never witnessed that static electricity emitted light because I had never experienced it in such complete darkness. I watched the show for a bit longer. As the first waves of sleep began to wash over me to the sound of Soda Creek running somewhere below, I realized I was grinning from ear to ear in the dark like a crazy person, just happy to be out there.

Day 2, Saturday (hitting the trail)

Most of the vehicles at the trailhead were covered by blue tarps to protect them from marmots. This parking lot was notorious for marmot damage, and I had seen Marmot Damage Forms prominently displayed at the ranger station. These large rodents reportedly came down at night and took insulation from under the hoods and material from tires. Some were reputed to be accomplished graffiti artists as well. I didn’t have any tarps for my rental so I had to take my chances.

I hit the Sawtooth Trail at 9:45 and immediately began to climb. I hadn’t weighed my loaded REI Pinnacle 50 pack but I estimated it to be at least 50 pounds. I was quickly passed by two other groups of two as I shuffled along. But soon I passed them as they quickly became winded. One of them appeared to have been drinking a beer in the parking lot. Perhaps it was a ceremonial thing. Perhaps throwing up on the trail was as well. At 0.6 miles and 8330’ the trail split and all of the others took the trail to Sawtooth Pass while I continued north towards Timber Gap. Ahh, solitude. Almost immediately beautiful views of the mountains to the south of Mineral King began to open up.

I reached Timber Gap, which peeked at 9511’, at 12:08 pm, having seen my first marmot along the way. While it didn’t seem afraid of me, it wasn’t the hoodlum I expected. No leather or tats. No switchblade. No can of spray paint. I had started out at 7820’ so a climb of almost 1700’ in just over 2 miles to start the trip was only an indication of things to come. After Timber Gap I began a long, slow decent. I stopped for a long lunch along Timber Gap Creek. I pulled out my chair and put on my camp shoes as my feet had already been aching. I saw two other twosomes along this stretch and one of the teams appeared to be about the same age as me. I asked and they said they had seen bears, but they were a ways off doing their own thing. Going down wasn’t much easier. While it wasn’t a steep descent, there was much loose gravel and rocks on the trail so I had to pay attention.

At about 5 miles from my rental car I reached Cliff Creek at 2:57. In typical Paul fashion I didn’t want to spend 5 minutes putting on my aqua socks to cross the river. Instead, I went in over my boot and spent 15 minutes changing into dry socks. A couple of guys were getting water at the river. These were the last people I saw for the day, making it ten total on the trail, and six since I had gotten on the Timber Gap Trail. This seemed like plenty for this remote of an area, but then it was a Saturday. At the creek the trail reaches its lowest elevation at 7120’. Here a sign claimed Pinto Lake was 2.9 miles and I turned east towards it. Beyond it lie Black Rock Pass at 6.5 miles and 11,600’, but my destination for the night was Pinto Lake and a little fishing. Mosquitos were plenty along the first part of this climb and I got out the head net that I had purchased for the trip. It would prove to be a valuable piece of gear on this journey (see review on the Gear page). About a mile along Cliff Creek the trail gets lost among rocks in and overflow area. I wandered around a bit before climbing an embankment and rediscovering the path in some dense brush.

Here the trail began climbing more steeply away from the river with some switchbacks. A map of better scale may have helped me avoid my next mistake. Pinto Lake is hardly more than a dot on the map. After climbing more switchbacks and cresting a ridge, I thought I further along than I was, and I missed Pinto Lake completely. The trail continued rise as did my fatigue. The climbing became steeper and after a mile or two, I looked back down to where I had come from and saw a small lake. I realized I was off on my calculations but thought I must be getting close to Black Rock Pass. I didn’t realize right away that was Pinto Lake I was looking at, and BRP was still a long way off.

I continued to climb, not wanting to give up the elevation I had gained. The views continued to open up beautiful views of the valley below and the mountains to the south and east, but it was getting late and fatigue and elevation were getting to me. The higher I climbed the less water I came across and I was down to a half liter. It was around 7 pm and I decided I wasn’t going to see any more hikers so I plopped my tent down against a tree to keep me from sliding down the mountain side. The elevation was about 9700′. There were no flat areas here big enough for even a my Eureka! one person tent. I climbed into my sleeping bag knowing I needed to rest, and it was lights out at 7:53 but I struggled for a long time to fall asleep.

