SHR Trip Report July 30: I got on the airplane at 9:30 and was in

SHR Trip Report
July 30:
I got on the airplane at 9:30 and was in Reno at about the same time. I had my Mom pick me up, and we
headed south on 395. The plan was to get down to the Mono Lake visitor center to get a walk up permit
for the route. I figured that it would be easier to try for the walk up on this side of the Sierra’s versus
trying to get a permit from the Roads End area. It worked perfectly. By using Onion Valley as my starting
point I was able to get a permit in a matter of minutes. It was funny to see the ranger begin to go thru
the backcountry rules and methods with me. About halfway thru he looked at me, and then smiled and
said, “I think you know what to do don’t you?” I nodded, took my permit and left.
The plan was for me to walk in from Onion Valley to Roads End, and meet Royal. Together we hoped to
thru hike the SHR in 14 days. This would mean we needed to average 14 miles a day for the 14 days we
were to be out.
Onion Valley Trailhead
I arrived at the trailhead about 3:00 to overcast skies and scattered rain showers. The trailhead parking
lot was full, and there were lots of hikers. I pulled out my suitcase, and began to change clothes, pulled
out my pack and began to get ready. I bought a couple of PowerAde drinks in town, planning on using
the bottles for my water for the trip. I also bought a couple of Subway sandwiches to eat over the walk
into Kings Canyon. This was important because I had shipped my stove and food on ahead of me so I
didn’t have to cover the 20-25 miles into Kings Canyon with a full load of food and fuel. My plan was to
hike over the pass and then crash out for the night. The following day I would hike the remainder of the
trail to meet Royal in Kings Canyon.
The Onion Valley trailhead is situated at 9200 feet in elevation. With the temps nice and cool, hiking was
quite comfortable. I was in shorts, and even with some sputtering rain showers I didn’t take my rain
shell out. The trail headed up, and I was pretty excited to start my trip. Kearsarge Pass was about 4 miles
in and reaches 11,760. I spent about 2 hours getting up to the pass. I stopped at a sign reading Matlock
Lake part way in, and decided I should check my map. I looked at my route, and my map showed no trail
going to this lake? Great, I’ve only hiked an hour and I’m already lost? The trail was way too obvious for
me to get off route, so I just continued. Eventually the route made its way to the pass, high above a still
frozen lake. I could see snow in the distance, and there was a rumbling of thunder as the unsettled
weather rolled by.
Kearsarge Pass
views from the pass
The view from the pass was spectacular, with snowfields and high peaks as far as the eye can see. I’m
pretty excited, but a bit sobered by all of the snow. After the pass I dropped down towards Bullfrog
Lake, and met a group of hikers. They told me that if I stayed on the higher trail there was some good
camping down a bit farther, and then I didn’t have to climb back up from the lake. I kept on and at the
junction near the Rae lakes loop I found some sweet spots where I set up a nice stealth site in between
granite benches and gnarly trees. The weather was deteriorating, so I set up my tarp and got inside just
as the rain drops began to fall.
Rainbow at day’s end
Sunset day 1
Data: 2570’ gain, 1030’ loss, time; 3:50, mileage aprox 6.5 miles.
July 31:
I woke up about 5:45 and there was a bit of condensation on the inside; manageable. I ate some of my
sandwich supply and while the temps were still nice and cool began to descend to Kings Canyon. The
trail was really well made, nice grade, and it dropped forever. I hiked steadily for about 5 hours and
reached the Roads End trailhead in Kings Canyon about 11:30 that morning. I asked the ranger about
some logistics and where hikers parked, trying to figure out where Royal might be. I ended up near the
parking lot, in the trees, and lay down and took a nap. My shins were a bit sore; I had dropped about
5,000 feet in elevation, and I could feel it. Well, I was glad I had the whole day to lie around and just rest
before we started the route in earnest the following day.
Data: 0’ gain, 5310’ loss, time 5:00, mileage aprox 16 miles.
Aug 1:
The real trip starts today. I’m pretty excited, but have doubts as well. I’m starting off on a real adventure
with a lack of knowledge of the area, no experience with my partner, and a few nagging injuries that are
still bothering me. Two weeks before I was to leave for the Sierra’s I fell off a ladder, and broke a bone in
my wrist. I’m wearing a brace, but it’s not a hundred percent by any means. I’ve also got a nagging calf
muscle that won’t stretch out. The pain is always there. I hope it won’t cause me too much pain as I
really get into the long days of hiking and climbing.
Most of yesterday was spent in a small covered building at the ranger station. Was nice to sit, eat, and
visit with Royal and his friends. They had done a short 5 day hike as a kind of shakedown prior to
meeting me at Roads End. We hung out; just rested and began to get ready for our start in the morning.
