|
Deadman's Traverse, Sequoia National Park Highlights:
Includes:
Trip Number: 08131A Price: $535 Deposit: $100 Capacity: 13 Rating: S Leader:
The Trip The line on the map separating Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks runs right through the heartland of our trip, the high country of the Kings-Kaweah Divide. The Tablelands, an anomalous highland of gently undulating white granite, provides us easy cross-country travel across the divide and into Deadman and Cloud Canyons. Returning, we cross again via Coppermine and Elizabeth Passes , on cross-country routes and unmaintained trails. High, remote, and inaccessible as this country is, it does have an interesting human history. We can look for the remains of early prospectors and their copper mines where the metamorphic and granitic rocks meet just east of Elizabeth Pass. We can search for one of Shorty Lovelace's 100-year old cabins below the Whaleback in Cloud Canyon and for the grave of Alfred Mouiere, a Basque sheepherder buried in Deadman Canyon in 1887. As noted in the “Mt. Whitney Club Journal,” “No Pharaoh nor King of ancient or modern times has mausoleum half so magnificent.” There is indeed a spectacular graveside view up Deadman Canyon , with the spires of Big Bird Peak placed scenically at its head. We will then retrace the footsteps of Deadman's earliest known recreational visitors, Stewart and Elizabeth White, who crossed “ Turtle Pass ” in 1906 and then promptly renamed it in Elizabeth 's honor. On this 52 mile high altitude loop trip we will have both moderate and strenuous hiking days including about twelve miles of cross-country travel. A layover day, probably at Big Bird Lake, allows for exploration, swimming, climbing or just relaxing. Sit around the lake or the campfire and share your love of the wilderness in the congenial company of other like-minded Sierra Club members in a remote and spectacular granite basin high in the Sierra backcountry.
The trip officially starts the night of Wednesday August 13, the day before we do any actual hiking. We will meet at a reserved group campground at Dorst near the Lodgepole area of Sequoia National Park . We will have some time before dinner to make last minute gear decisions, go over trail etiquette and camp hygiene and get acquainted over happy hour. Dinner is provided. On Thursday we will drive to our trailhead at Wolverton and shuttle some cars to our exit trailhead at Crescent Meadow in the Giant Forest . Our hiking schedule is not set in stone. Daily mileage and destination depend on our health and fitness, the weather conditions and other factors outside of our control. Our precise route is also flexible, since we will be hiking off trail for parts of the trip. There will be portions of the route not scouted by the leaders before the trip and some on-trip scouting will be required, Flexibility is important. Day 1: We'll hike from our Wolverton trailhead (7,100 feet) to Alta meadows (six miles and about 2,600 feet of ascent). We will enjoy the magnificent mature red fir forest and lush meadows full of old-favorite wildflowers. Days 2-3: We hike northeast, both on-trail and cross-country through the Tablelands to Big Bird Lake via Moose Lake. These should be shorter but tougher days, finding our way along mossy-banked creeks, lonely tarns, a steep rocky ridges with these two iconic lakes to lure us on. Day 4: Layover day at Big Bird Lake . Day 5: We descend Deadman Canyon to Roaring River and then turn south up Cloud Canyon for a ways. These two long, straight, parallel canyons face more or less due north and dump their waters into the Roaring River , a tributary of the South Fork of the Kings. They are reminiscent in their glacial-carved profiles and mossy meadows, of some canyons in northern Yosemite . We may spend a time looking for old Shorty Lovelace's trapper cabin, and certainly visit Deadman's signature grave marker. The backcountry ranger may be in at the Roaring River ranger station. Day 6: We continue heading up Cloud Canyon on trail and then cross-country on the long abandoned Coppermine trail six miles and 2,400 feet up to camp in Upper Cloud Canyon. Day7: We first pick and scramble over Coppermine (Deadman) Pass (12,000 feet), then traverse upper Deadman Canyon, passing just below the old Oakland mine, then find the trail and climb on over Elizabeth Pass and down to Lone Pine Meadow. This promises to be a challenging and wonderful day. Day 8: We'll enjoy a relaxing stroll down the trail through the “resort” at Bearpaw Meadow and over to Buck Creek for the night. Day 9: We take the High Sierra Trail down into the skyscraper forest of Giant Sequoias at Crescent Meadow (7,600 feet), where we meet the asphalt. Getting There Wolverton and the Giant Forest are in Sequoia National Park on the west side of the Sierra Nevada about 75 miles east of Fresno and about 275 miles from San Francisco and Los Angeles . Trip members from outside California should plan on flying into an airport in one of these 3 cities and renting a car. We will send a trip roster to all participants to help in arranging rides or carpools. A departure bulletin will be sent out in July with meeting place and time and detailed driving instructions.
