Most people take the route going NOBO (north-bound); I decide to go SOBO (south-bound) instead. Twin Lakes to Tuolumne Meadows, SOBO. I descend to Minaret Lake and once again fend off a full-scale mosquito attack. I get the usual question if I know what I am in for, and am told that I am the first person this season to ask for such a permit. I realize that my knowledge of Sierra animal life is deficient. #Photolife #sondralynnphotography #sunrise #beautyiseverwhere #Cali #beautyiseverywhereproject #projects #challenge #col, #Californian #California #Sunset #sunsetview, Elevation of Kenwood Ln, Fort Myers, FL, USA, Elevation of Powell Ln, Denham Springs, LA, USA, Elevation of Deerfield Rd, Hill City, SD, USA, Elevation of Newmarket Rd, Cambridge CB5 8LL, UK, Elevation of John L Ln, Denham Springs, LA, USA, Elevation of Spinnaker Pointe Dr, Chapin, SC, USA, Elevation of S Creek Wynd, Stony Plain, AB T7Z 2X2, Canada, Elevation of 29 Aztec Cres, Lacombe County, AB T0M 0J0, Canada, Elevation of Trumpeter, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Find walking maps and guidebooks, self guided walking holidays and hiking tours. Some come home with me. Because of the varying levels of snow melt, I witness spring vegetation all through the summer. The name “Sierra High Route” is actually a pretty generic name. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. I take a long pause to enjoy my smoothie and power bar in the early morning sun while enjoying the view of the Clark Range and Red Peak. This summer I completed the route in four sections, walking a total of 20 days, 214 miles and 62,000 feet of elevation gain, including 33 high passes. AAA used auto parts. At least the word got out and a large number of thru-hikers avoided the central Sierra portions of their hikes until later in the season. I troll the abandoned buildings along 395 and make impromtu assemblages. Something like "watch out for global warming or your planet will die like ours did". It passes through two National Parks—Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Yosemite—and two wilderness areas—John Muir and Ansel Adams. This trail is also known as Roper Route. Actually, there is a crossing at the end of the lake where the water was as high as the tops of my thighs. The 72-mile High Sierra Trail (HST) has all the memory-making potential of a much longer hike, packaged into a job-friendly, one-week vacation. Compared to the John Muir Trail (JMT), the SoSHR is higher and more remote. Cobblestone Mountain route map and elevation profile : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering Wow, I never see flower blooms like this in normal summer hiking conditions. View looking back to the Sawtooth Range with Matterhorn Peak the last peak on the right. There is almost always a bad resolution to these situations. But it is also all to easy to twist an ankle or to take a painful fall. The journey begins amidst giant redwoods in Sequoia National Park and ends at Mt. CLICK ARROW TO PLAY MOVIE. Hope to see you all out there this summer. The Sierra High Route. Tuolumne Meadows to Mammoth, SOBO. Elevations Profiles The big picture. As I climb the trail from Twin Lakes the water is absolutely raging down Horse Creek, hinting at the ongoing snow melt above. I am soon surrounded by snow where I put my new lightweight aluminum crampons and ice axe into action. You can compare the elevation of land between just about any type of location. The suncups appear velvety soft but are actually very frozen and hard in the early morning. I record tracks of my trips and place them afterwards into Google Earth. Section 2- July 23-27, 4 1/2 days. This tour was created from Steve Roper's Sierra High Route using Andrew Skurka's maps and points and takes the route northbound as described in the guides. What is the Sierra High Route? In some years the Tuolumne is sold out in early June and PCT hikers clog the area in front of the store. These rocks look even more super-real than the ones in Frontier Land. Location: Sequoia National Park Trailhead: Crescent Meadow, elevation 6,687 feet First pass: Kaweah Gap 10,700 feet Lowest point (midway): Kern River Canyon 6,705 feet Highest point: Mt. I’ve been hiking in the high Sierra backcountry for over 15 years and am just buzzing to start the route this summer. As a first indication of the unusual snow year, the ranger tells me that she has so far issued only one similar permit this summer. Large parts of this area are marshy bogs, and the bugs swarm my face net. CLICK ARROW TO PLAY MOVIE. Every effort is made to provide accurate and up to date information, but we cannot be responsible for errors or for changes that may have occurred since publication. Traildino grading: DW, Difficult walk, bushwalk; Hut tour grading: T3, Demanding mountain walk. 2021 Dates. I start out with Hawaiian Punch but get tired of it and switch to Tang. This tool allows you to look up elevation data by searching address or clicking on a live google map. This page shows the elevation/altitude information of Sierra Highway, Sierra Hwy, California, USA, including elevation map, topographic map, narometric pressure, longitude and latitude. After a couple days of feeling dejected, like I would never find my perfect trail, I had a crazy thought: what about the Sierra High Route? A beautiful night under the stars. 