Attendance

Sunday, August 19

This was a travel day. Seven of us met at 7:00 am at Dick's house and loaded into two cars. The other three (Hans, Eric, and Marshall) were already up near the trailhead and we were to meet them there. We left at 7:25 am and headed to our usual lunch spot at Pixley Park. We got there at 9:45 am, which was too early for lunch so we proceed on. We proceeded up highway 99, turned east onto highway 198, and made a gas stop at Mooney road. Then north on highway 63 and then east on 180 to the Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park entrance.

Once in the park it was lunch time (12:10 pm) so we stopped at Columbine Picnic area and ate our sack lunches. The General Grant tree was nearby so after lunch we went over and checked it out. We then continued on to Roads End, arriving at 3:00 pm to pick up our wilderness permit, talk with the rangers, and find out where the bear boxes were. Then it was off to find Hans and the rest of our group. After a bit of searching we found them at site 61 in the Canyon View campground.

Dinner that night was fantastic, thanks to Hans. It was marinated teriyaki sirloin steaks, baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, chives, salad with ranch dressing, tang/orange juice/orange gator aid, and brownie bites for dessert. We feasted. The only downside was there were a lot of very pesky yellow jackets. Dinner was done by 6:30 pm and then we enjoyed a leisurely campfire. I was in bed by 8:30 pm. It was so warm that no sleeping bag was required.

Monday, August 20

This was our first day of hiking. The goal was to get to Lower Paradise Valley.

We were up at 6:00 am, ate a quick breakfast, and headed for the trailhead at Roads End. We took "before" pictures and left the trailhead at 8:30 am and almost immediately came across some deer. Later that morning we came across our first bear. He looked like a yearling and was digging up a root. He was also only two feet off the trail and was not intimidated at all by us. After we determined that "momma" wasn't around, we passed by him in groups of three. An exciting start to what would be a great longterm.

Lunch was at Mist Falls which is a gorgeous spot to eat. The boys got some time in the water up by the falls and Bob got in his first fly-fishing. Something he would do at every opportunity.

After lunch we continued on uphill. For the most part the days hike was through the forest where is was relatively cool and shady. But here was one stretch that was sunny and hot. We arrived at Lower Paradise Valley campground at 2:45 pm and chose campsite #8 which happened to be near a bear box. It was also right next to the river. After setting up camp, everyone gravitated to the river and enjoyed quality water time, each in his own way.

After the traditional Top Ramen, spaghetti and french bread dinner we had a small campfire. There were a few random yellow jackets but they were bearable. Deer were plentiful. We saw several in the afternoon and more roamed near camp during dinner. Just as it was getting dark, one wandered in and settled down for the night about 20 feet away from Hans's tent. Everyone was in bed by 8:30 pm.

Tuesday, August 21

This was our second day of hiking. The goal was to get up to the junction with the John Muir Trail (JMT).

We were up at 6:00 am and on the trail by 8:00 am. It only took about 20 minutes to get to middle Paradise Valley campground and we were glad we stopped where we did. The lower campground was a little nicer.

Lunch was along the trail where we had good water access. No water falls to play in today.

Some of us were hiking slow so about 1:30 pm we broke into two groups. The faster one would go ahead and secure a campsite at the JMT junction. It ended up taking them about 2 hours to get to the junction. The rest of us arrived at 4:45 pm, which was just in time to get dinner started. Nobody else was there so we occupied two large group campsites.

There is a wonderful wire suspension bridge right at the JMT junction. The walkway treads were made of wood. It has a sign that reads "One at a Time". That is what we did with each of us taking turns. The bridge would swing and sway depending on how lightly you walked. The bridge appears to be old but has been well taken care of so it looked new. It was a lot of fun to cross. Before dinner the boys played in Woods Creek with every spare minute they had and Bob fly-fished.

Dinner was minestrone soup and stroganoff. After dinner we had another campfire and burned trash. Strangely, we didn't see many animals today. But there were a few hikers. The scenery has been gorgeous all the way. I was tucked in bed by 8:30 pm.

Wednesday, August 22

This was our third day of hiking. The goal was to get to Rae Lakes.

Up at 6:00 am and packs up at 7:30 am. We are quickly getting above the trees and need to get an early start. We're also seeing more people on the trail as we are now on a portion of the JMT. We arrived at Dollar Lake at 11:00 am and loaded up on water in anticipation of lunch.

