I'l admit, I don't post TRs often. Recently, I have received some inquiries about my wanderings in the Sierras, where I logged about a third of my hiking miles in 2014. So I figured I'd start here with a five day "tour bus" backpack through parts of the John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon NP. A full day and a half of our trip was cross country, thus the reason for placing it in "off-trail" trip reports.
Opening shot:
We decided to get an early start on July 4th weekend. I had flown into Fresno the evening of July 1st, and was ready to get out of town!
July 2nd - 10.7 miles, 2376' EG
We stopped by the ranger station in Prather, CA to pick up permits on the way up to the Maxon TH at Courtright Reservoir. The first part of the trail is along the Dusy Ershim Trail, a popular jeep route. Luckily, since it was mid-week, there were no vehicles in sight. It was almost noon. We were starting at above 8000ft, and it was about 80F, so the first day was a bit slow going due to altitude and heat. The first day was all below treeline. We passed through Post Corral Meadows, which is a popular backpacking destination (I'm really not sure why). Somewhere short of the trail to Fleming Lake, we found a place to camp and decided to call it an evening.
- Granite Dome between the Dusy Ershim trail and Courtright Reservoir
July 3rd - 10.5 miles, 3022' EG
The next morning, we broke down camp and headed out before 9am. Less than a half mile down the trail, we found several marshy areas along the trail, which explained the large number of mosquitos (not to mention early July). As we continued toward the Red Mountain Basin junction, the trees started opening up to views of meadows and granite peaks.
We stopped for lunch at Disappointment Lake. We were able find a fantastic rock outcropping, and a nice rock about 10 feet from shore, which made a great place to soak our feet. Even better, we had the place to ourselves, as there was not another single person in sight. I would say far from a disappointment...
After a bit of lollygagging, we shouldered our packs and continued towards Hell for Sure. The trail between Disappointment Lake and Hell for Sure Pass is dotted with small lakes.
The last one before the pass is Hell for Sure Lake. If this is hell, then I'd be perfectly happy to end up there.
Then over the LeConte Divide via Hell for Sure Pass
Looking back from the top of the pass.
Our first view of Goddard Canyon as we descended down from the pass.
Goddard Canyon and the South Fork of the San Joaquin River from near our second night's camp.
Day 3 - 6.1 miles, 2190' EG
From our camp along the San Joaquin, we continued following the trail until it faded out and then continued cross country to Martha Lake.
The San Joaquin and the LeConte Divide. Confusion Pass, where we'd cross back over the LeConte divide later in the day is on the right.
We finally reached Martha Lake, which is one of the sources of the San Joaquin River.
Martha Lake is also a spawning ground for fish.
