Trip Report - North Lake-South Lake Loop, Kings Canyon NP

[tyuio]

How about a pic of the gear you used? I've only gone on 3 day at most so i'm curious what you take on an extended hike like that. What was on the menu? Nice trip by the way, great pics!

 

[j williams]

These are some of the most stunning pictures I have seen on this site. Wow, looks like an incredable adventure. I will go there one day. Awesome pics, just breathtaking.

 

[tonym]

You certainly know how to catch the beauty of a place with the camera.

Thank again for sharing your adventures.

 

[Fallbrook Forge]

wow, thos pictures are amazing!

The one you posted about the coblestone area, that might be a moraine that has settled into sediment.

If it's a big enough area it should be on your map

 

[raylaconico]

Hey, I've been up there but I didn't go all the way to South Lake. We went on a 4 day trip out of North Lake and back out the same way. It was about 8years ago but I remember camping at Desolation Lake. I can't remember the names of the other places where we spent the night. I do remember I liked it because of the solitude. Very nice pics as usual:thumbup:

 

[BlairB]

wow! That's just beautiful.

 

[omniviking]

Sierra Nevada range, California. Mostly in the northern end of Kings Canyon National Park, with some of it in immediately adjacent areas north and east of the park.

Ominviking - the total mileage, including the summit of Agassiz, was about 65. It made for a relaxing average of 8 miles/day, which we averaged doing in about 5-6 hours each day. That pace allowed a lot of time to explore. I didn't do any fishing on this trip, but I have seen some pretty hot fishing in high sierra lakes (frequently you get a fish almost every cast, and I have seen one place where the trout would jump out of the water to grab a lure that was hanging a few inches above the water). I carried all of my food in a bear canister, which is required in these parts. I used an Olympus SP-350 camera, on the second-highest resolution setting. I can't use the highest setting because it would take too much memory for my 2 GB card (I took 1158 pictures on this trip).

Thanks, you may have to get another card to carry with ya, they ain't that big. Pat

 

[kgd]

Wonderful and awe-inspiring scenery. Yeah, I have to agree with Doc - water and reflections do hit you in the soft and weepy spots!

 

[lambertiana]

How about a pic of the gear you used? I've only gone on 3 day at most so i'm curious what you take on an extended hike like that. What was on the menu? Nice trip by the way, great pics!

I don't have any pictures of just gear except this one of the tools/cutlery that I took:

But here are a couple that show some of it:

My major gear list is:
Pack Jansport Carson
Tent Marmot Eos 1P
Bag Western Mountaineering Summerlite (works below freezing and only weighs 1lb 3 oz)
Pad Insulmat insulated air mattress - much more comfy than my thermarest
Stove/pot MSR Windpro with Jetboil GCS pot - gives the efficiency of the jetboil with much better pot stability and better performance in wind
Boots Merrell Phaser Peak
Plus the miscellaneous items - bear canister, first aid kit, firesteel, compass, sunscreen, purell, bug spray, trowel, repair kit, hat, sunglasses, headlamp, wool shirt, rain shell, extra set of clothes, etc.

Breakfast lately has been Quaker New Harvest maple flavor - like oatmeal, but in addition to the oats it has rolled barley and wheat with pecan chunks.
Trail snacks have been a combination of Hoody's cinnamon toasted almonds, wheat thins, dried pineapple, peanut m&ms, Lara bars, Balance cookie dough bars, Clif apricot bars (all other clif bars taste like cardboard).
Dinners have been a combination of regular freeze-dried meals and various things like easy mac with foil pack tuna, Lipton (Knorr) pasta packets with foil pack salmon, flavored instant mashed potatoes with foil pack salmon or foil pack spam, etc.

 

[Pritch]

Amazing pictures! Eight days in that vertical environment!?! Man, I've gotta get in shape!

