Backcountry Militia

Friday, December 23, 2011

Silver Divide

This is a mountain range behind Mammoth.
Here is a good trip report from Duck Pass and the East Side of the Silver Divide: http://www.highsierratopix.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6962
Popular from the West From Lake Thomas Edison and the Graveyard Lakes.
This includes Peter Pande Lake as well.

A general overview of the area:

TRIP REPORT DATES JULY 25, 2011 (heavy snow year):
Re: Duck Pass/Silver Pass by Wild Bill on Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:15 am Hi All: I just did this trip July 20-24. Still lotsa snow on the approach to Duck Pass, but totally passable. A gully full of very steep snow above Duck Lake was a challenge to cross by climbing with backpacks on the rocks above. On the way back, it was shoveled out making the return much easier. It is called "Dead Horse Bay" by the packers for obvious reasons. No issues to Purple Lake. Went down to Fish Creek in Cascade Valley. Heavy mosquitoes there. Waist high ford of Fish Creek; water moving slow; not dangerous. Took Minnow Creek Trail up to Olive Lake. Off the charts bad mosquitoes; wore head net entire time. Much snow around Olive Lake and solid snow pack above it. I continued to Lake Of the Lone Indian. Lake was about 25% ice covered, but melting fast. Only one reasonable campsite on dry ground around the lake. Much snow on the north facing slope. Goodale Pass was a solid snow slope top to bottom. Papoose Lake was 75% iced covered. Solid snow on north side of Silver Pass with "trophy class" sun cups. Hikers were making it; but it was a slow, tedious, frustrating, (Add more adjectives here) climb. Back down to Fish Creek, Tully Hole, Virginia Lake, and Purple Lake; no issues. Bring lotsa 100% DEET and a head net! PS: Having 2 hiking poles are very useful in the snow and stream crossings.. Wild Bill Topix Acquainted Posts: 34 Joined: Tue Jun 10, 2008 10:27 am Location: Crowley Lake, Ca.

Peter Pande Lake

Some guys are talking about getting here from Thomas Edison, I'm thinking from Mammoth.
The trail looks confusing though, this is not a 'quick' hike. Maybe 2 days?

Beautiful!!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Edyth Lake, Near Lake Eleanore, Yosemite, CA

Seems to be on a lot of peoples list, however, no good trail, lots of bushwacking.

Comments on here include:
We came in from Eleanor and up the trail to Miguel Meadows, to Laurel Lk. & dropped into the canyon from there. Lk 5728 is a bit boggy and very very difficult to move around - seriously dense 8 foot bullrush, etc. It took us all day to bushwack up to Edyth and back. There are some expanses of open granite, thankfully. A person in our party was very sick so we opted to exit straight down the canyon to Eleanor. Luckily, we had a couple of guys on the trip that like to scout out routes for the rest of us. Each turn in the canyon is a visual candy store but it's the toughest hiking I've EVER done. It took me a month to recover. Bring gaitors, the manzanita is ravenous for flesh. I still bear scars. But Edyth was worth it. For more pix of the trip see my [smugmug site] (http://sierramaclure.smugmug.com/Backpacking%202006) Scroll down for Kendrick. Enjoy.

Another comment on HST
My buddy and I left Edyth by heading southwest up to the obvious saddle and into the Frog Creek drainage; that would be yet another relatively brush-free way in. We continued up to Moraine Ridge from Lake 7385, and caught the trail there...but heading in, I bet you could head up the Frog Creek drainage and get to the saddle over to Edyth more directly.

Amazing view:

Pool going up:

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Evolution Valley

This is a very famous hike found in many books. Start out of Florence Lake and head up 20 miles total. Pretty good hike, that would be 40mi round trip. The end view is great looking down into the valley as going up towards Evolution Lake:

Bear Creek near Edison Lake

This is a hike I found through San Jose Fly Casters.
I guess you take a 4wd road to the trailhead and then start hiking.

Bear creek is one of the most beautiful streams that run along a series of trails mainly the Pacific Crest Trail and Bear Creek trail hence the name. The trail is a slow and steady trail that disappears for a couple of miles until you meet up with it again on the P.C.T. The creek has a reputation for variance in size depending on the season and period of the runoff. In early summer of 2003 I crossed it along the P.C.T. around 9,550ft. At the time it was about knee deep. Two years later it was passed on to me through a reliable source that the steam was gauged at 10 feet deep at this crossing in early spring!
Looks like some good pictures and fishing spots.