Roads End Hostel
The start
Finally as the day wore on, and the rain continued to fall, we ended up poaching a night’s sleep inside
the building. Keeping dry and inside was a great benefit to our early morning start. 6:30 a.m. and we are
on our way to the Copper Creek trail. Temps again are nice and cool. I’m not looking forward to this part
of the trail at all. The trail climbs out of Kings Canyon and then we head off trail. Our first day will have 3
passes, the largest elevation gain, and all of this with the heaviest packs of the trip. I’ve tagged only 12
miles for today because of these factors. We’ll see how it goes. The Copper Creek trail gains over 5,000
feet in 7 miles. It just goes up forever. I’m concentrating on just putting one foot n front of the other. It
takes me 4.5 hours to get to the saddle above Copper Creek. We take a break here and prepare to leave
the trail and begin a 35 mile leg that makes up the initial southern section of the SHR.
Grouse Lake from above
North side of Goat Crest Saddle
The route heads over to Grouse Lake, and Grouse Lake pass, then to Goat Crest. The route is pretty
straightforward, with good visibility and typical high country terrain. The huge snow pack has made
everything green, and water levels are high in the creeks. At the Goat Crest we run into our first big
patches of snow. As we head off to descend, I slip and before I can move my hand, I fall over and snap
one of my trekking poles right in half! Damn! This sucks. Having only one pole is a handicap that I am not
looking forward to. Oh well, I can buy another set in Mammoth at our re-supply. We drop down the
snow field, the snow soft and filled with sun cups. Glacier Lake is spectacular, and we will soon think
that every lake and every view we see is better than the last.
Glacier Lake
Glacier Lake Valley
As I walk by the shores of Glacier Lake, I look over and see an enormous trout! Swimming right off the
bank is an eighteen to twenty inch cutthroat trout. Beautiful colors, it cruises back and forth in a search
for food. Way cool! Along with the huge snow pack we have to deal with one of the worst bug seasons
as well. The bugs around the lake are so bad that we have to hike in wind shirts and head nets. They are
intense! We continue down and drop into the Glacier Lake valley area. Initially the plan had been to
camp somewhere in this area, but the bugs are nuts, so we continue to hike, looking for a spot out of
the bug infestation. The hiking is very easy as we walk down a couple of miles of level and beautiful
meadows until crossing the States Lakes trail. The trail is fair, not very used, and we take the trail until
we reach some nice flat areas at the upper lake. This is camp for the first night. I am hammered!
Data: 6920’ gain, 1780’ loss, time 11:20, mileage aprox 15 miles.
Aug 2:
Well, one thing for sure about this route, it is very physically demanding. The constant up and down,
high passes and ever vigilant navigation make this a route that keeps my utmost attention. We are up a
bit late, a by-product of the long day yesterday. We initially take the trail out of the upper lake, and
make our way towards Horseshoe Lake. We had met a party on the trail yesterday, and today we move
ahead of them. They were heading for Upper Basin and were hoping to climb Split Mountain, and then
loop back to Roads End. Making our way past the lakes, we head off trail and thru the forest trying to
catch Windy Ridge and a way back up to the high country. It is much more difficult moving thru the
forest. Visibility is less, the bugs are everywhere, and the temperature is higher as well.
Working our way on a contour we intersect Windy Ridge and begin to climb up. There is a very faint use
trail, and occasionally we even see a foot print. I am surprised, as I felt that there would be much more
signs of use along our route. The climb finally reaches a small saddle and tarn at about 11,000 feet. Now
we are into some really cool route finding and navigation. We are going to go thru 3 passes; Gray Pass,
White Pass, and Red Pass. We work back up and around to the first pass, then drop way down to a
beautiful cirque, completely remote, filled with water, creeks cascading, and lakes, just incredible. We
work our way around and then across the main creek, and begin a monster climb up and into another
cirque at the base of White Pass. This is where the descriptions about walking over granite benches and
grassy ledges become real. It’s strenuous, but pretty straightforward. At White Pass we then skirt behind
a huge snow field right at its top where it breaks away from the mountainside, really stunning terrain.
We can see the red rock that gives Red Pass its name in the distance.
White Pass looking towards Red Pass
Top of Red Pass looking down on Marion Lake
We connect rock bands thru the snow fields and make our way on a contour over to Red Pass. Now it’s
a big drop to the gully that leads down to Marion Lake. As we get closer to the lake, we are stunned by
the color of the lake. All the pictures we have seen still don’t do it justice.