People encountered today: 10 (mostly near the trailhead)

Mileage for the day: about 8 ½.

Weather for the day: sun in the morning, climbed into some clouds in the afternoon. High temp in the 60s.

Food highlight for the day: none for food, but I had lunch with a view.

Day 3, Sunday 

The trail continued to climb toward Black Rock Pass, revealing fabulous views to the south, including Spring Lake, and Cliff Creek tumbling down from it. The trail was very narrow with loose rocks and scree along the steep mountainside, and I wasn’t feeling very refreshed so I had had to pay close attention to where I stepped. After a while I came across a big washout that had come down the mountain and wiped out the trail. The gulley was about 20-30’ across and 8-10’ deep, and seems to stretch on for quite some ways in both directions. I followed the gulley down the mountain for about 50 yards and found a place where boulders had piled up and I could cross safely with my pack on.

The higher I climbed the steeper the trail became and I found myself leaning over and resting on my poles ever twenty yards or so. I ran into a hiker later as he descended from the peak and he assured me it was just ahead. I had hit the trail at 7:30, thinking I was just below the peak. I quickly realized this wasn’t the case, and didn’t reach Black Rock Pass until 12:15. So relieved was I to reach the pass that I almost stepped on a marmot at the top. The view from the pass was magnificent and I took a short break while the marmot watched me from a short distance away. Little Five Lakes spread out before me on one side and beyond them the high peaks of the Great Western Divide. Behind me was the long and beautiful climb out of the canyon through which Cliff Creek rushed. The pass sat at 11,600’.

The trail descended quickly and snow covered it in many areas on this side of the pass. Picking the camouflaged trail out on the other side of the snow fields was needed and I found myself “post holing” on occasion, sinking to mid-thigh at one point. The further the trail dropped the scarcer the snow became and I reached the first of the Little Five Lakes at 2:50 in the afternoon.

I took a late lunch here, breaking out my chair and camp shoes once again.I had another tuna packet for lunch and decided to make the Grahma Nanna Nilla Pudding that I hadn’t tried before. It was quite tasty even though I still lacked hunger.

After lunch I continued along the trail and through waters draining into the lakes from the highlands. The trail elevated slightly, leading up and away for about ¼ mile before dropping back down to the largest of the Little Five Lakes, where I only stopped long enough to snap a few photos. Lakes in the high country are usually striking and beautiful, with the jagged, colorful peaks providing a dramatic contrast to the calm, clear water. And in this area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains they were abundant.  The relatively flat lands of the Midwest have their own beauty, especially in the greening, flowering, chirping late spring, or blanketed in the mild temperatures and dramatic colors of fall, but for this midwestern boy, the grandeur and majesty of the high country can almost take your breath away. Or perhaps that’s the lack of oxygen. I wonder if it is possible for the locals to take this scenery for granted, as I’m sure I do with the subdued beauty of my home state.

If any section of this trip had trails that you could simply hike on and enjoy the scenery without breaking your neck, it was this section from Little Five Lakes to Big Five Lakes, and then on into Lost Canyon for a distance. At 5:25 pm I found a beautiful campsite on Lower Big Five Lake that wasn’t far from the trail.

This lake sat at just below 10,000 feet so a fire was permissible but I opted to spend time fishing and cooking a nice dinner. The mosquitos around the lakes were bad, especially when you stopped moving, and I got used to wearing my head net. Thumbs up on this new piece of gear (see review on Gear page). I had also brought a mosquito repellant that you attach to a fuel canister to create a “bubble of protection” around your campsite. Either I didn’t light it correctly or it just didn’t work, because I sat next to it surrounded by swarming mosquitos. Thumbs down on this new piece of gear (see review on Gear page).

The water was clear, calm, and cold and I tried my hand with both the spinner and fly rod that I had brought. Nothing. After dinner I sat in my chair for a bit watching the sun set over the mountains across the lake to the southwest as the mosquitos swarmed me, but I didn’t care. 

People encountered today: 1

Mileage for the day: 6 – 6.5

Weather for the day: Sunny and severe clear. High in the upper 60s.

Food highlight for the day: Grahma Nanna Nilla Pudding for lunch. Also, unstuffed peppers for dinner (though I will boil the peppers next time before dehydrating). Breakfast lunch and dinner were all enjoyed with spectacular views.

