Trip Report, Part 1: High Sierra Backpacking - Kaweah Basin And Beyond

[Gavin]

Hey Gang -

I'm finally getting around to beginning to post a report here on a backpacking trip that Alacia and I took in the High Sierra in August. The two of us spent 14 days backpacking in Sequoia National Park, a massive loop that began and ended at the end of the Mineral King Road, and took us through some spectacular and varied wilderness. I was inspired by Brad's many trip report postings and thought folks might like to browse through yet another one!

Unfortunately (and for those that don't know), my posting of a trip report has been delayed by a fairly major injury I suffered a week and a half ago: while playing basketball I ruptured the Achilles tendon in my left leg. The pop of the tendon felt as if someone had kicked me very hard in the back of the leg... After collapsing, I looked at my Achilles tendon and saw this weird depression there. Immediately I thought to myself, "Uh oh, I know what this means..." Sure enough, I needed surgery, got the tendon reconnected, and am now looking forward to months of no weight-bearing activities, which will mean plenty of time sitting and getting too familiar with crutches.

Needless to say, the process has been (and will no doubt continue to be) frustrating, but it does give me some time for office tasks, so here I am. The injury does at least come with a high likelihood of full recovery... It will just take many months to get there!

With that introduction out of the way, on to the first part of the trip report.

I had been looking at a long hike in the High Sierra this summer that would get us to some beautiful and remote high country areas. We ruled out the Darwin / Evolution Basin area in Kings Canyon National Park at the last minute due to possible smoke from the Aspen Fire (...though from Brad's report, it looks like that never materialized). We settled on another trip I'd been wanting to do for a number of years: a long trek passing through the remote Kaweah Basin, a lake-filled wilderness completely off trails, surrounded by the rugged Kaweah Peaks, and difficult to reach from any direction.

We drove out from Pinnacles and wound our way up the paved but painstakingly curvy Mineral King Road... The 25 miles of that road took an hour and a half alone. Still, we got the the road's end early enough that we decided to hike up to the Franklin Lakes that afternoon.

We had packed all our supplies for the 14-day trip, so I strapped 70 pounds of pack weight to my back, and Alacia carried almost 50 pounds. Suffice it to saw, the going was slow, but we made it 6.5 miles up to the Franklin Lakes right around sunset; here's a shot looking back down west from the lakes.



We were too tired - and too late in the day - to set up a tent, so we settled for our sleeping bags with views of the brilliant stars overhead and the edge of the lower Franklin Lake below.

The next morning I managed a few good images of the lower Franklin Lake with Tulare Peak in the background; here's one I liked.



Somehow I hadn't expected all the volcanic and metamorphic rock in the area... It was beautiful for photography, seeing the wash of red, iron-rich rock washing into the gray and white granite, and a feature of the landscape that showed up again and again through the trip.

After packing, Alacia and I took a photo of ourselves with our massive packs on; note all that red and white rock mixed in the background:



We then began the slow (but well-graded) ascent through scree up to Franklin Pass at around 11,800 feet. From up there, views of the high peaks and lake basins were stunning, with the jagged reddish Kaweah ridge and the more-distant line of the Whitney group evident. Our goal was to descend halfway down Rattlesnake Creek Canyon, so we proceeded down from the pass east.

Here is a view looking down Rattlesnake Creek Canyon from the Franklin Pass Trail. Note Forester Lake on the distant edge of the high plateau, then the high peaks south of Whitney beyond:



There were some very enticing lines for rock climbing up here... If you had the motivation to drag all your gear up this high! There were some pretty interesting granitic formations along the way as well:



The trail became more rugged as we descended to the headwaters of Rattlesnake Creek, but we finally made it to a deserved rest spot; while Alacia napped I took this photo, among others:



We continued downstream and Alacia was definitely feeling the weight of her pack... It was a slow-going struggle, but as late afternoon neared, we made it to a halfway point in Rattlesnake Creek Canyon where the granitic walls opened up and the creek charged down through. Here's a panoramic view of the canyon cliffs from near our campsite for that night (7-8 miles from our last campsite):