Several of us we slowing down and were glad when lunch rolled around. We found a shady spot with a good view.

We arrived at Rae Lakes about 2:00 pm and picked out a campsite. There are a lot of campsites but many were full. (Maybe 4 or 5 other groups.) It turns out we had picked a bad day to arrive. Two parties occupied the large level group campsite so we settled for an adjacent site. There isn't much shade. And since we were over 10,000', campfires were not allowed.

The scouts made a bee-line for the lake. After setting up my tent I sat in the chair and relaxed and dozed (in the shade). There was an easy cool breeze all afternoon. I was awakened as the cool breeze was getting me a little cold. The breeze died down after dinner and then came up later in the evening from the other direction.

We only saw one deer today. But at least there are a few chipmunks around camp to keep you amused. They are totally non-aggressive.

Dinner was the traditional spam, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Yummy. When fixing dinner we had an initial scare, as we couldn't find one food package that had most of the gravy in it. It eventually showed up. Everyone enjoyed dinner. There were no leftovers and we even ate the third can of spam.

This was night one of star gazing. Dr. Rose worked with the boys to earn their Astronomy Merit Badges. They even spotted a bright shooting star.

My bedtime was a relatively late 8:30 pm but the boys were up later looking at the stars. It was cooler tonight but still warmer than usual.

Thursday, August 23

This was a lay day. We all slept in.

Pancakes were served from 8:30-11:00 am. There were multiple Mickey Mouse pancakes and one snowman pancake. We all ate until we couldn't eat anymore. After breakfast the boys decided to walk around the lake. They gave it a go but didn't make it and had to turn back in order to get back by lunch time.

After lunch the boys relaxed around the lake. There was the usual amount of swimming. Kyle and Ryland even swam out to a small rock island in the middle of the lake. It was a very relaxing day. Allan and Bob packed a lunch and hiked back to Dollar Lake. Bob wanted to try fishing the primo streams between Dollar Lake and Arrowhead Lake. They also had a good time.

Back in camp, I did laundry, cleaned my tent and generally relaxed and enjoyed the surroundings. That Sling-Light chair sure was handy. And the views are tremendous. Million dollar views everywhere.

Dinner was Top Ramen and lasagna. There are no yellow jackets, mosquitoes, or other bugs up here.

This was night two of star gazing. The boys are learning so much that it looks like they will all earn Astronomy Merit Badge. My bedtime was 7:45 pm but the boys were up much later looking at the stars.

Overall it has been a little cooler each day as we climbed higher. Today was no exception. I'm still sleeping with the rain fly open. There were a few small wisps of white fluffy clouds today but you had to look hard to find them. Most other groups vacated camp today and couple new groups came it. Net sum was significantly fewer people today. The large group campsite opened up but we did not move into it.

Friday, August 24

This was our fourth day of hiking. The goal was to get over Glenn Pass, climb Mt. Rixford, and camp at Charlotte Lake.

We will have the sun on our backs going over the pass so we decided to get an early start. We were up at 5:30 am and out of camp at 6:50 am. We were back at the trail at 7:00 am. Rae Lakes is made up of three connected lakes. We passed by the first lake coming in and stayed at the second lake. The third lake was not visible (or apparent) from camp. The trail to Glenn Pass goes right between the second and third lakes. Boot check was at a nice little stream that joins the second and third lakes. The last rest break in the shade was just before 8:00 am. About 20 minutes later we passed a small spring coming right out of the ground. There wasn't enough water to make it usable. At least we could clearly see the pass from there.

On the way up to the pass we met several folks from the California Conservation Corps that were working on the trails. I talked with one young gentlemen who has been working in that area for the last two weeks putting in steps and generally improving the trail. He really likes his job and wouldn't trade it for anything. Their hard work shows - the trail is looking good!

We made the pass at 9:45 am and then went about 50' down the other side for our assault on Mt. Rixford. Allan had beaten us there and went ahead to scout a path. There appears to be an old abandoned trail that traverses horizontally toward Rixford. We put on day packs and headed off down the path. About 1/3 of the way to the first saddle we stopped in a little bit of shade and waited for Allan's signal. He made it to the saddle, determined that the route was not safely passable, and signaled us to turn around. We did just that. Some of us went back up to Glenn Pass for a brief photo op. There were a ton of people at the pass. After a few pictures we went back, put our packs on, and went down to the first small lake to wait for Allan. Bob stayed back to accompany Allan down the hill.

