7 Days in Kings Canyon - Dialup Beware!!!

[lambertiana]

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There is a part of Kings Canyon NP that I have wanted to see for a long time, and there are no trails to it. I finally worked out a trip to go there with a friend.

We started at Road's End in Kings Canyon, going up the Copper Creek trail. There is a forest fire a little down the canyon, so we had a smoky start to the trip, and I didn't get any decent pictures of what is normally a spectacular view looking south across the canyon when you get higher. Here is the view lower down before it got too smoky to make pictures worth the trouble:

Before long we had our first critter encounter, this one took exception to our presence and made it known:

5300 feet up later, we crested over to enter Granite Basin, where we spent the night:

The next day we went over Granite Pass, here are the views looking south and north:

Here is a nice spot we passed on the descent north of Granite Pass:

 

[lambertiana]

We continued on that day past two of the State Lakes:

And stopped to camp at Horseshoe Lake #1:

Sunset at Horseshoe Lake #1:

Then on Monday we started the fun part, off trail. We first headed over Gray Pass; here is a nice view as we got close, looking across the canyon of the Middle Fork Kings to the Goddard Divide:

And this nice little drainage:

And finally we crested Gray Pass to look across the south fork Cartridge Creek toward our next goal, White Pass (obscured behind the peak on the left):

This area is beautiful, and we had it all to ourselves (no trails anywhere near it):

Getting close to White Pass:

Looking on from the top of the pass:

 

[lambertiana]

Looking toward our next goal, Red Pass (low point on reddish ridge, just out of view on the right side of that ridge):

My hiking partner descending from White Pass:

Once on top of Red Pass, this is looking down the crest eastward:

And looking down the long talus slope to our eventual camp that night, Marion Lake:

This is where things got interesting. On the descent from Red Pass, my hiking partner took a hard fall, and in his attempt to catch himself, ended up putting his entire weight on his had into a crevice between rocks. He received a compound dislocation of the distal joint on two of his fingers - the tips of the fingers bent all the way back, popping the joint open, tearing the skin open on the underside of his fingers, exposing the joints. Fortunately, he has 18 years experience as an ER nurse, and he popped them back into place. When we got to Marion Lake he dressed and wrapped them, and over the next four days did not have any infection. He was very fortunate.

Anyway, this is where we camped that night, at Marion Lake:

The final descent to Marion Lake was down this chute:

Marion Lake is a real gem, and especially nice because we didn't have to share it with anyone else:

 

[lambertiana]

Tuesday we got to my real goal for the whole trip, Lake Basin. I had seen pictures of the place and just had to see it for myself. I'll let my pictures speak for themselves:

 

[Edgyone]

...W....O....W...!!!!!!!!

Thankyou - made my day.

Glad to hear this worked out form your friend's hand - that could have been a lot worse :thumbup:.

 

[dboles]

Amazing pictures I bet the trip was equally amazing. Was this a loop trip or one way with shuttles?
Thanks for posting
Dan'l

 

[lambertiana]

After traversing Lake Basin, we then had to go over Cartridge Pass. Until 1938, the original John Muir Trail went this way, and parts of it are still there. This is the lower part of Cartridge Pass:

And the upper part:

Close to the top of Cartridge Pass, looking east up the ridge:

And from the top of Cartridge Pass, looking south across the South Fork Kings canyon toward Bench Lake:

On the way up Cartridge Pass, my hiking partner tried to go over a boulder, and it rolled into his leg, gouging up his right shin pretty badly. He was lucky it didn't break his leg.

We then descended to the bottom of the canyon of the South Fork Kings, here is a view lower down, as you can see the smoke from the forest fire was making its way up the canyon by then:

My original plan was to then go down the canyon of the South Fork Kings, but since this is a tough bushwhack (no trail with plenty of brush/talus/etc) and my hiking partner was in no condition to attempt it with his injuries, we instead did the relatively short bushwhack up the canyon to meet the John Muir trail.

Wednesday, we headed up over Pinchot Pass. As we ascended we could see nice views north toward Upper Basin and Mather Pass:

And northeast toward Taboose Pass:

And the first of a string of nice lakes:

 

[lambertiana]

Then we arrived at one of the bluest lakes in the Sierras - Lake Marjorie:

As we went higher, more lakes:

And finally Pinchot Pass came into view:

And some views from the top of the pass:

Yesterday morning we headed down the Woods Creek trail, this is looking towards Woods Lakes:

And more views as we descended:

 

[lambertiana]

And continuing down the Woods Creek trail:

We passed by Castle Domes:

Looking back up the canyon from below Castle Domes:

Looking at the opposite wall of the canyon:

Paradise Valley coming into view:

And we reached the South Fork Kings, where we would have come out if we had followed my original plan:

As we descended through Paradise Valley, we passed this nice pool on the South Fork Kings:

And we stopped to camp at a nice calm spot on the river:

And finally, this morning we continued back down the canyon to complete the loop back to Roads End. Here is a final shot, looking toward the bottom of the canyon:

It was a very strenuous trip, but well worth it. Even in the popular sierras, we found a place where we saw no one else for three days, and it was a beautiful place. And my hiking partner is doing fine.

 

[raylaconico]

AMAZING trip John!

 

[TheGame]

Awesome pics! Looks like it would have been a ton of fun. :thumbup:

 

[imtheomegaman]

how the heck did your partner continue the hike after that first injury, I really can't imagine

 

[vchacon]

Great pictures and it looks like a well worth trip.

Did any of the lakes you passed have fish in them?

 

[lambertiana]

Ray, you should have come. You were invited.

Most of the lakes and streams have plenty of trout that are ready to take the first lure that hits the water. Depending on the location, it was rainbow, brook, or golden trout.

And to answer the question of how my friend continued with his injury - he had no choice. Cell phones don't work there, there were no other people around, and I don't have a satellite phone. Two days later, when we were back on the John Muir Trail, we met one of the backcountry rangers (they are stationed at various high traffic places in Sequoia/Kings Canyon all summer to assist hikers in trouble) and he could have asked for assistance, but he didn't. He has enough medical training, and decided that he could continue.

 

[ROCK6]

Absolutely stunning...great pictures and it looks like a great trip (hope you partner recovers okay with the injuries). How many miles did you guys hike?

ROCK6

 

[Mannlicher]

now that is some great photography!

What were the temps? Did they vary a lot from the higher elevations to the valleys?
A little about your gear? Tarps or tents? Cooking gear?

 

[oguruma]

That first picture is absolutely breathtaking. Thanks for sharing! :thumbup:

 

[dialton]

Yep, WOW.
Thanks for taking us along. I will look back on this for comments and hopefully to see/read about your gear and supplies on such a long difficult trip.

 

[echo-7]

Great pics thanx!

 

[ratamahatta]

great photo's, the first one is my favorite!!!!!!