Sierra Club Outings | LeConte Divide Cross-Country for Beginners

LeConte Divide Cross-Country for Beginners
July 20-26, 2008

Highlights:

Hike a spectacular and rewarding cross-country route
Learn basic route-finding and cross-country travel skills
Enjoy a layover day at an unnamed alpine lake with fantastic views

Includes:

All meals
Group cooking gear
Round-trip ferry ride across Florence Lake

Off-trail hiking is very different from travel on-trail; it takes some extra effort, but the rewards are greater solitude, access to some remote and spectacular areas, and a more complete wilderness experience. Our route is almost entirely off-trail, and you will reap the rewards. Knowledgeable and supportive leaders will help you prepare beforehand, guide you along the way, and teach some basic route-finding skills.

The northern end of the LeConte Divide is an ideal setting for our introduction to cross-country travel. The south side is a gentle, rolling basin dominated by lush meadows and big-slab granite; the north side is steeper, with dramatic glacier-carved cliffs looming above gem-like lakes. Atop the divide, the views are seemingly endless, stretching from the Yosemite boundary in the north to the peaks above Mineral King in the south. Our loop takes us across the Divide and back, allowing us to experience the best of both worlds.

Day 1: We will meet at noon to eat lunch, get acquainted, go over trip procedures, and divide up the commissary. We'll then take a ferry across Florence Lake and hike a short distance to a campsite just off the trail, with a view of the South Fork San Joaquin valley.

Day 2: Our first full day off-trail takes us three miles and 2,300 feet up to lovely Mt. Shinn Lake .

Day 3: We'll cross the Divide at a pass near Mt. Shinn Lake, and continue into gentle, lovely Red Rock Basin, stopping at a lake in the southern portion of the basin.

Day 4: Looping around to the eastern side of Red Rock Basin, we'll head straight up an easy drainage to cross the Divide at a keyhole pass, then drop a short distance to an unnamed lake with an amazing 180-degree view.

Day 5: This will be a layover day, giving you time to explore the area, swim, or just relax and enjoy the view.

Day 6: A short hiking day takes us over the ridge to beautiful Ward Mountain Lake , where we should have a full afternoon to enjoy our surroundings.

Day 7: Our final day takes us on a traverse back to the Mt. Shinn Lake outlet stream, from which we more or less retrace our steps back to Florence Lake to catch the ferry.

Our meeting point is Florence Lake, about three hours northeast of Fresno (the nearest airport). Although we could be out as early as noon on the last day, it�s best not to plan to fly that evening, as circumstances could delay us. The leader will provide a more precise meeting point, and detailed driving directions, in a letter to trip members.

The meals and snacks for the trip will be provided so there's no need to bring any of your own food. The leader will plan a menu with a wide variety of tasty food. The meals don't have a large quanitity of meat, but there is some. Anyone who has special dietary needs should let the leader know before signing up for the trip.

Participants help with meal preparation. Cooking is done in teams, and everyone gets a shift. In this, as in other aspects of the trip, a cooperative and helpful attitude is essential to the smooth functioning of the trip.

This trip is rated light/moderate (L/M). Keep in mind, though, that all backpacking entails strenuous activity. We'll average about three miles per hiking day, but almost all of that is off-trail, which is significantly more strenuous than on-trail hiking. The second day will likely be the toughest, with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. It is essential that everyone be in the best possible shape, and have some sense of what to expect. Beginning backpackers in particular should make sure they are in excellent physical condition, and should do some backpacking before our trip. Veteran backpackers would also benefit from a conditioning trip beforehand. For more information about getting in condition, see http://www.knapsack.org/training.html .

Your pack with personal gear should weigh no more than 25 pounds; there must be enough extra room to fit your share of the commissary, which will include bulky items such as an 8-quart pot (plus additional gear and food). We will be weighing packs at the trailhead, to make sure no one goes out too heavy. Remember: You will be carrying the same commissary weight as everyone else, no matter how much your personal gear weighs (or how much room you leave), so it pays to keep your personal pack weight and bulk down.

The John Muir Wilderness, created in 1964, is part of a 2.5-million-acre stretch of contiguous wilderness that includes most of the core High Sierra--a legacy of hard-won victories by conservationists including John Muir and his successors in the Sierra Club. Miillions of acres of other wildlands in California, however, have no such protection. Thanks to changes in Forest Service logging policies, many of these areas are now threatened as never before. For more information about roadless areas in California , and the campaign to save them, see www.calwild.org/ .

Even wilderness status doesn't protect an area from all threats. Grazing is permitted in portions of the national forest wilderness, damaging sensitive meadow ecosystems and degrading water quality. Acid rain, caused by pollution from urban areas in the state, falls even in the most remote parts of the High Sierra.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Tom Hilton-Gray got hooked on the mountains as a small child, and he's never kicked the habit. He has been backpacking in the Sierra for nearly 25 years, and leading Sierra Club trips since 1993 (this trip will be his 12th). He loves introducing people to his favorite places in the backcountry, and he loves the camaraderie that develops on these trips. Tom is looking forward to yet another beautiful and exciting journey this year.