Starting up fairly casually the next day, I decided to take some of Alacia's pack weight, keeping mine around 70 pounds but at least giving her a bit of relief. We continued the trek down Rattlesnake Creek Canyon, which we found to be a gorgeous hike. The creek surprised us with frequently grand views, rock changing from granitic to volcanic and back, the water flowing soft and slow, then charging and tumbling through cascades. Here are a few photos en route as we descended towards the Kern River:







At mid-day we stopped to dip our feet in the creek before the final, steep switchbacks down to the Kern River... We had already dropped 1,000 feet today and had another 1,400 feet to go (down to 6,800 feet elevation). Here is Alacia taking a breather along the creek:



Continuing down trail, we got a sense of just how big Kern River Canyon is, if there was any doubt before:



As the afternoon shadows grew longer, we finally made it down to the upper Kern River, one of the most pristine (and more remote) stretches of river I've seen in California. Here is one of the first shots from hiking along the river:



We set up camp in a ferny clearing along the river, perhaps 7-8 miles from our last campsite; here is Alacia with our ultralight tent at the site:



All for now, but more to come!

[Brad Young]

That's country I've never been in. Now I want to go and it's too late in the season 

Actually, I've got my Sequoia National Park map out and I'm waiting for more of your photos and descriptions.

(BIG packs).

[Gavin]

Yeah, it's stunning country, Brad. As mentioned before, my initial objective was just to find a way into (and out of) the Kaweah Basin, but Alacia and I were awestruck by how breathtaking the rest of the area was too. I hadn't expected the high country, peaks, and lake basins to look as rugged as they did... For some reason I always pictured that more up near Kings Canyon (where I have spent a number of years hiking).

I'll post more as I'm able in the next couple of days!

[F4?]

Sweet colors.

Heal up fast!

[JC w KC redux]

Those pictures are incredible Gavin! - you are a helluva photographer - kinda already knew that from looking at your personal photography site.

Really sorry to hear about your injury. I have known way too many people who have been hurt playing basketball over the years - folks in KY are basketball crazy. Of all the traditional sports - I always sucked at that one. We'll keep a good thought for your speedy and full recovery.

I'm betting those volcanic and metamorphic rocks are more roof pendants - if you haven't already you can check out my explanation on Brad's latest PCT thread.

[mungeclimber]

very much like!

[Gavin]

Alright, back for further details on the trip report.

As with many wild rivers, the Kern River has a lot of character along its course, from charging cascades to slow, mirrored pools reflecting cliffs and pines (and with wildlife like beavers, native trout, deer, and squirrels along the way). Here is an evening photo from near our first night's campsite along the Kern River:



The following morning, I got up early to try for some golden glow on the cliffs... Here is an image from near our campsite:



And here is a different view of the character of the flowing water:



After a leisurely breakfast (what became our normal pattern), we packed up camp and continued up trail, following the course of the Kern River past Kern Hot Spring and towards the inflow of Whitney Creek. Along the way, the Kern River occasionally opened up through the trees to show us its snaking flow:







Along the way, there was a diverse mix of coniferous woodlands, including ponderosa pine, sierra juniper, foxtail pine, lodgepole pine, incense cedar, whitebark pine, and mountain hemlock. Here are a couple images I liked along the way:





And here is a macro image of fallen foxtail pine wood mixed with stone:



As the light fell, Alacia and I approached the confluence of Whitney Creek with the Kern River... Probably no more than 7 miles or so hiked this day, but the massively weighted packs made for slow going and weariness. At any rate we were on track for the 14 days of hiking back to Mineral King trailhead, with a day or so to spare in case the weather turned suddenly. Here is a final, late day image of the Kern River:



Tired from the pack weight but in good spirits, Alacia and I settled in for another night along the Kern River. Here is a photo of the site the following morning, with Alacia making use of branches on a log to dry out a few items after condensation formed the night before; the river is just past the flat beyond Alacia's head:



The following day we kept on hiking up the Kern Canyon, passing through Junction Meadow in late morning. Both Alacia and I remarked on the oddness of calling the area a "meadow," as there was little to no sign of open grass or flowers around. The area was crowned by numerous pines, and did indeed form a junction for the High Sierra Trail... The relatively few hikers we had been seeing were all hiking on this trail, heading towards or past Mt. Whitney. Based on our loop hike plan, we turned west, saying farewell to the Kern River, and beginning our slogging ascent up along the Kern-Kaweah River. Here is a view looking back down at Junction Meadow (more aptly named Junction Flat) and upper Kern Canyon:



It quickly became clear to us that - like our time in Rattlesnake Creek Canyon - this was a rarely-used trail, rugged and occasionally overgrown. The wind died, the sun beat down, and the going was tough but beautiful. Here are a couple of photos of Alacia plodding up the trail, maintaining her good energy throughout:





In addition to the wide vistas, the smaller details were stunning as well:



It's hard to capture with words how rugged this country really is when you see it. Passing up to a small rise, we looked out at jagged and jumbled rock walls descending down to the Kern-Kaweah River... Note the rather polished looking wall in the background below. The following day we were planning to find a way up this, off trail and into the Kaweah Basin and Picket Creek Basin. I remember thinking as we drew closer, "Well, there has to be some way in there... We'll see what we can find..."



Here's a view of a trail section, descending WAY down and towards Rockslide Lake in the distance:



We keep hiking down, down, and reached the outlet of "Rockslide Lake," more of a large, slow pooling section of the Kern-Kaweah River than an actual lake, but still quite beautiful for the rockslide pouring down into the river flows, ringed with meadowy openings, aspen stands, and sedge beds. Here's a view of the outlet:



We hiked and huffed back uphill to get a bit closer to the off-trail ascent for the following day so I could scout out options, and ended up next to the Kern-Kaweah River with views towards the slab walls we would try to ascend past the next day. Here is a photo of Alacia taking a moment to relax near our campsite for the night. Note the creek flow from the shaded wall in the distance, descending out of the Kaweah Basin. The wall ascent doesn't look as steep here, but it was daunting as it we gazed out and tried to imagine scrambling up along the creek:



Also note the white, Tyvek groundsheet in the photo. In our attempts to cut weight for 14 days of backpacking, this was one of our great discoveries, an extremely light alternative to a tarp that was still strong enough to keep sleeping pads and tent from getting punctured. (Our ultralight, 2-person Big Agnes tent, at less than 3 pounds, helped a lot too!)

Before night set in, I took a few photos of cascades of water along the Kern-Kaweah River near our campsite:





A few clouds clung to the sky as night fell; here is a last image of sunset color against the darkening sky from our camp:



More to come on our ascent into the Kaweah Basin!

[Gavin]

I'm sure folks have figured this out, but stretch the screen to see these photos... I debated going smaller but wanted people to be able to stare into the details of the bigger images. I'll try to post more soon!

[mynameismud]

wow, very nice.

Here's to a speedy recovery.

[Gavin]

Thanks Mud!

And Brad, thanks for the tip on Flickr photo links; all should be good in the second part of the report now.

I have my post-op today to (hopefully) get this damn splint off, then on to an adjustable boot for more weeks to come. I'll continue posting in the next couple days!

[F4?]

Yeah, get well soon.

[mungeclimber]

the cascade shots are way worthy

[Gavin]

I'm back for another trip report installment. (I've been a bit delayed the last couple days after having my first post-op appointment, getting my leg splint off and seeing the 5-inch, stitched incision near my Achilles tendon... It looks a bit like a Frankenfoot! But all seems well with the pace of recovery, and no complications so far.)

On the morning of our 6th day backpacking, I woke up early for a few photos and some scouting while Alacia slept. Here's another photo of Kern-Kaweah River cascades, pre-dawn, near our camp:



There were two aspects of our backpacking trip that I was a bit anxious about, and we were approaching the first: how to get into the Kaweah Basin and the Picket Creek Basin. On the topo maps, the area holds the allure of being remote, completely off-trail, and ringed by peaks. I had read a few online accounts of how people got in and out of the basins, but from our campsite above Rockslide Lake, the best option appeared to be attempting to follow Kaweah Creek over the headwall, into the Picket Creek Basin, then from there over a saddle into lower Kaweah Basin. Other approaches looked difficult, with a fair bit of technical, class 4 or 5 slab... Not ideal with 50- to 70-pound packs!