The first trip meal is dinner on day one at a group campsite at Dorst Campground in Sequoia National Park . The last meal is lunch on August 22 (although we may well be back out by then). The Sierra Club will provide all meals and snacks. Vegetarians are welcome, but please let us know well in advance. Cooking and clean-up duties will be shared by all members of the group on a rotating basis. All of our food will be carried in bear-proof canisters. Please do not bring any extra food, such as snacks, as it will not fit in the stuffed-to-capacity canisters.
This trip is rated strenuous and is intended for experienced backpackers. We will encounter significant altitude gains and losses. You must have the ability to hike up to nine miles a day at high altitude, with a backpack weighing as much as 45 pounds. We may have to cross steep snowfields that linger far into the summer and there will be numerous stream crossings. Daily mileages usually range from four to nine miles, with the shorter days usually including significant cross-country. Many days will be moderate hiking, while some other days will be quite strenuous, with elevation gains and losses of up to 2,600 feet. Most days we will be hiking for 6-7 hours, but some days could run longer if unforeseen difficulties arise. Half of our campsites will be above 9,500 feet. The highest point of the trip will be the 12,000 foot Coppermine Pass. The total elevation gain for the trip is about 10,000 feet and the loss is about 10,400 feet. Participants must maintain a regular fitness program supplemented by weekend practice hikes wearing the boots and pack (loaded with at least 40 pounds) that you plan to bring on the trip. Also, taking at least one “warm-up” backpacking trip prior to the outing, at altitude if possible, is recommended. If you are not in good shape, you won't have a good time. Be honest with yourself. Trip participants are encouraged to arrive in the area a day or two before the trip so as to begin high elevation acclimatization. The High Sierra is renowned for its excellent summer weather, however, extended storms can occur at any time of the year. Afternoon thunderstorms, with sudden cloudbursts of wind, rain, hail, and even snow are not uncommon. Be prepared for extremes: high temperatures during the day can exceed 80 degrees and fall into the low 20s at night. Note that depending on snowpack in August we could encounter high water at stream crossings and snowfields on passes. Be prepared to be flexible as the itinerary may change due to unforeseen conditions and circumstances.
A basic equipment list will be sent when you are accepted for the trip. Trip participants will need to furnish their own backpack and personal gear including eating utensils. The club will provide food and commissary equipment including pots, cooking utensils, and stoves and fuel. Each person should keep the weight of personal gear under 25 pounds so that, with the addition of approximately 15 to 20 pounds of commissary equipment and food, total pack weight will be less than 40 to 45 pounds at the start of the trip. Your pack should have room for commissary equipment, as well as your personal gear. Each participant's commissary load will likely include one food canister, plus an additional non-food item such as a stove, fuel bottle, tarp, rope, etc. This is roughly equal to the size of a full grocery sack. In August weather is usually mild, but storms are possible, so bring cold-weather clothing, raingear (rain jacket and rain pants), and a tent. Boots must be broken in before the trip, be waterproof, and have good Vibram soles. Your personal first-aid kit should include a roll of cloth-bound, two-inch athletic adhesive tape. When preparing your backpack, you might want to consider Thoreau's words: "A man is rich in proportion to what he can do without." A comprehensive listing of equipment and our philosophy can be found at http://www.knapsack.org/basic_equipment.html .
Maps Please plan on carrying either the two USGS topo maps or one of the larger area maps such as the Harrison map. • U.S.G.S. 7.5-minute topographic maps: " Lodgepole" and " Triple Divide Peak ”. • “Mount Whitney High Country” Tom Harrison Maps ( www.tomharrisonmaps.com ). • John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks Backcountry Map. US Forest Service Books • Whitney, Stephen, A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide to the Sierra Nevada . An excellent trip and/or pre-trip read to understand Sierra ecology. • Storer, Tracy I., and Robert L. Usinger, The Sierra Nevada Natural History . Gives more details on specific plants and animals. • Secor, R.J., The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, and Trails (published by The Mountaineers), is an excellent general reference to climbing routes, cross-country routes, and trails in the Sierra Nevada . Conservation We will be visiting the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness area on the forty forth anniversary of the enactment of the Wilderness Act. Though this area is preserved, adjacent areas not in the National Parks are still threatened by development, logging, and overgrazing. All of the Sierra Nevada is threatened by air pollution from the San Joaquin Valley below. The declining frog population of the Sierra Nevada will also be discussed by the leaders.
See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. 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.
David Reneau has been backpacking in the coast ranges and the Sierra for 40 years, and has been leading backpack and camping trips for the Sierra Club for 28 years. His training and major interests are in botany and geology. He will be glad to discuss the area's natural history.
General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
|