At the lake we loaded up on water and waited for Allan. When he arrived he described a totally impassable route to Rixford. (His description is included below.) So we continued on, trying to think of a scenario whereby we could still bag Rixford. But it was 11:30 am, which was a little too late in the day to get over and try an approach from the south. Time had run out. We left the lake at 11:30 am and looked for a lunch spot.

There was no really good lunch spot so we just ate along the trail. This was not our best lunch spot but the view was great. After lunch we quickly made the trail junction and by 1:00 pm we were at the base of Charlotte Lake. The first campground was empty but didn't look very good. We picked the second campground, which is just before the Ranger Station. There didn't appear to be anybody else there. We set up camp, put on our day packs again and headed out for Mt. Bago at about 2:10 pm. Dick and Greg stayed back in camp.

The route up Bago is fairly straight forward. Go around the east end of the lake and climb up to the ridge through the forest. Follow the ridge up from left to right. You'll be going from west-northwest toward a white peak. When you run out of ridge keep on the left. Once out of the trees, there are two peaks. A white on followed by a red one. Do not climb either one. Climb up keeping slightly left. When you are even with the saddle between the red peak and Bago then traverse a constant contour line to the saddle. From the saddle it is a straight, hands in pocket, walk to the peak. It took about 2 hours to make the ascent. We spent about 10 minutes on the peak, admiring the views, signing the log book, and taking photos.

On the way back, first go back to the saddle. Then traverse down at 10 degrees to what appears to be the ridge but won't be the one you want. There will be a moderate scree run 3/4 of the way to the ridge. Take it down until it levels off. (Allan came up with the traverse to scree idea and Hans and Eric pulled it off. Our thanks to them - it was a blast!) After removing rocks from your boots, head left for the ridge, cross it, and go to the next ridge. Follow it back down to where you came up. Don't come down off the ridge too early as there a couple of rock ridges you want to avoid. Then retrace your path back to camp. The trip back only took 1 1/4 hours.

Dinner was Top Ramen and beef and potatoes. Hans and Allan put on an after dinner show by making pudding. What a hoot. Cleanup was done by 7:30 and I was all tucked in at 8:15 pm.

Despite the possibility of a hot day, it turned out quite pleasant. We had cool breezes at Rae Lakes and all day today. The early start avoid the heat going over the pass and the pleasant cool breeze helped in climbing the peak. Unlike Rae Lakes, there was virtually no breeze in the evening.

Saturday, August 25

This was our fifth and last full day of hiking. The goal was to knock off most of the miles back to civilization.

We were up at 6:00 am and on the trail at 7:30 am. By 8:15 we were at the high point just before the long downhill started. Boots were laced tight and we took off. At 8:38 we were at a stream crossing and I spotted a developed campsite. There were several more stream crossings and about 15 minutes later we went through a massive field of Skunk Cabbage. At 9:20 we were at a trail junction and approaching the valley floor. Five minutes later I spotted another developed campsite at the end of a very nice meadow. We are following Bubbs Creek, which is sizable and very noisy. At little after 10:30 we veered a little off of the creek and went through a section of very dense forest. The sound of the roaring stream got very muted so it was actually quiet. It got noticeably darker too. Neat! We arrived at Meadows Junction at 10:40. About 5 minutes after Meadows Junction were encountered a cattle gate and then a few minutes later I spotted another nice campground that had a bear box. Ten minutes later we were at still another campground that was right next to the creek.

Lunch was right at the base of a lot of steps. It had excellent water access. While we were there a horse train came through. There were about 8 horses and a few mules. They kicked up a lot of dust. Riders in the back wore scarves. It didn't look like fun except for the person in front. A few clouds passed over us at lunch today. There was occasional shade from them but not much.

About 1/2 hour after lunch I spotted a trail off to the left that led to a lot of campsites. After lunch we went thought a hot stretch with low or no vegetation. That lasted for a couple of hours. Outside of that, the day has been mostly shady. By 3:15 we were back into forested areas. Shortly after that Allan heard something rustling in the woods down towards the creek and spotted a bear. Ten minutes later we took a rest break near some campsites. After a little investigation, it turns out that was Charlotte Creek.

It was decision time - do we stay here for the night or proceed on to the cars. The vote was split down the middle. The boys wanted to go on, and the adults wanted to stay. Dick cast the deciding vote to stay the night. It turns out that was the right thing to do or we would have missed out on a grand time.