Marion Lake
The lake is absolutely incredible. The color is truly beyond description. It’s like the lake has been dyed
this wild blue color. The gully down is really easy; we take the far left route per Roper, and as we hit the
lake the bugs descend on us once again. Wind shirts and head nets come out as I walk over to check out
the LeConte memorial plaque set in a granite stone near the outlet.
We climb up and into Lake Basin, and it’s huge. Lakes and water everywhere. The scale is more than I
anticipated. We climb up higher and higher, aiming for another high cirque to bring us below Frozen
Lake Pass. As I get to the last bench, I make my first navigational error. The size of the peaks causes a
foreshortening effect to happen. As we reach this last bench, I can’t tell where the peak we are aiming
for is. I can only see the wall below. I know that the basin has 3 lakes draining it, so I aim for the cirque
with the largest water coming out of it. WRONG! We arrive only to see we should have gone to the right
and up that cirque. We are pretty tired, and we have to get over Frozen Lake Pass tonight, or we face
frozen snow in the morning, and a long wait for conditions to soften up. Down we go, contouring south
and over to the correct line. We arrive into another large cirque, with a series of lakes, all mostly frozen!
We make our way to the outlet stream of the lake below the pass, just in time to see some figures make
their way thru the pass. Cool! We take a break, eat, and get ready to tackle what Roper describes as one
of the toughest passes on the route.
Frozen Lake Pass is the small notch just left of center
We set out, and follow a nice set of tracks punched into soft mushy snow. We climb up and then onto
dirt and scree until we arrive at the pass in about an hour. We made good time with the steps! We look
all over for the register that I had read about. We look high and low and can’t find it. We make ready to
leave, and I look down, and right in front of me there it is. A tiny little metal can, maybe an old
condensed milk can? It’s stuffed with little bits of paper with names and dates on it. I would love to be
able to empty it and look at the bottom bits of paper to see who had signed it. But we need to race the
day down into Upper Basin for our camp.
Down Frozen Lake Pass and into Upper Basin
Original Summit Register
Looking back up Frozen Lake Pass
The descent is really not a problem, and as we drop down the scree, we move over onto low angled
snow and boot ski down quickly and directly. We stagger around trying to find a spot to camp. It’s late
when we drop our packs and set up tarps and begin to make dinner. There are a couple of hikers
camped near us and I walk over to say hi and see what their plans are. They are a couple from Portland,
and they are planning on doing the SHR at a slower pace, and he is carrying a big pile of camera gear. I
thanked them for making such nice steps up the snow field.
Upper Basin camp
The day is over, and we made our targeted area, but at a price. Again, we are spent.
Data: 4240’ gain, 3450’ loss, time 11:20, mileage aprox 13 miles.
Aug 3:
It’s really cold tonight, with a hard frost, and on top of that I wake up tired. My sleep has not been very
good. I’m still working out my sleeping system, and I am finding that my Neo air (I have the short length)
is coming up about 3” short! I either have my feet hanging off at too much of an angle, which really puts
pressure on my heels, or my shoulders are off the top and my head and shoulders are on the hard
ground. I use my Neo air over the top of a Gossamer Gear thin light pad, so I have something under my
Neo for protection, and also something that extends all the way down my feet. It keeps me moving
around and just uncomfortable enough to hinder a really good night’s sleep. The cold is also tough. I
need to wake up and put more clothes on in the middle of the night. The condensation is heavy, and my
bag and the inside of my tarp are really soaked. Royals’ tarp actually fell over in the night, and his bag is
soaked and frozen as well. We take our time upon waking. Our bodies and our gear need some
attention. The sun finally hits camp and we lay out bags and tarps to dry in the intense sun. My
shoulders feel like they have been beat with a baseball bat. Sore and tender. My feet are a bit tender as
well. A few hot spots, but nothing has developed past that so far. I keep a close eye on my feet. Nothing
can ruin a trip faster than blisters and foot problems.
Leaving camp we traverse across the tundra like flats until we intersect the JMT and turn north. Our next
target is Mather Pass. Once again we have 3 passes to climb today. Will it ever end? I was looking
forward to some trail time as a way to rest up a bit. Not going to happen. The trail over Mather is ugly.
Snow is still blocking much of the trail, and scrambling and route finding are a constant chore. Once on
top we are faced with hard alpine ice/snow for the descent. We move far to the left, and go straight
down, bypassing much of the trail in favor of a track that is carved into the hard snow. It’s scary, but we
deem it better than the wandering around above the rocks that we see others doing. The good news is
that we hit the bottom much faster than we anticipated. Onward now down the trail to Palisade Lakes.
We leave the trail again here, and work our way up into some wild and high cirques, filled with snow and
more frozen lakes.