Day 4, Monday

I did sleep better, though it took a while to fall asleep once again. I woke at 5:55 am to a sunny, 51 degree morning. I broke camp around 9 or 9:30 after a breakfast of scrambled eggs, polenta, and salsa. Having gone two nights on the trail without eating trout, I decided to cut up some onion and the last-pick-of-the-season asparagus I had brought from home and throw it in the mix.

After going through a fire area I came to a small unnamed lake in about ¾ mile, then the Lost Canyon Trail junction at 10:30 and 9580’. From here it would be a 3.8 mile to Columbine Lake which sat at 10,970’, with a good part of that climb being in the last ¾ mile. I crossed Lost Canyon Creek at the junction and followed the trail briefly before losing it.  I wasn’t too concerned, knowing I just needed to follow the creek, but I was keeping my eyes peeled for bears, having seen markings recently. I wandered off trail through the trees for a while before realizing the trail crosses back over the creek after ½ mile or less so I found a place to cross. After crossing I tried to locate the trail, and through the trees I could see the rocks rising up. This reminded me I was in a canyon and I saw on the map the canyon would be closing in on both sides soon, so I kept the walls equal distance on both sides and quickly found the trail at 11:15. The trees then became scarcer and the trail and creek opened into a lovely grassy meadow with the dramatic canyon walls rising on both sides.

The final climb up to Columbine Lake was challenging but manageable, even with the snow still covering the trail in spots near the top, and I reached the lake at about 2 pm and had a late lunch. It was still partly frozen over and the snow on it created the effect of alternating white and blue waves with the water beneath. It was beautiful with the snow covered mountains rising up around it. I took a short lunch at the shore on a large rock and hit the trail again at 2:25 pm. With only about 2 miles to get over Sawtooth Pass and down to Monarch Lakes, I was thinking I would have camp set up in time for plenty of fishing. How wrong I was.

What I hadn’t noticed on my map until I was home and writing this, is that the trail between Columbine Lake and Monarch Lakes is unmaintained. I noticed it on a Tom Harrison map first, one that I had picked up after my trip. I then went back and studied the Trails Illustrated map that I had used during the trip and sure enough it showed this section as an unmaintained trail, though it was hard to distinguish the two different trail symbols. Had I noticed, I might have proceeded differently. Maybe not. Another lesson in map scale.

An overflow creek ran off Columbine Lake to the north, tumbling down to Cyclamen Lake and Spring Lake, then turning into Cliff Creek, which I had hiked along two days earlier. Just finding a way across this outlet was challenging to start this section. I studied the surrounding rocks, spotted a couple of cairns and slowly began to make my way up the rocky terrain towards Sawtooth Pass. The snow covering the way up became more challenging as I picked my way up, moving from cairn to cairn. Then the cairns stopped and I could see no discernable spot above that looked like a pass.  The way in front of me still rose high above and looked too steep. Surely I didn’t still have to go up that.

I will spare you the details of getting from Columbine Lake up to Sawtooth Pass. Just know that this 0.8 mile section took 5 hours and involved backtracking, swearing, shooting an azimuth, crossing some very steep snowfields, and a lot of self-doubt. By the time I reached Sawtooth Pass at 11,630′ and kissed the cairn it was 7:20 pm.

Looking west from the pass, I could see down the canyon through which Monarch Creek ran. And far in the distance and nearly 4000’ below I could see a piece of road, and the reflection of a couple cars. This would be the parking area where I had started, and my destination it the morning. For now I just had to head down a mile to Monarch Lakes and set up camp. I had blown my fishing time for the night, but oh well. I was alive and back on the trail. In the morning I would just have 2.3 miles out to the car. 

There was no snow on this side of the pass and I set off down the trail with a renewed vigor. But it was hard to follow in the sandy scree and contained footprints going in multiple directions. I quickly found myself off the trail again. I wasn’t concerned as I could just work down and catch the trail in the canyon below next to the creek that ran there (wrong assumption!). As I carefully picked my way down the steep slope the scree gave way to rocks and boulders and I realized there was no trail down here. The trail down from Monarch Lakes to the parking lot followed the ridge and descended gradually at first, before turning into switchbacks at the western end of the ridge. I had dropped well below Monarch Lakes so the trail must have drifted somewhere high above me. Well, crap again.

