Sierra High Route
Link to Photographs from our hike of Section 1 of the High Sierra Route.
{Article from my hiking partner Rick Briggs published in the PVHC Newsletter “Bootprints”}
Summit of Split Mountain (14,058 ft) – Sierra High Route
The Sierra High Route
by Rick Briggs
The Sierra High Route is a trail-less route in the Sierra Nevada, which runs from Kings Canyon to Yosemite National Park. The route was first pioneered by Steve Roper. It basically parallels the John Muir and Pacific Crest Trails for most of it's route but stays high above these trails utilizing high glacial cirques, lake basins, and mountain passes at elevations above 10,000 feet. Once I read Ropers' book about the route, I was hooked. This past September, John Klebes, Ed Laroche and I hiked most of the first section in Kings Canyon and added an exciting trip through the wild and scenic Muro Blanco Canyon - an 8-day backpack loop trip. Our trip starts in lovely Bakersfield CA.
Once we arrived in Bakersfield, gathered our luggage and rented our car, we headed north to Fresno driving by pistachio orchards, citrus groves, corn, sorghum etc. Everything kept alive by water from the Sierras. They were to the east but we could barely see them through the dirty air. In Fresno we found a camp store to buy fuel canisters for our stoves, grabbed a bite to eat and began the 2 hr. drive east to Sequoia/Kings Canyon.
It is quite a climb out of the valley to the 7 to 8,000' elevation where you enter the park and much cooler than the valley. We drove around a bit gawking at the big trees and found a dirt road heading into the National Forest where you can legally camp just about anywhere. We found our spot and I set up my tent even though it was a beautiful night. Ed and John chose to sleep under the stars. Sometime during the night a thunderstorm blew in rather quickly and they had to spend the rest of the night in the car.
The next morning was dry but cloudy and it looked like it might rain some more. Ed knew of a place that served breakfast in the park (he had been here earlier in the summer) so we drove there and had a huge all you can eat meal for a great price. They even had Starbucks Coffee.
The rest of the day we toured the giant sequoias doing rather easy hikes through Muir Grove and a longer hike near General Sherman Tree. All the while we were slowly acclimating to the altitude to prepare us for 10,000 and above.
We camped the next night in nearly the same spot with thunder and lightning rather close by. We learned that this was the first rain since April.
The next morning we drove out to Roads End in Kings Canyon, the official starting point of our hike. We checked in at the backcountry office where we picked up our permit and we were ready to go-uphill. We started out on the Copper Creek Trail at an elevation of 5,000' and after hiking steadily uphill for most of the day we arrived at viewpoint overlooking Granite Lake.
This was where we step off the trail and head cross-country with map, compass, and a description of the route from our guidebook. We traversed around a ridge until we hit a dry creek, which we followed uphill to Grouse Lake at over 10,400 ft. We had gained 5,400' from the trailhead but it was a gentle grade with lots of switchbacks. It was a great first day and our first night was at a beautiful alpine lake. We set up camp and prepared dinner. I chose my heaviest meal out of the bear canister and ate the rest of my lunch food as well. Just before we turned in for the night, everything even toothbrush and paste went in the canister. It was so full I could barely get the lid on.
We awoke to a beautiful clear day and after breakfast we loaded the packs again and set out around the lake for what we thought was Grouse Pass. After about an hour of picking our way through the rocks and boulders we arrived at the top. Right away I knew something was wrong, as there was a large lake below where there shouldn't have been one. After studying the map again we headed slightly downhill to the next pass where we wanted to be. From there we could see goat crest saddle, which we were standing on about an hour later. The views from here were splendid and we could now see the higher peaks of the Sierra to the east. A thousand feet below us was Glacier Lake with a nice sandy beach on one side. It was a beautiful day for a swim. The lake was cold and the swim was brief but we didn't mind it with such a nice lake. Our campsite that night was State Lake. We ate another tasty dinner and watched the Alpenglow on the 12,000 ft peaks rising from the lake.
The next morning we started hiking on a trail to Horseshoe Lakes, about a mile away. From here we were on our own again heading for Windy Ridge. As we climbed higher the views once again opened up and we decided we would drop our packs for a quick hike out to the scenic point where Ansel Adams took a famous photograph in 1935. As you reach the point the view opens up all around you with the middle fork of the Kings River almost 5,000' below. Just reaching this point we thought made the trip worthwhile but we knew there was more ahead. We went over White Pass and then Red Pass that afternoon where the tip of my hiking pole came off. We backtracked hoping to find it but it was a needle in a haystack type search in all the boulders. We descended steeply to Marion Lake arriving just in time for the Alpenglow show to begin.
Our 4th day we knew would be one of our more difficult ones as the route winds up and over 12,350' Frozen Lake Pass. Not only is the route a treacherous boulder crossing but if you make a mistake and climb the wrong pass you are going nowhere as the other side is a precipice. Fortunately Ropers book gives a good description of the route. Even so we studied the map and the description at length before we all felt we were heading in the right direction. The rest was an uphill chug-our packs were getting lighter and we were acclimating well to the thin air. There was a small can at the pass, which was packed with many years of hiker notes that had passed through. One of the notes caught our eye "HIKED UP MURO BLANCO BAD IDEA, DON'T DO IT ". That was our destination and even though we chuckled at the note we were beginning to wonder if it really was a bad idea.
