Bishop Pass to Lamarck Col (hey Taylor, Ken & …)

i have a reservation for 5 & so far only ken & I are confirmed (several fence sitters)

are you at all familiar with that area?

i doubt we'll be too fast for anyone – hopefully we aren't too slow for you :)

planning on doing some fishing

loose itinerary is saturday late arrival, short hike in to allow for acclimation (maybe spearhead lake or so)

then to dusy basin, maybe dayhike over to barret lakes – either same day or possibly on layover

then somewhere just before or after muir pass – couple lakes either side

possible layover/explore from there (ionian, mcgees, etc.)

then up to darwin bench/lakes

then out over the col

so 5-7 total days, 4-6 nights

bear cans required

pretty much no fires – i think almost all areas above the fire restriction elevation

golden trout, brook trout, rainbow trout & rainbow/golden hybrids – some chance for large goldens. long lake on way in also has browns & some of the other lakes below bishop lake in that drainage do as well

col likely will have quite a bit of snow still – i'm guessing from past pics/trip reports that there will already be some footprints/steps

sorry – didn't realize that was you from rancheria! welcome aboard!

Cary,

Thanks for the description. It will be my first trip to the eastern Sierras and so I dont know the area. I am doing my best to stay in shape and so I feel good about my ability to keep up. I am going to pick up a light weight fishing pole and likely have some questions for you regarding bait/lours.

This sounds like a great trip and I am already getting excited.

Was wondering since we are crossing Lamarack Col, I wonder if an ice ax would be required. I know that it depends on snow pack…just thinking out loud here

Cary what is the headcount…just curious. Dave do you still want to go? I am very excited about this trip. Amazing scenery!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ken – right now it's you, me & david

permit is for 5

i have a couple friends who haven't said no, but haven't been able to say yes yet, either

3 would be fine with me, 4 or 5 also good though :)

really looking forward to this trip!

Cool. It should be alot of fun!

Cary and Ken,

I am still in. From everything I have been hearing, it sounds spectacular.

hey all, do you have any word about what the snow is like over lamarck col right now? i'm planning on going out via lamarck col and returning via bishop pass at the end of june.

That is hard to get info on. Lamarck is a pass that has no trail (well it does have somewhat of a use path) but the pass itself is around 11,000 something and it is class 2. On the east side it has a snowfield that lingers waaaayyyy into the season. But, by then there should be a good boot beaten path down. Just don't slip! Dunno if you are from California or not, but this winter was a sub standard snow year so most of your snow concerns should not be that bad. Lamarck is a East/West facing col and should not have the problems that a north facing slope would have. Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps

Maybe try http://www.weather.gov/ They have satellite snow cover mapping along with other snow cover, snow depth, etc. useful tools there……..Rich

thanks for the advice. i spoke with the ranger station today, they said that for the last week they've been having daily thunderstorms with snow at altitude, so its looking pretty snowy up there.

Starting to look like a trip that will require an ice ax crossing passes?? The way the weather has been and yes we are getting snow this weekend in the higher passes and peaks, it could be that an ax might be needed. No problems for me. It will add some spice to the trip!

What a strange summer weather wise so far

I went over Bishop Pass on June 7, spent a few days in thecanyon and came out Bishop Pass on June 13. Spent the first night near frozen Bishop Lake. Crampons really helped going over the pass due to lots of snow. Coming down the other side was a challenge due to the fact that the trail is hard to spot because of snowcover. Once below 11,000 feet it's not so bad. Dusy Basin was great as well as the canyon. I went south and found some great fishing spots on Palisade Creek (lots of goldens). When returning there was plenty of new snow getting up to and on the pass. Snow showers off and on all the way to South Lake.

Have a great time!

John, thank you for the beta. I am hoping that conditions get better by the time we hit the trail.

Has anyone been on the PCT going south from Sonora Pass. I was planning to do that section in a week or two. Anyone have any info on snow for the first 10-20 miles south of Sonora pass on the ridge.

Thanks.

Ready 2 Go!!!!

lamarck col is extremely steep with a ton of snow. i was able to climb it with only an ice axe, but im not sure what gear would be needed for descending. the only group i saw attempting to descend were going first thing in the morning with ice axes and crampons.

darwin canyon is frozen.

its also continuous snow from saphire lake to the edges of le conte canyon.

good times.

Thanks S.J.

I am contimplating bringing my ice ax. Did you go over Muir??

I dont have any experience with an ice ax or crampons. Of course I am interested to try something new but what level of skill are we talking here? Do I need to buy/borrow an ice ax?

Hopefully this heat wave will melt some snow.

Dave let's make this a game time decision. I have extensive snow experience and if we opt for now ice ax we should be ok. Cary seems to think that by the time we hit Lamarck Col the snow should either be soft enough..or melted down. If we chose to take ice axes with us, you can rent from REI and other places. Not sure what is available in Merced, but if you went to Sunrise Mountaineering in Livermore, they might rent to you. I only have one. If you do get one, I will give you a crash course in self arrest. Though, nothing is better than real life experience. Pm me if you want to talk more about this. You are not getting over your head on this at all. We can talk on the phone if needed. This is just a trailess col that has a snowfield nearly year round. Sometimes you just shuffle around the snow a tad, and keep moving. If not kick steps will do wonders and I am quite good at that. If that does not work, we pick our way through the talus. IT WILL BE FUN. I'd be more worried about the T-Storms!!

Ken,

Thanks for the reassuring words. I'll be looking forward to the challenge and experiencing something new. You can count on a PM as the date approaches.

Dave

For you Bay Area guys… I have a couple of ice axes that weigh ca. 1 lb 5 oz (not super UL, but better than the old wooden handled ones) that you can borrow if you promise lots of pictures. I won't be using them when you're planning on going. Only requirement is that you promise some self arrest training for the guys with minimal experience. PM me if interested.

Bishop Pass should be no problem – Muir Pass has a lot of snow, but also has well-worn trail through the snow.

Lamarck could be tough still – I'll check back in a few days. Plan B would be to use existing permit to exit via Paiute Pass – a longer trip. This would mean making pretty good time on Sun-Tues to make sure we can exit by Thurs, instead of any lingering or layover. We could discuss a plan C, perhaps deciding at the Ranger Station on Saturday. Paiute Pass to Pine Creek Pass?

Lots of mosquitoes – Bishop Pass Trail & Dusy Basin are currently under mosquito mass attack. Bring your best mosquito combat gear.

cbert@omsoft.com

I am still cool with Lamarck. I am bringing my ax too. The weather has been heating up and I expect that we should get some good snow melt too.

Cary how many days are we going to be out. Planning food right now