Cirque Pass from below
Cirque Pass is pretty straightforward, and at 12,100 feet is a lung buster. As we top out on the pass I
look over and can see two figures topping out on Potluck Pass, our next goal. Much of the descriptions
from Ropers book are not very helpful because where many of the grassy slots or grassy gullies are
supposed to be, we only see snow.
Potluck Pass from Cirque Pass
Potluck Pass is a bit tricky, and the description and the view are quite daunting. There seems to be no
real route, and the pass is broken and very intimidating. The blocks and slabs look much steeper and
there is no obvious route that links the top. We work up and left, staying out of the snow and the slabs.
We are second guessing our route, constantly worried that we will get dead ended and have to retreat
and find another way. Part way up we see a group of 5 coming down the central section, an area really
filled with steep slabs and blocks. It looks hard, challenging, and frankly, a bit scary. They are moving
slow and are super cautious. I yell over to let them know that there is a “trail” at this edge. One of their
members points down below him, and I tell Royal, “well, I let them know anyway” and we keep
climbing. At the top of the pass we hit some class 3, and I have to actually climb a short chimney to
reach a grassy ledge. We then follow the ledges back right and finally work out and over to the pass
proper. This is a very exposed location, and the route here is more technical than anything that we have
been on so far. This section is not for the faint of heart.
The north side is one major snow field. Again we are a bit out of luck as the main navigation points are
all buried by snow. We start down, following the tracks from the party we saw going over the pass. As
we dropped down at the end of the snow fields I notice that the water is now flowing under the snow,
and there are a lot of spots that will become very dangerous as the snow thins and the possibility of
breaking thru and into the water increases. We have already broken thru a few times as we approach
the edges of rock bands. The route from Potluck now gets a bit interesting as well. We need to contour
over and around going thru an “inconspicuous saddle” on our way to the base of Knapsack Pass. We
contour high, and just when I’m really not sure of where I want to go I spy a two rock cairn. Sweet!
Barrett Lake from the “inconspicuous saddle” and Knapsack Pass in the distance
These are the first cairns I’ve seen since we started, and I really expected more to show up. Maybe they
are all buried under the snow? Regardless, I have to admit, I’m glad to see them. We work around, and
with the help of 2 other cairns we hit the saddle perfectly, and drop down to Barrett Lake. A break for a
drink, and we are ready to hit the last pass before camp.
I am looking up at the pass when I stumble over a rock, and I feel myself flying face forward; adrenaline
kicks in, I try to run back “under” my legs, but after a few frantic lunges I go flying down and into a pile
of rocks. I land on my left side, my upper thigh taking a big hit, skinning my shoulder; my thigh, my knee,
and I lay there gasping, in pain, almost freaking out. I undo my waist belt, and try to catch my breath. I
feel like I just got smacked by a mule. My thigh immediately is tight, and I can barely bend my leg. Crap, I
can’t believe I just did that. No other way but to walk it out and try to stretch it loose. I wash the blood
off my leg, and my elbow seems to have a leak too. Wow, I want to get over this pass and into camp.
Thankfully the route up and over Knapsack Pass is direct and pretty obvious. I’m really feeling the
physical nature of this route now. My body is banged up and my fatigue is near the red line. I trained
hard for this route, and now I’m feeling that I should have trained even harder! Three weeks before I left
I ran my longest run, and did 11 miles in 1:51; feeling like that put me in great shape for this trip. Now I
am wondering if I shouldn’t have kept running right up until the day I left! This getting old stuff really is
starting to suck!
Dusy Basin from Knapsack Pass
From the top of Knapsack Pass we look down into Dusy Basin, and it’s quite a site. Large lakes dotted
with granite show us a wild and beautiful landscape. We again drop down into the snow, following
footsteps. As we lose elevation, we notice that the water under the snow is getting closer and closer to
the top, and we break thru in more than a few spots. The water is just rushing down under the snow
pack. Two thirds of the way down we catch the hikers who we saw crossing the pass ahead of us, and
the four of us all basically arrive in Dusy Basin together. Campsites here are way cool, and we find a
beautiful sandy bench up on a knoll of granite. I can lie back against the granite, in my bag, and cook my
dinner. This is what I’m talking about!
Data: 3090’ gain, 3420’ loss, time 9:50, mileage aprox 14 miles.
Aug 4:
The last 3 days have been truly epic. Crossing thru the wild off trail country of the high Sierra has been
an eye opening experience. Today we are looking forward to banging out a long day on the trail. Our
route takes the Bishop Pass trail down into LeConte Canyon and the JMT. We then follow the JMT all the
way over Muir Pass to our target destination of Evolution Lake. About 18 miles of travel, but with mostly
trail miles we don’t expect to many surprises. I’m actually looking forward to some trail miles, as I feel it
will be a break from the constant navigational duties that the off trail portions are constantly throwing
at us. Maybe I will even be able to look around and sightsee.