2011. Trail Beta for the John Muir Trail The JMT is roughly 207.5 miles long, from Happy Isle to Mt. Panorama viewed from top of Matterhorn Peak. Few people attempt the route which enhances its wonderful sense of solitude. It obviously got whacked hard this year by the heavy snowfall. It runs parallel to the John Muir trail but where the JMT descend into forested area to circumvent the high ridges of the crest, the Sierra High Route embraces them head on. Easton Glacier route map and elevation profile : SummitPost.org : Climbing, hiking, mountaineering smith brothers' hobby center. During the course of my journey I meet only five other people walking the entire route. In distant views like this I often trace the path of where I will be the next day. lancaster, ca. I stop to eat at El Ranchito in Bishop for nostalgic memories of past trips, but it is still mediocre. Minaret Creek on the way down to the Mammoth shuttle bus and my car. The peak is an easy climb from the pass. Next time, I'll go to the Super 8. This 210- to 220-mile, 20- to 30-day cross-country journey could be the premier mountain trek in the Lower 48. #photolife #photography #California #Lancaster #Cali #losangeles #LA #Landscapes #tr, With so many different sunsets to choose from, how is a person supposed to decide which one is the best? One guy says "cool". Lightweight Rechargeable Headlamps 2020 Review. A) You can calculate the elevation of land using the route elevation calculator. One asks me where I want to go. Conceived by climber Steve Roper in 1977 and first published in his book Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country, the SHR is a classic mountain journey similar to the John Muir Trail (JMT), but with a huge difference: It touches trails only grudgingly, and it rarely dips below 10,000 feet. Wall Maps Print out your favorite trail to 6 feet high. Sierra High Route, 313 km, 195 miles, about 30 days. Single elevation profile of your favorite trail. It’s the right distance (195 miles). Feels volcanic. This high elevation Trans Sierra High Route Ski , tour is one of the ranges' most spectacular tours and a rite of passage for any California, backcountry skier. Thousand Island Lake is at the bottom left. Several people drowned in river crossings this summer, and it is just so very sad. Curious rock with curious holes. I make it to an unnamed lake that is not indicated on some maps. Not sure if that is correct, but it makes for a great story. The permit office is open however. Amigo's next door is by far the best Mexican food this side of the Sierra. The melted snow exposes elaborate tunnels and furry balls created by some kind of rodent. I truly wish I had the talent to paint the amazing things I see... Painter of light was Thomas Kincaid, I suppose I could be the photographer of light, Sunrise with some slight enhancements to better display what it looked like IRL- my HTC One never captures all the colors quite right! This final ascent up Sky Pilot Col would be nerve-wracking without the requisite ice axe and crampons. Whitney.From the grandeur of Hamilton Lakes Basin and Precipice Lake, to the awe inspiring Big Arroyo and Kern River Valley, the High Sierra Trail is some of the best that Sequoia National Park has to offer. As the route weaves its’ way from Wolverton trailhead in Kings Canyon National Park to Shepherd Pass on "the other side of California," it treads over seven passes of 12,000 ft. or higher. Hard to believe; it just does not seem to me that the people who are qualified to hike this hike would be put off by some snow. Blue Lake Pass. Twin Island Lakes. Mt. Whitney. In this case however I submit to the pull of the water, emerging invigorated. Knock on wood. The Sierra High Route (SHR) is a 195-mile trekking route that runs north-south across the heart of the Sierra Nevada Range, through Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, John Muir Wilderness, Ansel Adams Wilderness, and Yosemite National Park. I