Notes and photos from places around the world that have villages, ruins, and good food. And $35 hotels... Also, wilderness 4x4 camping and backpacking.

Sunday, September 1, 2002

Backpacking 2002

Steve Roper's book, Sierra High Route: Traversing Timberline Country, has drawn hundreds of backpackers into an exciting part of the range, along the crest in an area where the Muir Trail/Pacific Crest trail takes a wimpy lowland route. Snow blocks the high points on the route until late summer. Even on our Labor Day trip after a dry year, we hiked across snowbanks in a number of places. The route is mainly cross country. We ran into quite a few people everywhere on the route, all customers of Roper's book.

Our itinerary:

Night 0: Motel in Bishop

Night 1: Honeymoon lake, 6 miles and 3000 vertical feet from the trailhead.

Nights 2 and 3: L Lake. On the layover day, we visited a dozen lakes in this rocky basin.

Night 4: Lasalle Lake (11,562'). Soon after making camp, a characteristic afternoon thunderstorm hit us. A good deal of snow like popcorn fell, but did not accumulate. We were confined to our tent for several hours.

Nights 5 and 6: White Bear Lake. On the layover day, we visited Vee Lake and surrounding lakes. Our last day was a bonebreaker--cross country over Italy pass, scrambling over sometimes difficult country with a frustrating occasional trail in Granite Park, and then down on the fine trail from Honeymoon Lake.


Map Posted by Hello



Sunset at White Bear Lake Posted by Hello


Sunset, third night, after a storm Posted by Hello


Upper Pine Lake Posted by Hello


Lower Pine Lake Posted by Hello


Approaching the pass between Lake Italy and Granite Park--looks like the moon Posted by Hello