We are up early and feeling good about the day to come. I am looking forward to some “sightseeing” as I
cruise along the trail. Leaving the Dusy Basin area we come to the edge of the canyon and drop down
the trail heading for LeConte Canyon. Now we descend mile after mile of switchbacks. The water
cascading down granite slabs is a great companion as we reach the canyon floor and make a brief stop
at the ranger station. Talking with the ranger we try to get some information on the conditions of the
northern areas. We don’t have much luck. Rangers are as much in the dark as we are. My concern is that
just before I left I had read a trip report, with pictures that showed the higher passes and basins up and
around Humphries Basin were completely covered in snow, and some of the route was impassable due
to steep snow. Our route goes right thru these spots, and we are worried we will get there only to be
turned back. All we can do is carry on and see what happens. The ranger does tell us that conditions at
the Muir Pass area would likely mimic other areas farther north at similar elevations. So we will look at
the Muir Pass area as we go thru and see what we think.
Another great “character” along the trail!
The Muir Pass trail disappears under the snow pack
Climbing out of LeConte Canyon is long, but quite beautiful. We approach Muir Pass, and are stunned by
what we see. There are huge snow banks, huge drifts, and raging water everywhere. The trail moves
around from side to side of the canyon, and precarious snow bridges are broken and hanging over the
trail in places. We begin to piece it together, and struggle with the trail. Our progress is slow due to the
boot ski tracks that run down the slopes. We are traveling up the tracks, and the angle and slick snow
make traction in our trail runners a bit sketchy.
Muir Pass approach
As we reach the higher elevations we are overwhelmed by the oven like conditions, snow cups reflecting
the suns’ rays and sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses are requirements. It seems like forever but only a few
hours before we finally spy the top of the stone hut that sits atop Muir Pass.
Muir Pass with the tip of the Muir Hut in the distance
My feet are soaked from the snow, I have hot spots on both feet, and I’m already in deep fatigue as I
realize we still have miles to go before our prospective camp. Conditions are not good. It is not that they
are bad, but just not what we had expected. More prepared for rock hopping than snow slogging, the
entire north side of Muir Pass is completely covered in snow, snow cups, and running water. We slog
thru and down along what seems to be a never ending track of wet snow, water filled trails, and
scorching sun. The lakes along the way are still frozen. I am stunned by the amount of snow still here.
This is not a good omen for our route as we continue north. The elevations we are headed for are all at
or above 10,500. We do not have the footwear for this wet terrain, nor do we have any extra days to
make our mileage if we hope to make our re-supply in Mammoth Lakes. We slog on down and into the
Evolution Lake area, tired and depressed about the decisions we are going to have to make.
I settle into another amazing camping spot, and begin to relax and cook some dinner. I want to feed
myself and then discuss our options for the route ahead.
My mind is running on two fronts. One is that even with the snow ahead; the conditions aren’t really
that difficult. But, on the other hand, I’m thinking about the little things that can really blow up a trip.
Wet feet, blisters, a day or two behind without food, sprained ankles… I break the subject to Royal, and
just tell him straight out that I don’t believe we can continue our route as planned. My problem is still
basic; I don’t believe we have the ability to make our mileage, about 14 miles a day, for the next 4 days
thru snow filled basins, waist high sun cups, with mesh covered trail runners. It only took a few hours
over Muir to make my feet become soaked, wrinkled and full of hot spots. I stay away from the obvious
physical demands that the route has already put on us. I’m quite fit, as is Royal, and it’s been just about
all we can do to make our mileage goals each day. Add to these objective and physical hazards, we also
have a logistical issue. From Evolution Lake, the trail heads north, up thru the Darwin Bench; however
this takes us in the exact opposite direction of any bail out route we can access. So if we get any farther,
and then have to bail, we will have to double back in order to get to the JMT and our food. All these and
more are issues we banter about as we rest and eat our evening meal.
Data: 3203’ gain, 3165’ loss, time 11:05, mileage aprox 18 miles.
View out my “front window”
Aug 5:
Well, we pulled the plug on the SHR. The list of objective and physical issues that face us totaled more
than I felt were reasonable. Royal was all for continuing, but frankly his enthusiasm could put us in a
tough spot. Both of us are disappointed! With this decision we now have another pile of issues to deal
with. We have no map or info on taking the JMT to Reds, and to our re-supply or exit. We’ll just follow
the “highway” and the trail signs and we should be good. We found out last night that it’s like 70 or 80
something miles to Reds. We hit the trail today, and started to put the miles down. We need to average
just under 20 miles a day to get to Reds before we run out of food.
