Backpacking is HARD. And it doesn’t get easier as you get older, even if you have acquired an ultralight sleeping bag. Plus, in many areas of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, you must pack your food in a bear barrel, adding another 40 ounces to the pack.
But my friend Natasha and I were determined, having decided ten years ago that we would attempt an annual back country expedition until we finally couldn’t. Now it was time to celebrate my 62nd birthday at more than 11,000 feet of elevation, on a hike to Bishop Pass, in the John Muir Wilderness, and over to Dusy Basin, in King’s Canyon National Park.
Day 1: Five miles to Bishop Lake
We began our Bishop Pass trail hike at South Lake, elevation 10,000 feet, each of us carrying about 28 pounds in our packs, including water and the damn bear barrel. The scenery on our 5-mile hike was non-stop stunning, as we hiked in the valley between the Inconsolable Range and Hurd Peak, passing Long Lake, then Saddleback Lake, until arriving at Bishop Lake, a collection of three interconnected ponds, where we elected to camp, about 500 feet below the pass. Overall, the terrain was not steep, but it was consistently uphill, and overall, VERY hard (according to my journal notes). But it didn’t feel un-doable, or tortuous, just one foot in front of the other.
Day 2: The big climb
The next morning, after a breakfast of instant coffee and oatmeal, we began the trek up to Bishop Pass, 11,972 feet. The trail zig-zagged up the pass in nicely laid out switchbacks that had been recently maintained, with a ”guardrail” of low rocks lining the side. I didn’t want to look at my feet, but occasionally stole a glance down at the steep rocky slope, which might have been terrifying without the rock guardrails. We made slow steady progress towards the pass. I felt physically good — no aches or pains, just tired.
After lunch on the pass, we began the downhill trek in search of a camp site, eventually landing by the Sierra granite shore of Unknown Lake. We planned to stay two nights here while exploring Dusy Basin. After setting up the tent, we enjoyed tea and a freeze-dried meal while watching a snowshoe rabbit nibble away at the willow saplings. Other wildlife included cute pikas and the ever-curious marmots.
Day 3: Exploring Dusy Basin
The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we hiked further down into Dusy Basin itself, towards LeConte Canyon. About a half-mile from our campsite, we came upon a weather station with a sort of springy “water bed” built into the ground. Later, we met up with three young men from the California Department of Water Resources who were repairing a piece of the equipment. These stations are tucked into corners all over the Sierra to gather data on the snowpack and temperature, humidity, and wind for water resource management.
We had a map that showed several lakes in the officially labeled “Dusy Basin”, but we weren’t quite sure if we were on track to get there. We walked downhill for a couple of hours, enjoyed lunch in some shade by the rushing river, and observed the 20 or so Americorps/California Conservation Crew members setting up their summer trail work camp. The temperature was comfortable but the sun unrelenting, so after poking around, unsuccessfully, for a trail to the Dusy Basin lakes, we headed back to camp. Back at home base, we climbed up on the granite ledges on the other side of the Unknown Lake, until eventually, in the far distance, we could see the lower lakes — possibly a trip for another summer.
Day 4: Back up to Bishop Pass
We packed up camp, and set out again for the pass. The Chocolate Lakes trail, off the Bishop Pass trail, looked intriguing, so we decided to aim for Lake Ruwau. The sun was hot and the trail dusty, but we soon met up with Brian, of the California Water Resources crew, and the conversation made the steps fly fast. He explained that up through the 1970s, the snowshoe hares, beavers and bobcats had been hunted to extinction in the Sierra, on the misguided belief, incredibly, that they were a threat to the ecosystem. Now the state of California is trying to repopulate the mountains with hares (as well as beavers and bobcats) because the hares keep the willow in check and thereby help to preserve the meadows in the Sierra.
Brian said goodbye to us on the other side of the pass as he moved quickly down the switchbacks. Going at a slower pace, we eventually found a hidden cabin he had told us about, where natural resource crew members say, and we stopped for a minute to rest in the shade there. Then we turned off the trail to Chocolate Lakes, a series of small lakes at the base of the aptly-named Chocolate Peak.
Day 5: Chocolate Lakes
Our final day on the trail began with an uphill climb to the Chocolate Lakes and then down again towards South Lake. The sun was hot, the footing a bit tricky in places, and overall, the hike was more challenging than we expected. But we arrived at South Lake by mid-afternoon, and headed in town, ready for an off-trail lunch, showers, and a cheap motel with a pool.
We land in Bishop!
For me, one of the best parts of any hiking trip is the “après-hike,” and Bishop did not disappoint. The town is full of old-style motels, and a wide Main Street with shops and restaurants. We found a room and a swimming pool at the Bishop Village Motel (old school, no website), a good meal at the Mountain Rambler Brewery, and wrapped up our trip with breakfast and bread purchases at a local institution, Schat’s Bakkery.
On the trail, I had a lot of time to think about my future and backpacking. Would this my last big trail adventure? We saw mostly younger hikers on the trail, though it was lovely to see a woman in her late 70s hiking with her 40-something son. Backpacking is all-consuming and physically and mentally exhausting, with the constant push of setting up and taking down tents and packing up sleeping gear, gathering and purifying water, and generally getting organized. And digging a hole to poop every day is not pleasant. But I still love the simplicity of carrying everything you need on your back, life stripped down to the bare essentials. Plus, no access to the news is a welcome respite.
And, as John Muir wrote in his 1873 letter to his sister, “The mountains are calling and I must go.”
Trip notes & resources
We traveled by car over Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park to California’s route 395, and then headed south to the Bishop area. But there is public transportation up and down 395, via the Eastern Sierra Transit Authority (though you would need to get a shuttle from Bishop to the trailhead).
Overnight wilderness permits are required for this hike, part of which falls into the John Muir Wilderness/Inyo National Forest, and part into Kings Canyon National Park. You can get a permit six months ahead of your hike at recreation.gov; additional permits are released two weeks prior to a given start date. Previously, various forest service offices also had some walk-in permits on a first-come, first-serve basis, but I’m not sure if they are still offering this service.
Before our hike, we spent two nights in a cabin at Parcher’s Resort, near South Lake, to acclimatize and gear up for the hike. Their website suggests they have a cafe and grocery store, but I believe this is much reduced. There was no breakfast when we stayed there. Best to contact them if you are wondering what the current status is.
Diane
I love reading about outside adventures and yours never disappoint. I especially love reading about the American West. When I lived in AZ, I was in my early 20’s. We scrambled over so many peaks and into so many canyons that just seeing the topography makes my heart sing a little.
A great friend and his brother wrote a book called, In the Shadow of Tungusuak (by Chris Buckley) Brack and Brine is the small press out of Canada that published this. You may want to look into them if you decide to put your blog into short stories or other forms. They would be great partners. In any case, do yourself a favor and read In the Shadow… then we’ll talk!
In the meantime put one foot in front of another and thanks for sharing your stories! SLW
You are amazing!!!