Kings Canyon — Lessons from my first trip into the Sierras

[Richard May]

More Pictures on Flickr.

After a hike I like to think about the things I learned and my successes. Here’s my thoughts from my first trip into the Sierras.

I was totally excited to get out into the mountains and learn what they had to offer. They are, after all, one of the reasons I agreed to move here. South Louisiana is flat, hot, and humid. The Sierras are rugged, mild to cold, and the air sucks the water out of you.

My route was ambitious. I couldn’t complete it, but would test me, and show me what I needed to work on. I went to Kings Canyon and hiked the southern portion of the Rae Lakes Loop. It starts at the End of the Road Station at around 4000 feet following Bubbs Creek (which was a roaring river), turns north to go over a 12000-foot pass and descends to Rae Lakes at 11600 feet.

In other words, this somewhat-out-of-shape, kind-of-fat, 42-year-old, intended to climb 8000 feet by walking 16 miles and return in just three days. Hah, I hiked as far as I knew I could return in one day. Which, it turns out, was about 14 miles and 5000 feet up hill in two days, and the reverse in one day. Barely.

I pushed myself to my limit. The last two miles I walked very slowly, at a rather leisurely pace. I was proud of that, I’d pushed to my limit and then pushed a bit more. I didn’t finish the route — I knew I couldn’t — and I learned a whole lot about myself and what it takes to know these mountains.

Here’s what I learned in no particular order. I hope you get a knowing chuckle out of a few:

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Wet shoes freeze overnight, making them hard to put on. It’s a good idea to untie the laces before bed.

 

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Putting on wet socks and shoes in 36F is not fun.

 

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Walking through streams born from snow a few hundred feet up will make your toes go numb.

 

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Cold, wet socks and shoes warm up surprisingly fast, making the above okay.

 

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It’s not fun to get up and pee on cold nights. (I’m adding a bottle to my kit)

 

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When my legs are beat I don’t want to setup a tarp. I’m considering a bivy.

 

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It takes a while to get all my down layers warm. I won’t freak out in the first five mints just because it’s a bit cool. I woke up a few hours later to find myself toasty and my feet were not cold.

 

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I hate the Bearvault 450 I rented at the ranger station. It was too big, too heavy and hard to open with cold fingers. I’ll absolutely get my own.

 

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Altitude is for real. I progressively lost my breath as I climbed. I wasn’t tired as much as out of breath. I need to work on my VO2 Max. Running?

 

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All my layers will take me down to freezing for a good night’s sleep. A cold snap could be a problem. I should probably get that 20F quilt I’ve been waiting to pull the trigger on.

 

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CCF Ridgerest + thin pad (R3.8 or so) was fine, but for sleeping on snow or a slab of rock I probably need a higher R rating.

 

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I can’t decide if no-cook is for me. On the plus side dinner was ready at a moment’s notice, and I didn’t have to fiddle with a stove or carry a canister. On the other hand, I carried an additional 1-2 cups of water after 1pm while dinner soaked, and it was cold. I’m leaning towards a yay, so I’m sure I’ll do it again to get a second opinion (yes, from myself).

 

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I need to learn some snow skills. Walking on snow is tricky, fortunately I learned this on small snowbanks that hadn’t melted yet.

 

And finally, the most cost-effective ounces I can lose are the ones around my belly. That should reduce my base weight by 40 pounds or so.

These are the investments I am considering, in order of importance. I’ve got no idea when it will all come together and I may have to just not do some. Either way, with enough money this is what I’d do.

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Making time, even spend some money, to do a Couch to 5k running program.

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Bare-Boxer Contender bear canister

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20F EE Enigma Quilt

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Insulated sleeping pad

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Snowyside Event bivy

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Micro-spikes

<li style=”list-style-type: none;”>Ice-axe

[Richard May]

Gah! I tried to make the post pretty by using ordered lists and the whole thing looks awful. I don’t know how to fix it. Sorry.

[Katherine .]

Thanks. Headed to the Sierras for the first time this year. Gonna need to up my cardio training.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Welcome to the West Coast.  I live in Los Angeles (~1200 feet) and it always takes time to get use to high altitude.  I did a trip start from the Eastern Sierras and it started at 10,000′.  My normal resting heart rate is about 60 bpm, but for the first few days above 10,000′, it was around 80-90 bpm.

[Ben C]

Nice photos.  I need to get back out there this summer

[Kate Anthony]

Great report! I’m a kinda fat 57 yo who is still learning each trip I take. I agree with running as prep for hiking. I’ve been doing trail runs to get in shape. Running on uneven ground helps me with my footing and balance. If you plan to hike where bear cans are required, I would recommend a Bearikade Weekender. It’s expensive but lighter and easier to access than the other bear cans I’ve used.

[nunatak]

Nice early season trip. Good foundation prior to a long summer in the hills?

Kudos for an honest attempt at putting together a post, Richard. Unfortunately the forum interface seldom yields the expected results.

 

[Lester Moore]

Thanks for sharing your photos and your learning experiences – you have a huge new “back yard” to explore.

[Richard May]

Thanks all. I’m really looking forward to getting back out there. It was just spectacular. I’m aiming at going over a pass. There is something about it that strikes me as amazing.

[Cameron M]

Welcome to California!

The Sierra Nevada Mountains= the Sierra. No “s”.

Please consider joining the Sierra Club, if you have not already done so.

[Thomas Sabido]

Ray, Great trip report. I have a permit to do the Rae Lakes Loop clockwise, starting at Woods Creek trail and ending at Bubbs Creek trail. With the Woods Creek Bridge out/damaged, I thought I’d have to cancel my trip. After reading your trip report and seeing your great photos, I’m going to do my trip just like you: start and Bubbs Creek and see how far I can get :-)

Do you have location info for your photos (i.e., which part of the trail each photo was taken)?

[Richard May]

Thanks!

It’s a gorgeous place and well worth spending time in. I’m pretty sure you can still make it to Rae Lakes if you’ve got the time. I simply could not have gotten back in time if I’d gone that far. There was snow after 8000 feet so expect to slow down looking for the trail at several points. I wonder how much snow there is up there and if the pass to the lakes can be crossed.

Some of the pictures have the GPS data tagged on to it, click the map beneath it and it should show the image at the location on a map. I used  different app for the others so there’s no data for them.

I can’t wait to read your experience!

[Author]

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