The trail is good, but I would be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t disappointed in the layout of the trail. We
climb up to one very high point, and then spend miles and miles diving back down into the hot dry dusty
low country, only to turn right back up and climb up another few thousand feet to another pass/summit.
Roper was pretty disparaging about the route of the JMT along this section, and I understand more of
what he is referring to now. After leaving Evolution we went all the way down into the valley, and then
climbed like 8 miles up and over Selden Pass before finally camping at Marie Lake. Very cool camping,
very cool country; when we are up high!
Seldon Pass with Marie Lake below
We picked up a hiker, and he, Donald, hiked the day with us and is spending the night with us as well.
Fun to meet and get to know other hikers out here. I must admit that the constant train of hikers is new
to me. I think that in the first day I saw more hikers than an entire season in Idaho! Lots of travelers are
out enjoying the Sierra’s.
Data: 3460’ gain, 3590’ loss, time 10:20, mileage aprox 23 miles.
Aug 6:
Another dusty day on the trail. Today we are up and down once again. The big pass for today is Silver
Pass. We are a bit strung out on the trail, as the three of us have the elevation gain hitting us at different
levels. I’m quite a bit ahead of Royal and Donald, who is still hiking with us, and near the pass I feel the
bonk coming on. I decide to stop and mix some Perpetuem to keep me going. I set my pack down on a
rock, and when I bend over to open it, a Marmot sticks his head out right next to my pack. I jumped and
about screamed like a little girl! I feel much better after a short break and some go juice. The north side
of the pass is covered in snow, and I boot ski down the short but steeper section, then contour around
the snow, staying in the rocks as much as possible until I can reach the trail again. I kept looking over my
shoulder to see when the others would crest the pass, but didn’t see anything. When I was a bit above
one of the last lakes, I started to bonk out again. I decided I really needed to eat something. I had
already eaten all my bars for the day, so I stopped, and brewed up a big cup of seafood chowder. I just
got stuff cooking and Royal showed up out of nowhere; he had taken a different route down the snow,
and I didn’t see him come over the pass. He stopped and brewed up as well. We finished, and Donald
showed up and we all got packed and continued down the trail. We dropped down looking for a camp,
and we landed right in the land of Moz! We should have stayed up higher, but the mileage count wasn’t
where we need to be just yet. Big mistake as the bugs were nasty, and we were stuck with them. I ended
up giving my tarp to Royal for the night, as it has netting, and I bunked up with Donald who had a small
two man tent. So we at least had a night’s sleep out of the mosquitoes. Another long day on the trail
with a lot of miles and elevation.
Data: 4210’ gain, 5670’ loss, time 12:10, mileage aprox 21 miles.
Aug 7:
We should reach Reds today. There are about 18 miles left. We have more trail miles and a lot of dry
contouring as we pass by a couple of cool lakes, Lake Virginia, and Purple Lake. We have a great trail
pace going, light packs; I’m sure I’m not much heavier than about 15 lbs. now, and it doesn’t seem that
long before we actually start to see some trail signs that have Reds Meadow listed on them. Near the
resort we hike thru a really large burn, but even more interesting is that the charred tree stumps are all
thirty feet tall?
The “Charred Forest”
So I’m not sure if the burn happened in warm weather, or if the snow pack held down the lower
sections, and a micro burst came thru and dropped all the weakened trees, or what happened? It is an
amazing site to see this forest of charred stumps all around us. A very cool landscape nonetheless.
Coming into Reds is an eye opener. I have to say my first impression is that it’s a dump. Really crappy
looking “sheds” that are sitting on concrete piers: these are supposed to be “cabins”? The store and the
diner are pretty raw, and overall I was a bit surprised by the lack of amenities. We are also disappointed
because the hot springs are closed down, and we have no way to clean up. Oh well. We make some
calls from Donald’s cell phone, and then have a burger in the café. No fries! We finish and get on the bus
to take us to Mammoth. Culture shock for us all.
I love the Mammoth ski resort, but then I’m a skier. The terrain at Mammoth would make any skier
green with envy. We take another bus down into town, and then walk the length of Main Street on our
way to the campground at the end of town. Donald is going to camp for a day, and re-supply before he
heads back out onto the JMT and his finish in Yosemite. My Mom makes the trip from Reno quickly, and
before we know it, we are saying goodbye to Donald, and I’m driving us to Lee Vining where Royal is
going to try and hitch back to the Bay Area.
