Sierra Club Outings | Sapphires Under Sawtooth, Trinity Alps Wilderness Area, California

Sapphires Under Sawtooth, Trinity Alps Wilderness Area, California
June 23-July 1, 2009

Highlights:

Enjoy smaller group size
View stunning gem-like lakes in timberline country
Explore or relax on three layover days
Experience secluded, untrammeled wilderness

Includes:

Bear-proof food containers and lightweight group equipment
Tasty lightweight backpacking food
Camaraderie of a group of like-minded people

Located off the beaten track in far northern California, the Trinity Alps offer a different backpacking experience than the Sierra Nevada. The rugged granite peaks and pinnacles provide alpine scenery and terrain much like the Sierra Nevada, but at significantly lower elevation. Hence, the effects of altitude are not so great. Summer comes earlier, and the weather is often � not always! � milder. Secluded among the high peaks of the Trinity Alps Wilderness, the Canyon Creek watershed, where we start our trip, is a gem in the crown of the wilderness. We leave the trail early on our first day and spend most of our eight hiking days on a cross-country ramble through timberline country. We plan to take three layover days to allow additional time for exploring hidden lakes, tracing sparkling cascades, or scrambling up neighboring ridges to lakes named after precious stones. We�ll spend most of our trip at elevations between 3,000 and ,8000 feet.

By Forest Service regulation, our group is limited to ten (including leaders), which makes ours a smaller, more flexible group, in addition to lessening our impact on the wilderness. Join our small group as we explore a beautiful corner of California�s largest wilderness area.

Secluded among the high granite peaks of the Trinity Alps Wilderness, the Canyon Creek watershed is a gem. Nestled between the steep granite walls of Sawtooth Mountain. our cross-country scramble will quickly start. Soon after lunch we will be scrambling and climbing into timberline country. With two high passes that serve as natural barriers, the lake basins we�ll visit remain as pristine and tranquil sanctuaries. Spending several days exploring hidden lakes, and scrambling up neighboring ridges we�ll visit lakes named after precious stones on three planed layover days. Our adventure will end by a different route, also spectacular, over a cross-country pass back to our cars.

Day 1: The group will meet for a group dinner at 5 p.m. at a campground near our Canyon Creek trailhead.

Day 2: Today will be our first hiking day. We will leave the campground and drive a short distance to the Canyon Creek trailhead (3,000 feet) to begin our adventure up Canyon Creek. Above Canyon Creek Falls, we�ll climb off trail to Boulder Creek Lakes at 6,000 feet. There should be ample time for fishing and swimming or an afternoon scramble to Forbidden Lake.

Day 3: Serenaded by bluebirds, we'll leave Boulder Creek Lakes and backtrack slightly before heading off trail and scrambling up to Upper Canyon Creek Lake at 6,000 feet. Here we enjoy breathtaking views of the Wedding Cake with Sawtooth Mountain looming over us. Canyon Creek Lakes provides our first glimpse of glacial pans created by receding glaciers during the Paleozoic era.

Day 4: This will be our first layover day, where we can go swimming and fishing or just hang out. A short morning scramble to El Lake will be a fun exercise in route finding for those wanting to practice map and compass techniques.

Day 5: Today�s scramble starts as soon as we break camp. Crossing Mirror Pass (7,500 feet), we traverse a one-mile debris field between granite cliffs above and below. Eventually we�ll scramble down to Mirror Lake and then finally descend to Sapphire Lake (5,900 feet) where we�ll camp for the night.

Day 6: We�ll take our second layover day. Hiking options include climbing to Mirror Lake for further exploration of this beautiful spot or rambling down to the historic mining site of Portuguese Camp for the afternoon.

Day 7: We�ll start early, hiking on-trail down the Stuart Fork toward Oak Flat before ascending to Alpine Lake, nestled at 7,000 feet between Little Granite Peak and the east face of Sawtooth Mountain.

Day 8: On our third planned layover day, we have the option of scrambling cross country up to Smith and Morris Lakes (7,800 feet) at the base of Sawtooth Mountain. Ambitious hikers might choose to continue to summit Sawtooth.

Day 9: We�ll travel cross-country back to Bear Creek, returning to the Canyon Creek Trailhead via an old, unmaintained trail.