-- FLIX

 

[Mikel_24]

Things that crossed my mind while I was looking at the pictures:
FIRST: I need to get a better camera and start taking pictures like yours. Mine suck big time!
SECOND: Do you have any clouds there? I could send you some if you feel in need of them... boy you got lucky! Seems sunny and warm all the time. Not much snow left at such high altitudes. I just noticed your not so big and clumsy boots. I guess they suffice since you don't need to use crampons.
THIRD: You owe me a climbing trip sometime. I will pay you back if you come to visit me at the mountains of your choice: Pirinees, Alps or "Picos de Europa".

The only thing that worries me is the bear proof canister.... Nothing like waking up at sunshine and crawling out of your sleeping bag to take a morning leak and have a big a$$ bear staring at you while chewing on your partner....

Mikel

 

[mkhop]

Absolutely first class .

 

[hollowdweller]

Man! That's some awesome territory!:thumbup:

 

[greenwoods]

Real nice photography. Inspiring to adventure. Thanks for sharing. I could stay at that small set of waterfalls for days

Mark

 

[lambertiana]

Things that crossed my mind while I was looking at the pictures:
FIRST: I need to get a better camera and start taking pictures like yours. Mine suck big time!
SECOND: Do you have any clouds there? I could send you some if you feel in need of them... boy you got lucky! Seems sunny and warm all the time. Not much snow left at such high altitudes. I just noticed your not so big and clumsy boots. I guess they suffice since you don't need to use crampons.
THIRD: You owe me a climbing trip sometime. I will pay you back if you come to visit me at the mountains of your choice: Pirinees, Alps or "Picos de Europa".

The only thing that worries me is the bear proof canister.... Nothing like waking up at sunshine and crawling out of your sleeping bag to take a morning leak and have a big a$$ bear staring at you while chewing on your partner....

Mikel

Constant sunshine is the norm in the Sierras in the summer, although you occasionally get clouds and scattered thunderstorms. This was a low snowfall year, so there was less than normal left. But the Sierras get less snow than the Alps, so most of it melts off in the summer anyway. The highest point in any of those pictures was North Palisade, which is 14,242' (or 4342 M for those on the other side of the pond), and the peak I climbed was 13,893', or 4236 M.

I'd be happy to take you on a trip. I do one or two weeklong trips each year. They won't be as technical as some of the ones you do, so you won't need to bring all the heavy gear.

The bears here are big pussycats. If you yell at them and throw something in their direction, they run away. Of course, I don't need to be faster than the bear, I only need to be faster than my companions.

 

[knarfeng]

Wonderful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Also explains why when you talk about batoning to most California Backpackers, they give you a blank stare. WOOD? What's that?

 

[Mikel_24]

Constant sunshine is the norm in the Sierras in the summer, although you occasionally get clouds and scattered thunderstorms. This was a low snowfall year, so there was less than normal left. But the Sierras get less snow than the Alps, so most of it melts off in the summer anyway. The highest point in any of those pictures was North Palisade, which is 14,242' (or 4342 M for those on the other side of the pond), and the peak I climbed was 13,893', or 4236 M.

I'd be happy to take you on a trip. I do one or two weeklong trips each year. They won't be as technical as some of the ones you do, so you won't need to bring all the heavy gear.

The bears here are big pussycats. If you yell at them and throw something in their direction, they run away. Of course, I don't need to be faster than the bear, I only need to be faster than my companions.

In the Alps the snow line is anywhere between 3000 and 3200m even in summer. It is soooo weird to see 4236m summits with no snow! You could even climb them in shorts if the temps are right! Looks great.

True. Fighting bears is a tough job but someone has to do it, let your companions take care of that...

Great pictures Lambertiana. Keep 'em comming.
Mikel

 

[lambertiana]

Also explains why when you talk about batoning to most California Backpackers, they give you a blank stare. WOOD? What's that?

Wood? Oh, we have a few pieces of decent-sized wood just up the road from here:

Mikel - I was wearing shorts the entire trip. I did not even bring long pants.

Here are more pics -
Loch Leven

Along the San Joaquin River just below Evolution Valley:

Two more views at Evolution Lake:

 

[lambertiana]

Sapphire Lake:

Looking down toward LeConte Canyon from just below Helen Lake:

Piute Creek:

Two more views at Wanda Lake: