Sphinx Lakes Basin, Early Fall

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James,

Great photos and thanks for posting them up.

Beautiful looking place.

How low did the temperatures get and what did you use for a sleeping and clothing system to stay warm?

-Tony

Thanks for your comments.

Tony, judging by the amount of water frozen in a hanging water bag left outside the tent (about half a gallon), I'd guess the temps got into the mid 20's, on the third night. (A little more than half the water was frozen–if it had been all frozen, a "hard freeze", I would have guessed 20 or below; if just the surface 1/2", low 30's–high 20's). While the snow was falling, on the second night, low 30's?

I slept in BPL Cocoon Pro 90 (hooded) Parka, Cocoon UL 60 pants, wool socks, under a 16 oz BMW down quilt made by Nunatak (very similar to the current Nunatak Arc Specialist), in an Oware Quantum-silnylon draw cord bivy sac, on a Gossamer Gear 3.7 oz Nightlight pad. The pad was a little minimal in terms of comfort, but the ground hadn't gotten too cold yet, so it was warm enough. The comfort was more of an issue because I spent quite a bit of time lying under the Gatewood Cape to be out of the snow, and, snugged to the ground as it was, I couldn't comfortably sit up. The whole set-up was quite cozy, with brief chilly spells when the wind would come up, or I'd shift under the quilt, or reach out to wipe the condensation off the tent ceiling. On the coldest night the condensation just froze, and I let it.

I think the altitude was about 10,500'.

Hi James,
This thread sure brings back fond memories. I spent a lot of time in that basin back in the late 70's/early 80's. It makes for really nice 3-4 day trips. Thanks for posting.

James,

Come to think about it, you really did have a bit of an adventure from snow to fall colors…makes for a trip of big contrast.

I appreciate your sharing your strategy for layering up your clothing.

I currently have two sleeping bags, a Marmot Helium EQ 15 degree that I have used down to 5 degrees and a 40 degree Atom bag that is 1 lb, but I am trying to figure out how low a temperature that I can use it comfortably at.

For layering, in the cold, I have a Montbell Thermawrap Jacket and Pants.

Kinda a fine balance between being comfortable and ending up on the 6 o'clock news. :)

Vs. a tarp, do you think that the Gatewood Cape would handle much of a snow load on top of it or would it just collapse on you?

Any trouble navigating with the snow covering the trails or were you going off trail?

-Tony

I don't think the Gatewood would handle much of a snow load, and its walls are at such a low angle that snow doesn't slide off as easily as it does on a steep-walled tent.

On the other hand, it does have two tie-outs, one of which I used, and it was easy enough to knock the snow off from the inside, in a light snow. And I was very glad to be able to seal off the ends, which one couldn't do easily in a conventional tarp.

I was off-trail above snow-line; I did have some concern about slipping, if it got icy, as I was travelling over blocks and talus, and some slabs, but I got out before the snow melted and refroze. It was actually perfect for walking in–not very deep, reasonably firm. There wasn't any danger of getting lost, because of the contours of the ridges and valleys; route optimizing was actually more difficult down lower, where there were a lot of trees and brush, and sometimes marshy conditions.

Tom, I definitely want to go back there as soon as the passes are clear; I think there are great 8 to 10 day loops possible, going beyond the Sphinx Lakes Basin.

James,

I enjoyed the photos and the clever and humurous narratives.

Inadvertently switching to video mode affectionatley reminds me of some of my photo mishaps over the years.

Wolfgang

Looks like a great trip, thanks for sharing the photos. I think some of my favorite trips were the ones that had lots of variety (weather, terrain, views, etc.).

James,
You're definitely right about the 8-10 day loops continuing south out of Sphinx Lakes Basin. Over Longley Pass and either down to Reflection Lake, East Lake,etc, or over Thunder Pass into the Upper Kern Basin and out over Harrison Pass or Forrester Pass, and back to Roads End/Cedar Grove in either case. Both would fall into that range. timewise and traverse some spectacular country. Best of luck.