Our trip starts at the Canyon Creek trailhead, which is located 45 miles west of Redding, a few miles off Highway 299. Redding is located on Interstate 5 in northern California. The most convenient airports to fly into would be Redding or Sacramento, California, or any of the three Bay Area airports (San Francisco, San Jose, or Oakland). The trailhead is a six-hour drive from the Bay Area, five hours from Sacramento, and three hours from Redding. Carpooling is encouraged; the leader will provide participants with a trip roster at least a month prior to departure. Due to the unpredictable nature of wilderness travel, please do not make return flight reservations for the evening of day nine. You should plan to stay in a hotel that night and fly out the next day (or later).

The first meal furnished on the trip will be dinner on day one, and the last meal will be lunch on day 9. The menu has been refined over many years of high country travel and is designed to minimize weight, simplify preparation, and maximize taste. The menu will emphasize vegetarian dishes, with meat served at some meals. Please contact the leader to see if dietary restrictions can be accommodated before signing up. Also, personal food supplies should not be brought on the trip due to the limited volume available in the bear canisters. This is a physically demanding cross-country trek; Out of necessity, the meals must be light and compact. If your expectation is to have elaborate meals, as found on some Sierra Club trips, this might not be the best trip for you.

Participants are expected to assist with cooking and clean up, as well as other camp chores. Optional alcohol will be served at several happy hours. A number of water purification options will be available on the trip, though some participants may wish to bring a water filter.

This trip is rated Moderate (M). However, excluding the three planned layover days, the trip would be rated strenuous. Our route requires participants to be flexible and work as a team. The cross-country segments can involve climbs and descents over complex terrain. Expect early starts and possible long deliberate-paced hiking days in order to complete the route. Route changes may be necessary due to unexpected local conditions. Even though the 3,000-to-8,000-foot elevations of this trip range are relatively low compared to trekking in the Sierra Nevada, the terrain can still be very rugged parts of this route will necessitate participants to be comfortable in highly exposed cross-country travel for extended periods of time.

Participants must have previous backpacking experience in the timberline environment to be accepted for this trip. All participants must also maintain a regular fitness program. The best way to get in shape is to supplement your conditioning program with practice hikes carrying a loaded pack.

The Trinity Alps are renowned for there excellent spring �less-buggy� weather, however we must still be prepared for rain and extreme temperatures ranging from 80 degrees during the day to the 20s at the higher elevations at night. Expect to encounter snowfields on our route, especially on the north faces of the high passes. Also, expect wet fords of icy, swollen streams.

Please also note that due to the remoteness of Mirror and Sapphire Lake Basin, segments of the trip will be exploratory in nature. The leader has researched the route with past leaders, and field guides.

Bear canisters will be used for food storage. You will be issued one loaded bear can, which, when combined with your share of the other group items, should bring your total share of the commissary to about 15 pounds for 8 hiking days. The group commissary is scrutinized for weight savings before the trip and the leader substitutes personal, lighter-weight items whenever possible. You should try to limit your personal gear to 15-22 pounds.

Full leather boots with rubber lug soles are highly recommended. The leather should be thoroughly waterproofed to withstand the rigors of prolonged contact with snow. The rugged terrain of the trip demands that you choose boots that provide excellent ankle support.

Time for high-end photography, fishing, or other pursuits will be limited; correspondingly, the equipment you bring for these pursuits should be limited as well. The leader will send detailed equipment recommendations to participants well in advance of the trip.

The Trinity Alps Wilderness, established by the US Congress in 1984, now encompasses 525,627 acres, managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. This Wilderness contains some of the largest roadless areas remaining in the West. The rivers in the Trinity-Shasta National Forest (including areas outside the Wilderness) are renowned for their historically large salmon runs, and many have been designated under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in order to protect their outstanding natural values and recreational opportunities. Conservationists have fought a continued struggle to protect neighboring areas outside the Wilderness from logging and mining interests. Additional information can be found at:

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.

Tony Bellaver's first experiences of being outdoors were good ones. He hiked to the top of Mt. Lassen with his grandparents so many times as a child that he lost count. He enjoys all aspects of backpacking (especially "the gear"), and he can often be found talking about it while drinking coffee. He also enjoys classic cars and trucks and the tinkering that they inspire. While on backpacking trips he loves the sport of good storytelling and the satisfaction of a hard day's work. When Tony is not out hiking or drinking coffee, he creates custom cabinets and furniture and is a dedicated artist who sees life as art. See his work at http://bellafineart.smugmug.com/.

E-mail: bellafineart@earthlink.net