The parking lot at the gas station on the Tioga Pass road is full with hikers, tourists and cars. Royal heads
off to find a ride and Mom and I head north to dinner and home. Another trip in the books. This one
didn’t turn out like I had planned, but then again, the rarely do! The SHR is one worthy objective, and
the Sierra’s are one amazing range.
Data: 2400’ gain, 3840’ loss, time 8:30, mileage aprox 18 miles.
Summaries:
Looking back on the nuts and bolts of the trip I had this summary with regards to clothing, equipment,
and food.
My final gear list is listed on my website at http://www.getlostoffroad.com/In_the_Works.html#SHR .
The only minor changes to this list would be that I ended up with some extra food, mainly some trail mix
that I did not eat on my way to Roads End from Onion Valley. I’m glad I had this bit of extra food as I felt
the food crunch with the effort we were putting out each and every day.
Starting down my list I’ll make a brief comment on the pros and cons of my choices.
These are the items I was either wearing, or using on the trail.
North Face wicking shirt; worked perfectly, have been using it for many years.
Under Armour boxer briefs; awesome! No chafing, no bunching. Really happy with them. Was using
some REI style boxer briefs before, but they kept bunching up. The UA was an exceptional performer.
MH Mesa hiking pants/zip off shorts. Perfect choice, pockets handled extra stuff, comfortable, bug
proof.
REI Safari Hat; one of those new pieces of gear that over the last year I have come to love!! Wide brim,
great ventilation, stopped my sunburn on ears, nose, and back of my neck. Makes my head stay cooler
than it ever did with a typical baseball style cap.
Bandanna around my neck, great for soaking up sweat, another personal practice/piece of gear.
Sunnto watch; logs our days on the trail, elevation gain, loss, and time hiking.
Tifoso sunglasses; I always use good glasses, important to protect my sight and my eyes. These glasses
change color with sun intensity, and have small vents along the top to keep them from fogging.
Komperdell FeatherliteTrekking poles; had them a long time, swear by them! Broke one on the
snowfield at Goat Crest! Will be replacing the broken sections, and looking at other models as well.
Dirty Girl Gaiters; like the idea, wasn’t thrilled with the fit. Thought they should be more snug.
Salomon XA Pro trail socks; loved them, but they didn’t hold up. Brand new and holes in them after two
days of hard hiking. Otherwise, sweet fit, dried quickly, but durability an issue.
La Sportiva Wildcats; the BOMB! Couldn’t get over how comfortable, how well the shoes performed.
Good cushioning, good breathability, they dried after fording creeks in no time. Can’t say enough about
how happy I am with these shoes. Never had a toe banged after tripping over rocks. Amazing!
The additional items I brought:
Marmot Precip jacket; awesome, only wore it for warmth and one rain shower on the first day. Great for
putting on over my insulated clothes. I lay it out under the bottom of my sleeping bag for additional
protection from the ground as well.
Mont Bell wind shirt; 5 stars! Wore it often, didn’t make me too warm, stowed in a pants pocket, and
mosquitoes can’t bite thru it.
Mont Bell Thermowrap jacket; loved it! Warm, light, slept in it most nights. Overall great piece of gear.
Patagonia mid weight long sleeve; used it often, mainly at night, good versatile piece of gear.
MH fleece cap; every day use! Sleep in it, warms me up.
Extra pair of Salomon socks. Again, great product, but durability was an issue.
Equipment I brought/used;
GoLite Jam pack; LOVED it! This is the original model, had great back pad, waist belt pockets were
awesome. I bought it used, and my only complaint was the straps were cut too short. Didn’t make much
sense to me trying to save a few grams when it really ruined the adjustability of the pack. Held the bear
canister easily, and at my max weight, about 30lbs, was still very good.
Bear Vault; took the solo version; hated it, but understand its function, otherwise, no comment.
Night lite pad; GG pad that I put under my neo air, and I also use it to pad the bear can on my back.
Cheap, I pull it out and sit on it, and otherwise abuse it.
Neo Air short; I love the comfort, but I need a regular length. The short is just a few inches too short for
me. My legs drop off and it either puts pressure on my heels, or my calves. To make up for the length I
finally pushed the pad down farther, and bridged the gap on my torso with my pack under my head, and
neck and some of my shoulders.
Marmot Phantom 32; great bag, but not for cold sleepers. 800 fill and true comfort to 32 degrees. If you
sleep cold you will be cold in this bag. It fits me perfect, warmth is just right, I usually supplement with
other clothes to push it in the high country. Don’t like my version, which has the half zipper, but that
was what was available at that time. Stuffs to nothing.