put on my headphones and amplify the experience with the Eroica symphony. I knew that this trip would involve a lot of snow, but did not appreciate that summer melting snow also means that the sound and presence of water are everywhere. This tool allows you to look up elevation data by searching address or clicking on a live google map. I awake the next morning to evidence of a cold night. I wear crampons and do a lot of kick-stepping. Learn how to draw the elevation profile with the desired … It has the minor distinction of being mentioned by Jack Kerouac in "The Dharma Bums". The Rosetta stone of the Sierra. One way to conceptualize the SHR is as a series of 33 passes, 33 hurdles. The trail hike up to Vogelsang helps to improve my mood. It can be a city, town, village or even the sea or ocean. Still nary a person. But you still have to get to Whitney Portal to get off the trail so it is actually 213.5 mile… This elevation tool allows you to see a graph of elevations along a path. 2011. High Sierra Trail - Key Facts. I can't wait to get to the road. (Factoid: Beethoven was inspired by and originally dedicated this symphony to Napolean, naming it "Buonaparte".) In this case, I know that I must descend, cut diagonally across while alternating between walking on rocks and snow, take 30 minutes to go to the base of the nearest hill, and then turn right and head down. Summer snow brings suncups, odd melted depressions in the snow that can help or hinder walking progress depending on their size and location. It easy to access from where I live. Kearsarge start $1875 April 26-May 2 Shepherd start $1650 April 27-May 2 …or custom programs in May. About a third of the route follows maintained hiking trails. When I arrive I can't believe it- the place is totally deserted, and most structures are closed and/or under repair. "

Very few people have hiked the entire Sierra High Route in one trip. Because of the massive snow this year many decided to avoid the Sierra this year, but for me the snow was an incentive, at least for the snowy first half of the trip, as walking over compact snow is less onerous than negotiating the many tedious talus (rock) fields. I like Bishop, but the motels are not great. Ritter is on the left and Banner Peak on the right. The Sawtooth Range viewed from Matterhorn Peak (12,279 ft.). High Sierra Trails website makes no warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability or suitability of this map. https://www.thehikinglife.com/2018/03/a-quick-dirty-guide-to-the- I am not in a hurry and walk at a relatively leisurely pace, but on this hike I am always concerned about making it over the last pass before darkness, which tends to inhibit lingering and my extracurricular swimming. When I say "High Route" it gets their attention and they all look up. It avoids the JMT crowds, the landscape is more spectacular, and the travel more challenging. I am now in North Yosemite, and it lives up to reputation as one of the most buggy areas in the park. Nor people. Usual stop at the 'bama. Since there is so much interest in that I took our elevation profile and annotated it with locations. A subreddit dedicated to backpacking in the wild places on earth - where people are few, cell … Some day we will be able to understand what these visitors to earth were attempting to communicate to us. Most people do not experience the west end of Thousand Island Lake as the John Muir Trail is on the other side. Writes Roper in Sierra High Route, "High Route adventurers will not be put off by the lack of an actual trail, since much of the singular joy of cross-country travel lies in wandering through the timberline country as the pioneers did--wondering what the next turn will reveal. Elevation and ascent statistics with customisable elevation graph. But it is an expert route–not for novices, youth groups, bad knees, or even experienced trail hikers new … lancaster, ca. This is perhaps my most nerve-wracking crossing of the trip. There is perhaps no better way to laterally cross the immense Sierra Nevada mountain range on foot. Together with the trip report above it is hopefully helpful in your thoughts about hiking on the Sierra High Route. It skews at high elevations of between 9,000 to 11,500 feet and only occasionally connects with the John Muir Trail. Nice, but too buggy to enjoy. Description Itinerary Resources This is “it”; the ultimate Sierra … I spend the night at the hikers hostel in Lone Pine, depart early and drive to leave my car at Mammoth, and take the 8 AM bus to Tuolumne Meadows. It skews at high elevations of between 9,000 to 11,500 feet and only occasionally connects with the John