WHAT: One last trip to the Sierra before winter sets in and I dig out my snowshoes and skis.
WHEN: October 25th and 26th (Saturday and Sunday). Possibly drive up on the night of Friday the 24th and camp somewhere near Sonora Pass. People who want to go for longer are welcome to meet us at the lakes on Saturday night or take an extra day to head back to the TH.
WHERE: Emigrant Wilderness, north of Yosemite. The planned itinerary is about 18 miles over two days. Starting at Kennedy Meadows resort, we will head up past Relief Reservoir where we will leave the trail and do a loop past some off-trail lakes including Iceland Lake, Ridge Lake, and Lewis Lakes. Here is a map of the plan for the loop.
It should be gorgeous up there this time of year – crisp nights and fall colors. The aspen trees and dwarf bilberry should be showing some beautiful color right about now. In addition, this loop has lots of beautiful open granite so characteristic of Emigrant Wilderness.
WHO: A few (3-4) people have already committed to going. Hopefully they will chime in on this thread. It’d be fun if we could get some more BPLers out to join us. The more the merrier. The group size limit is 15.
We will be hiking about 9-10 miles a day, and about half of the trip will be off-trail. The elevation on this trip ranges from 6,400′ at the trailhead to just below 10,000′ at some of the off-trail lakes. There will be some light scrambling over granite as most of the area around Iceland and Lewis Lakes is open granite slabs. Should be Class 2 at the hardest depending on how well we route-find, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility that we have to do a few Class 3 moves. There is a pretty good climb (3,000 ft) on the first day, so you should be prepared for such.
This is a late-season trip, so you should be prepared for cold temperatures (overnight lows around 20F) and you should have a shelter that is capable of withstanding some light snow. We will of course check the weather forecast before we go, and if there is a major winter storm coming in then we will have to re-visit the plan. It is unlikely that it will actually snow on us. But for any trip this late in the season you should be prepared with warm enough clothing and footwear to hike out in an unexpected cold snap / snowstorm. Additionally, drivers should carry chains for their car to make sure we don’t get stuck at the trailhead if it snows. There will be some carpooling going on if you need a ride.
To my knowledge campfires are currently allowed everywhere in Stanislaus, so we can have a nice fire on Saturday night to keep us warm and encourage the camaraderie.
Post up if you’re interested!