I decided I wasn’t going back up. If I followed Monarch Creek west it would cross the trail again in about a mile. I decided I would take this “shortcut”. What a better-scaled map would have revealed, or even a closer look at the map I carried, was how steeply the creek canyon descended before it crossed the trail. I began to work my way west along the creek but could no longer see the valley and road far below so I began to second-guess myself. Almost immediately the canyon narrowed as I came to a waterfall and had to carefully work my way around it with a good drop waiting for me. The route finding was challenging and the going slow as I worked my way down the canyon. At one point as I was working down a slippery, mud covered slope where the runoff water trickled down in a wide band, my hiking pole sunk over a foot and I Iost my balance. The weight of my falling body snapped the pole but the rubbery internal band held, halting my descent. I decided at that point it was time to camp for the night.

People encountered today:  1

Mileage for the day: ~8.2

Weather for the Day: Sunny and sunny, with a slight chance of death. Morning lows were in the upper forties. High in the sixties.

 Food Highlight for the Day: Lunch on Columbine Lake. The food was nothing special but the view was incredible.

Day 5, Tuesday (getting off the trail)

I broke camp at 6:22 am and started west along the creek. It was not quite fully light but I could see well enough to hike safely. Ahead of me looked to be a large drop and when I got there I could once again see the road below and I gave a little shout of joy. The drop appeared to be too drastic to continue, but after looking around a bit I found a way to navigate carefully without endangering myself. That was pretty much how it was hiking down this canyon. It involved taking my time, sometimes backtracking a bit, crossing the creek again and again, and sometimes going up to get down. Having settled to the fact that I was in no hurry, this navigating and route finding became enjoyable – a puzzle to solve.

I slowly worked my way down to the trail and finished the last 1 or 1 1/4 miles on it. I reached the parking lot 8:50am. Fortunately the marmot gang had spared my rental car. It had taken me 2 ½ hours to navigate about 2 miles. After taking time to unload some gear and discard trash, I stopped at the ranger station to buy the map that I should have gotten before I hit the trail.

I drove the long drive back out Mineral King Road. In the daylight I could see how dangerous the road was. Not for the sleep deprived. How must it have been for them to cut this road into the side of the mountains back in 1873? I still had a long drive back to Long Beach so there would be much time for reflection on what a memorable hike this would turn out to be.

People encountered today: 0 (on the trail)

Mileage for the day: 2

Mileage for the Mineral King Loop: 8.5 + 6.3 + 8.2 + 2 = 25

Gear that worked well:

My Black Diamond hiking poles saved me, literally. My new Hanwag hiking boots were bomber. Helinox Zero chair was worth the weight. Water socks were nice for camp shoes. GoPro and battery charging system worked well. So did iPhone as camera only. Gorilla Pod and iPhone holder worked well for timed photos. Sea-to-Summit mosquito head net was invaluable (see review on Gear page).

Gear that I didn’t use:

Trout prep: aluminum foil, 3/4 onion, ghee, some asparagus; frying pan, and folding spatula. Other food: chili, jambalaya, peach cobbler, banana nut bread pudding. Extra clothes: fleece, long sleeve shirt, short sleeve shirt, rain pants, rain jacket.

Gear that didn’t work:

Thermocell Backpacker Mosquito Repeller at 10,000′ (see review on Gear page)

Lessons learned on this trip: 

My map could’ve been a better scale. 1:80,000 Trails Illustrated Map was good for planning but not great for detailed topography. A closer scaled map was available at the ranger station. 1:63,360. A better scaled could have kept me on trail: at Pinto lake, on Lost Canyon Trail, ascending to Sawtooth Pass, and possibly on the way to Monarch Lakes.

This goes along with the one above…Look at the map more carefully, especially at junctions and when going off trail.

Shooting an azimuth, and going back when I got off course at Sawtooth pass were good decisions.

My pack was too heavy for climbing over big mountains. A mile in Indiana does not equal a mile in the mountains (this is a lesson that I keep relearning).

Boil the green peppers before dehydrating them to keep them from getting rubbery when rehydrated.

Don’t roll up your salsa leather and then vacuum seal it. It becomes a hard lump and doesn’t rehydrate well. Instead, tear it into pieces and store it a glass jar until your trip, then put it in a zip lock baggie.

And finally, don’t use your new topo map to block the popcorn from coming out of your hot air popper. It will melt.

Here I will capture some of my thoughts and photos on various backpacking trips I’ve taken throughout the United States. Coming soon: Colorado Bend State Park in Texas, and Mineral King Loop – Sequoia National Park in California.