Six Moon Designs Wildwood Oasis; great tarp with bug netting on the bottom edge. Took me a bit to
figure out how to use this to my best performance. I found that condensation is just awful. I breathe a
lot of warm air out in a night. I began to pitch it super high, so high that the bug netting is just touching
the ground. If I can look out from my bag and see outside thru the netting, then it’s about right. Gives
me more room and keeps the condensation down to a more manageable level.
Vargo Ti stakes; worked great, not the beefiest, but didn’t have any issues.
PowerAde bottles; bought two before I started hiking, and they were my bottles for the whole trip.
Platy 2L; used this every evening when I tanked up at camp.
Snow Peak LiteMax stove; SWEET stove, super efficient, used less than a 4 oz can for 8 days with hot
breakfast and dinner. Super light, a great stove
IMUSA Pot/Cup; the deal of the century at Wally World. A 2$ cup/pot that works like a champ, fits on
my stove, and with a cozy was a 5 star performer!
Homemade cozy; I never realized how great these things worked. I was able to boil water, shut off the
stove, drop the pot into the cozy, and 15 min later it was still so hot as to burn my lips. This is the ticket
for cooking. If the meal needed more time in the cozy, and I had removed the cup; I sat the cup on the
cozy top lid, and then pushed the cozy down OVER the pot/cup. Easy and no spill that way.
Windscreen; small cut down from an old MSR kit, just made the stove more efficient.
Petzl e light headlamp; love this little light. Has a great light, and the red light is super for reading at
night.
Couple of misc items that were really nice to have.
A DVR or digital voice recorder. I used this instead of trying to keep a journal or take notes while hiking.
It fit into the hip belt pocket, was just as light as a pencil and notebook, and really was enjoyable to
capture things I was thinking about and to re-cap my day in the evening before I crashed out.
Canon Powershot camera; a great little digital camera, with a 4 GB disk, took plenty of pics and was
good on batteries.
Food:
I was thrilled with all of my food choices. My change in menu was a direct choice. I stuck with a basic
system of using instant rice, and instant mashed potatoes as a base, and then added dehydrated
vegetables, seasonings, and typically a pack of tuna or salmon. Also used tortillas and filled them with
mixtures. Really filling, easy to use, and easy on fuel. Breakfast was typically oatmeal, 2 packs, and then
added a handful of dried fruit to it. Lunch was a radical change. I went with 4 granola bars/candy bars
per day (to be used during the “day”), and then added Perpetuem, a Hammer product that ultra runners
use. Basically it is liquid energy calories. It was recommended by a BPL hiker who did the SHR last year. I
used this as a main source of energy from lunch thru the afternoon. I followed up with a mixed recovery
drink that I used within 30 minutes of stopping for the day. This helped a ton, and by the next morning
my legs felt like new. Snacks like candy bars and almonds were my choice for late night food snacking
before bed. I also took tea, but only had hot drinks a few times.
It seems that even with decades of experience, the food menu is still the hardest nut to crack. I read,
listened to all sorts of feedback on a multitude of forums, bought a couple of the trail cooking
book/freezer bag cookbooks, and then spent the little bit of extra time to really put it together. My
method had me taking a single index card for each day I was going to be on the trail. I put the menu
together, wrote it down on the card, everything in order i.e. breakfast, hot drinks, snacks, lunch, snacks,
dinner, dessert, and then on the back I wrote out the detailed menu items. I then took each card, and
made a specific shopping list, and assembled each day’s food package with its respective index card.
There was no way I could forget a single item this way. I put each day’s food in a larger plastic bag, and
wrote on the bag in permanent pen any notes or reminders for water amount etc that I needed to have
in order to make the meal. It seemed like a lot of work until I started putting the meals together. They
went together easily, and each day I just pulled the bag out of my bear can and I was done for the day.
Probably one of the easiest menus for any trip I ever had to put together.
Final Conclusions:
In the final analysis, I really did come to a different conclusion for the future. If I had it to do over again,
what would I have done differently? Well, with regards to the nuts and bolts of gear, food, and timing,
probably not much. However I would change my approach to the route in general. Meaning that I would
not thru hike it in two weeks. I learned that the route deserves better. It was hard work moving thru the
high country and covering a dozen or more miles a day. It would have been a more rewarding
experience for me if I had scaled back just slightly, and allowed myself the luxury of taking an evening to
wander around some of those high remote cirques. There is a fine line between hiking this route and
just getting thru it. I anticipate that if I am to return, I would make more time available for exploration
and contemplation while working my way along the SHR.
This is without a doubt one of the finest routes anyone could ever hope for. With that in mind I’m
looking forward to a time when I can return and enjoy it to the fullest extent.