So, I scrambled half a mile south and up some initial cascades of the lower Kaweah Creek, after thrashing through willow thickets. The approach didn't look easy, but it looked possible. Here is another photo of cascades, this time along Kaweah Creek near where we would start our ascent:



I hiked back to camp as the sun rose into view, we packed up, and began the approach up along the lower cascades of Kaweah Creek. En route, I stumbled across (and almost into) an adult porcupine, hunkered down in the shadows of willow thickets... Unfortunately the light was bad for a photo of the porcupine's backside, but it was probably our most unusual wildlife encounter of the trip.

We kept hiking up, moving slowly over some sections of steep slab along the creek. Alacia soldiered through, despite some periods of uneasiness with the exposed slabs, but we made progress. Here is an image looking back down... Our previous night's camp is hidden in the distance beyond the pine's on the left side of the photo, and the massive rock wall in the background is Kern Point:



Here's another view looking back down, the top of Kern Point now visible and the upper reaches of the Kern-Kaweah River drainage heading towards Colby Pass in the background:



From here the going was easier and somewhat more level, but still required a fair bit of navigation, as the walls closed in along Kaweah Creek to form a mini canyon. Eventually we hiked to a small rise and looked down upon the lowest pond of the Kaweah Basin. Behind the rock wall in the background (350 to 400 feet up from the pond), the majority of the Kaweah Basin really began... Also note the reddish crag, the edge of Red Spur rising into view:



From the pond, we decided to hike up to the northwest, making for the lower reaches of the Picket Creek Basin. I had read that access to the Kaweah Basin was easier from there, and that the Picket Creek drainage was quite stunning in its own right. We hiked up a small, dry gulch and met up with Picket Creek, tumbling 800 feet out of sight and down the headwall towards our campsite from last night. Here is a photo of the view from the edge... Note Kern Point in the midground, then the Junction Meadow area in the center of the image. You can just make out the thin, diagonal line of the High Sierra Trail in the middle of the image, rising east on the way to Whitney. In the background, the high peaks of the eastern Sierra started to became very apparent, with Mt. Barnard, Williamson, and Versteeg rising prominently in the distance:



From here we kept following lower Picket Creek upstream. I had read on a few occasions that the lowest lake along the Picket Creek drainage, officially unnamed, was quite spectacular. Gaining a rise and then descending down to the lake, Alacia and I definitely felt this was true... The lake was in a beautiful location, ringed by a mini bluff of granite like gem in a jeweled setting, and looked out upon the high peaks of the eastern Sierra to the east, and the crags of upper Picket Creek Basin to the west. Given its setting, and views of the "crown" of the Sierra chain, we decided to call it "Crown Jewel Lake." It was a pristine location, with one campsite that had been used before, but otherwise with no signs of recent visitation... We saw no footprints and no people during our time in the Picket Creek Basin. Here are some photos of the lake; note Kern Point and the high Sierra peaks to the east in the first photo (taken from the campsite):







After setting up camp, Alacia and I still had half the day left, and decided to explore up along Picket Creek. This lake basin was incredibly picturesque, with occasional shallow lakes, granite boulders poking out of the water along the edges, and an overwhelming sense of quiet and solitude. It felt a bit like a fairy realm, and was perhaps one of our favorite destinations for the entire backpacking trip. Here are some images of the basin while we hiked up past 3 more lakes:







The distinctive trees and snags of foxtail pines were in abundance up in the Picket Creek Basin; here is an image that caught my eye:



Returning to camp, we felt quite satisfied with the day... We had only backpacked 2 miles or so, but all uphill, off trail, with heavy packs and a fair bit of navigation. And the beauty of Crown Jewel Lake made spending a night there well worth the stop. After dinner, I strolled around for a few more photos, the evening light playing upon the mountain faces. Here is another image of Crown Jewel Lake with evening light reflections:



And here are a couple of evening images, with light reflecting off the reddish metamorphic rock of Red Spur:





All for now but more to come soon, with our trek into the lower reaches of the Kaweah Basin next!

[Brad Young]

Dear Frankenfoot:

As you mentioned then, the cross country you document in this report didn't look too bad in the earlier photos, the ones in your earlier report. It stands out though in this set of photos - that's some seriously uphill hiking.