Muir Trail. It is at this elevation that the Sierra High Route trundles along: the threshold between the rocks and the trees… the organic and the inorganic… The living and the dead. In another life I was or will be a hard-core birder. After most Sierra adventures I often take all day to drive home, as the thought of immediately returning to civilization is just too horrible to contemplate. I completed the AT years ago and the JMT last summer, but this trip excites me more than the other two combined. At the top of each pass you try to visualize the route as far forward as possible. Final day of my first trip, I descend past the remains of the Great Sierra Mine cabin. The Southern Sierra High Route (SoSHR) is a superb alternative to the JMT for the adventurous traveler. I have a silnyon Descutes tarp with a perimeter net I attached that works well enough to hold the mosquitos at bay. The snow was just too much this year so none of the Yosemite High Camps were assembled. Journal Tools Search for a journal, create a journal, add/edit an entry, configure your journal, EMail updates, integrated Google trail map, PLB locations and more. First view of the Ritter Range. A 195 mile adventure hiking north to south through the high Sierras, sticking as close to the crest of the mountain ranges as possible. Matterhorn Peak is one-third up the track running from right to left. Lousy long talus approach on left, but easy firm climbing at top. Imagine: Thousand Island Lake with no mosquitos. Some distance into the hike I see this disturbing poster. The Sierra High Route (SHR) is a largely off-trail exploration devised by Steve Roper in the 70's that runs down the center of the Sierra Nevada. An elevation profile or a topographic profile is a two-dimensional cross sectional view of the landscape. This page shows the elevation/altitude information of Sierra Nevada, California, USA, including elevation map, topographic map, narometric pressure, longitude and latitude. I contemplate a climb of one of them as I am perfectly situated for an ascent, but feel that I am not experienced enough in snow peak ascents and instead just admire them from a safe distance. Nothing beats the sugar rush of a glass of Tang and one Snickers bar. I go in to find three rangers staring intently at their monitors. It is physically demanding and requires wilderness navigation skills and non-technical climbing skills. It is a rugged alternate to the John Muir Trail (JMT), boasting about… Expedition Planner Sierra High Route. Snow cone drinks of my youth. With good balance and technique it is possible to zoom over it quickly. As I drop to lower altitudes, I come across large areas where I am uncertain where the water is, and how much I can trust the snow and not fall through. Ritter and Banner Peak, bobbing up and down around tree-line. I read that the Yosemite "T" blazes are old 90's U.S. Cavalry marks for snow navigation. I love the High Sierra, but I am itching for something new. The calculator provides a way to calculate how elevated the land is for a trip you are planning or for reference purposes. Section 1- July 12-15, 3 1/2 days. 218k members in the WildernessBackpacking community. Pynchon-like strangeness abounds along the 395. Description The SHR is a 195-mile trekking route that runs north-south through the heart of the High Sierra, the crown jewel of the Sierra Nevada Range. Stanton Pass should be easy but as I approach from an unusual direction my view of my options is not good and I choose a very bad route that costs me a few wasted hours without success until I descend and start over. Occasional bad navigation or poor route choices are expected mistakes on the Sierra High Route. I pick up the permit in Bridgeport to begin my hike on July 12. I read later that Rika's body was found floating in a river. It takes some time to find a way to cross Lyell Creek. The size of the talus, sharpness and stability vary a lot. I get lucky and score an immediate ride from Tuolumne to my parked car at Lee Vining, drive to Bishop, eat, and stay at a lousy motel. The remaining portion of the route travels off trail on cross-country routes that include granite slabs, scree fields, on loose talus and through meadowlands. In fact, it is often confused with the “High Sierra Trail,” which is an actual The High Sierra Trail has two great ascents – the first one over Kaweah Gap and the Great Western Divide, and the second over the Eastern Sierra and Trail Crest at Mt. The long haul up to Sky Pilot Col is made easier by the snow covering the talus rocks, but the reflections of the summer sun burn my face. 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