The campsites are fairly nice. And there are a lot of them. There is a bear box strategically located and an open pit toilet up the hill and to the right. There is an unmarked path to it. We found a large campsite right in the middle that was fully shaded by trees. It was midway between the bear box and the toilet. There were other people there but they were very friendly and cordial.

After we set up camp a full grown bear was spotted 100' from the bear box. He was eating a pine cone. When he was done, he decided to come into camp and visit. Well Bob would have none of that so he shooed him away. As the bear was retreating Bob threw a decent sized rock and hit him on the rear. The bear really took off. And as far as we know, he never returned. At least not while we were there.

A small cinnamon colored baby bear was spotted running through camp. Another Momma bear and cub were also seen. There was a deer behind us and we had a few grey squirrels but no chipmunks. This place is teaming with wildlife.

The boys enjoyed the creek. It was shallow enough to lay in and let the water flow all over you. Bob got in more fly-fishing. I set out to catch him catching a fish on film but the fish did not cooperate. The only time they would bite is when I wasn't around. Oh well. Everyone had fun that afternoon. It would have been a shame to miss all of that. Thanks Dick.

Dinner was minestrone soup and chicken rice casserole. We were under 10,000' so the boys built a roaring campfire after dinner. Thanks to Ryland for leading the campfire efforts.

I was in bed at a relatively late time of 8:45 pm. We had decided on an early up in order to get home at a reasonable hour.

Sunday, August 26

This was our last day of hiking. The goal was to get back to civilization as soon as possible.

We were up at 4:30 am for a quick breakfast and headed out 6:00 am. Breakfast was totally in the dark. There were no signs of bears in camp last night. I guess we did a good job securing smellables.

It turns out we couldn't have gotten up much earlier as it isn't light enough to see the trail until about 6:00 am. This was also the hottest longterm morning in my memory. I was up with only a jacket on and was almost sweating. I was quickly down to one layer for hiking and was not cold at all.

After about an hour of steep downhill hiking we were at a trail junction. Right after the junction were four bridges about 100 yards apart before yet another trail junction. These were classic bridges and didn't compare to the suspension bridge. They were really dull. At 7:45 we encountered two deer eight along side the trail. They just ignored us as we took pictures. We finally got back to Roads End at 8:00 am. Unlike previous days, it was overcast all morning. We never saw the sun.

We took an "after" group photo and headed off to the showers. Two of the three vehicles arrived at the showers in Cedar Grove Village and we proceeded to take our showers. The third vehicle never showed up. They had missed the turn and headed out of the park. We re-checked Roads End and verified they had left. So at 9:30 we proceeded out too. We stopped in Grant Grove thinking they might be getting showers there but it was only 10:15 and the showers weren't open yet. So we continued on. Later on near Visalia we got a phone message saying they had stopped at a motel to get their showers and would meet us at Sizzler.

We all arrived simultaneously at the Sizzler on Caldwell Ave. in Visalia right at noon. They were right behind us. I don't know how we timed that so well but it all worked out perfectly.

After Sizzler we went to the Baskin-Robbins on Walnut Street for dessert. We all stuffed ourselves again and departed for home a little before 2:00 pm.

We were all very thankful for the safe and fun week and for being able to climb a "D" rated peak. Even the weather had cooperated, not even threatening to rain. In fact, it was warm the whole time. It was another very good longterm.

I made it home about 5:20 pm. It was good to be home again.

Conclusions

This was a very good medium-difficulty longterm. The weather cooperated as it a was much warmer than usual and there was no hint rain. There were absolutely no mosquitoes or other bugs. There were some yellow jackets at the lower elevations. Going counter clockwise around the loop is the only way to go as the camps are nicely placed and you gradually gain in elevation. Don't even think about counterclockwise.

Submitted by Tom Thorpe

Climbing Mt. Rixford from the west

The trail to traverse over (to the first saddle) wasn't too bad. There was a few recent rockslides and those were real sketchy but they were narrow. But traversing the scree wasn't bad. And then going up to the saddle wasn't bad because you went up fairly big boulders and that was easy. Once at the saddle I looked at Rixford and going across the next knife-edge saddle was at least class 4 going across. And class 4 scree going up for a couple of hundred feet. And approaching from the north up to the saddle would have been class 5, either class 5 snow or class 5 ropes. It was just really really straight. I think the only way for Rixford for class 3 is the way Dick has done it in the past. (From the south.)

Allan Slocum

Longterm Journals