[Gavin]

Yeah, with fully weighted packs, the approach up along Kaweah Creek was steep. There were a few points where we were able to grab on to pine branches, or chimney up short sections that would have otherwise been very technical. As it was, I hiked my pack and then Alacia's up a couple of sections so she could navigate over slabs without the unbalanced feel of the pack weight. The steep bits were not to her liking, but she pushed on through them.

Thankfully the steep section was not too long and it was passable. The other options were trying to scramble up along Picket Creek over the headwall - which looked nearly impossible without ropes - or hiking further up towards Colby Pass, then traversing along slab and cliff edges towards Crown Jewel Lake. The latter option might have worked... but it was very hard to tell from 800 feet down what obstacles might lie in that direction.

As it was, I think we chose the right route, and I would do so again if I returned that way. The Picket Creek drainage, and the pristine high country in that basin, were certainly worth the effort!

[Gavin]

The morning of the our 7th day in Sequoia National Park, I followed my usual habit of waking up early, before dawn, to try to photograph the Picket Creek area taking advantage of the light of the early hours. Alacia kept sleeping as I hiked up to the middle of the Picket Creek Basin and set up for some photos. I really liked the way this image turned out, shot before dawn light hit the Kaweah Peaks:



Hiking back to Crown Jewel Lake, I photographed this rather surreal image from the far side of the lake... Our tent isn't visible, but is hidden in the trees next to the lake near the right side:



After a rather leisurely start, Alacia and I packed up and continued backpacking towards the Kaweah Basin. Looking at topo maps, we decided to retrace our steps up the Picket Creek drainage for some distance, then hike over the ridge separating Picket Creek from Kaweah Creek. Here is another view of Picket Creek Basin, looking upstream. The background ridge - at 12,500 to 13,000 feet - is unnamed but eventually rises west towards Kaweah Queen, one of the main peaks along the Kaweah ridge.



Hiking uphill past scree, here is a view looking back down at the upper Picket Creek Basin... Lawson Peak is one of the central gray peaks in the distance, with many other unnamed 12,000-foot peaks surrounding:



Reaching the saddle between the two drainages, we finally had our first looks own into the Kaweah Basin. It had a more rugged feel of scree and mini-canyons along its course, and the lower lakes looked very inviting. We debated hiking further upstream with our packs, or further south to the (even more remote) Red Spur Lakes, but finally decided to just settle on an easier day and camp at the lakes below. Our campsite ended up being between the two lakes pictured below, on the left side of the granite bridge spur between the lakes (and note the high point of Mt. Whitney in the background):



Here are a few further images as we descended towards the lakes:



Note the min-canyon feel here along Kaweah Creek approaching the lakes:


And here is a photo of the large, lower lake, with Red Spur rising out of sight past the upper right corner of the photo:



As expected, the lower Kaweah Basin was quite stunning, with the Kaweah Peaks rising clearly upstream to the west, the Whitney group in view to the east, and the reddish ridge of Red Spur to the south. Our campsite was well-situated between two lakes to offer views of them all.

One rather amusing thing about our stay in the Kaweah Basin was the other people we saw. Based on the topographic isolation of the area and reports I had read online, the area saw very little in the way of human visitors... The pristine quality of the lakes and vegetation supported this. In spite of this, though, Alacia and I met up with a guy the day we arrived... And he turned out to be an Outward Bound trip leader, with about 12 adult students en route! He explained they student group was nearing the end of a 50+ day trip, and the Kaweah Basin section was their chance to hike without trip leaders. The trip leader kept hiking, and the student group later passed through on the opposite shore of the lakes, unaware of our presence. The whole experience was a bit hilarious given my earlier expectation that we would be alone in the area... But the fact that the Kaweah Basin section was supposed to be the ultimate off-trail, navigating experience for the Outward Bound group reinforced the rugged quality of the area for Alacia and me.

Despite seeing people during the day, Alacia and I still had yet another campsite (and pair of lakes) completely to ourselves that evening. Here are a few final images near sunset, the first two looking south towards Red Spur, the nest looking east, and the last looking northwest:









More to come with the 2nd half of the Sequoia National Park trip. I will post the report for the next 7 days in a new thread to save loading time for photos!

[mungeclimber]

Exquisite!

[F4?]

Nice!

My brother did an outward bound there 20 something years ago....in that area.