We carefully wound our way down the other side of the pass hopping from boulder to boulder-most of them the size of a car. It was like this for several miles until we reached the bottom of the Upper Lakes Basin and some small but nice lakes. I could see no reason to go any further and we quickly found a place to set up our tents. 14,000 Split Mountain rose 4 miles to the east and with any luck we would be standing on it's summit the next morning.
The next morning we ate a quick breakfast and set out for Split Mtn. with just a light pack, snacks, extra clothes for the summit, and not much water since we knew there was plenty on the way. For much of the trip we were able to get by carrying little water since we were always near streams and lakes and with Johns' magic UV water bottle, we could purify water whenever we needed.
About a mile after leaving camp we crossed the John Muir Trail and headed uphill for a large lake. To our surprise there was a tent set up on the shore, our first sign of humans in 4 days. As we left the lake and headed up towards the pass, we spotted someone hiking downhill but they were to far off to talk to. At the pass it was windy and we took shelter at a large rock outcropping. From here we could see the Owens Valley far below to the east. The sierras rise abruptly out of this valley and we were sitting near the edge of what must have been a 3,000' cliff. From the pass we had about 1,500 ft of elevation to go but it was only a 30-degree slope over small boulders and loose rocks. There was even a defined path near the top that made it easier and soon we were standing on the 14,058 ft. summit. It was windy and chilly but the sun was shining and the views were incredible in every direction. We could even see the profile of Mt Whitney to the south and to the north the mountains seemed to go on forever. We stayed on the summit for at least an hour before heading back down and quickly descended down to the lake at 12,000'. We spotted a marmot in a beautiful meadow by the lake and laid down on the soft grass for a nap. The marmot didn't seem to mind us and went about his business while we snoozed.
The next day when I awoke there was ice in my cooking pot, our coldest morning of the trip but from here we would be heading for lower altitudes and warmer temps. We hiked back to the John Muir Trail and headed downhill towards the South Fork of the Kings River. We arrived at the river after about 5 miles on the trail and took a break. It was our moment to decide whether or not to stay on the trail the rest of the way or head off-trail again down the Muro Blanco. The note we read two days before, "HIKED UP MURO BLANCO BAD IDEA, DON'T DO IT ", had me thinking maybe we better take the trail. Even though we were on the scenic John Muir Trail, something didn't feel right to us. The trail idea just didn't fit with the off trail hiking we had already done and even though Muro Blanco may be a rough hike, we knew we had to see it no matter what.
The first several miles hiking the canyon was no problem. There was plenty of flat ground on either side of the river and we passed by several places where people had camped before leaving fire rings as evidence. At one point we came upon a large mound of rocks and soil. We guessed that a horse was buried here. We named it Shorty's grave. After several more hours of following the river downstream, crossing and recrossing the river several times, we made camp in what looked like the last group of trees for many miles. This was also an infrequently used campsite with a fire ring so we made ourselves a fire to sit by for the evening. We were below 10'000 ft. again where campfires were permitted.
The next day as we began hiking down the canyon again, we stumbled on a large pile of rusted tin cans, no doubt left behind from a horse packer. There was the ham can, coffee can, baked bean can etc. "mmmmmmm I could sure go for some ham and baked beans right now" said John, even though he had just eaten breakfast.
We hiked on down through the canyon and the walls on either side were closing in. Huge rockslides made it all the way to the river and small aspen trees grew thickly in between creating a barrier tough to move through. We kept crossing the river hoping to find a clear path but soon there was no way down except the riverbed so we began rock hopping right down the river. Then the river became too rugged so we tried going higher up on the canyon wall. This provided limited success but we were now getting into thick chaparral country. We put our zip-on pant legs on and went crashing on down through the brush to the river again which was now flowing faster and wider. Just before the river I tripped over something that seemed to grab my boot and I pitched forward. Just before I hit the ground I could see a large flat rock standing on edge. When I hit the ground, the top of my head just bumped the rock but luckily no damage done. Later John slipped and fell in the river. This was not easy hiking but we felt lucky to be going down the canyon and not up. We found a nice spot to eat lunch by the river and amused ourselves throwing ants into the river and watching the trout gobble them up. They seemed to be watching us waiting for the next ant. Late in the afternoon we finally made it to where the big trees were growing again but even here there was so much debris from a tremendous spring flood there was no easy way out.
Suddenly we arrived at paradise valley backcountry campsite where other backpackers were camped in numbered sites. We were still 10 miles from a road but it felt like civilization. There were even bear lockers to put your food in if you didn't have a canister.
Our last day hiking was completely on trail but our packs were now 15 or more pounds lighter than the first day and we flew down the trail. We were still fairly high in the canyon and the views on the way down were spectacular. As we drew closer to Roads End where we left our car a week earlier, we passed by many day hikers. Someone saw a bear on the way in but we missed it. After hiking 10 miles in the hot sun we reached the car by early afternoon. We piled into the car, cranked up the AC, and headed for Bakersfield.
~Rick Briggs