Hiking trips

1995: Rae Lakes
1997: South/North Lakes Loop
1998: Onion Valley to Whitney
2003: Cottonwood Lakes Loop
2004: Mineral King Loop
2005: Rae Lakes Loop
2006: San Gorgonio
2007: Palisades Loop
2008: Crabtree Pass/Miter Basin
2009: Lake Italy
2009: Mt. Fuji

Onion Valley to Rae Lakes, eastern Sierra

David Sandwell and I spent 4 days in September, 1995, hiking from Onion Valley to Rae Lakes. We camped for two nights at Rae Lakes and tried to climb Clarence King as a day hike. We got to the saddle just south of the summit but had to turn back for lack of time.

The view of Fin Dome from our tent.

David hiking up to Glen Pass from north on final day.

South Lake to North Lake loop, eastern Sierra

David Sandwell and I spent a week in September, 1997, hiking the loop from South Lake to North Lake through the Evolution Valley region. Highlights including climbing Black Giant and Mt. Darwin and getting snowed on when we camped at Evolution Lake.

On Mt. Darwin, elev. 13,830 (no, we didn't climb the exposed summit pinnacle behind us!)

David hiking with Mt. Humphrey's in background.

Onion Valley to Whitney Portal, eastern Sierra

In mid-September, 1998, David Sandwell and I hiked from Onion Valley over Kearsage Pass and then south over Forester Pass and then over Mt. Whitney. We had good weather on this trip, except it wasn't cold enough yet to have killed the mosquitoes. Climbing Mt. Whitney on the final day was the high point of the trip. This is a good way to climb Whitney as by this time we were used to the altitude. Most of the people we saw on the Whitney trail looked pretty miserable!

At Forester Pass, the highest pass on the John Muir Trail (13,200 ft.)

David atop Mt. Whitney, Owens valley in background.

Cottonwood Lakes loop, eastern Sierra

In August, 2003, David Sandwell and I hiked over Cottonwood Pass to Rocky Basin Lakes and then cross-country north to upper Rock Creek and returning back over New Army Pass. We bagged Johnson Peak and Mt. Langley along the way. Weather was great. Someday I'd like to try doing a loop out of Cottonwook Lakes that would go up Mitre Basin and then connect to Crabtree Ranger Station.

David atop Mt. Langley (14,027 ft.)

That's me, on the trail down from the east side of New Army Pass.

Mineral King loop

In August, 2004, John Vidale and I did a three-night trip out of Mineral King in Kings Canyon National Park. We went east over Franklin Pass and then back over Sawtooth Pass. A very nice trip although the road to Mineral King is pretty tedious to drive.

John and me atop Florence Peak (12,432 ft.) near Franklin Pass.

Sunset at Sawtooth Peak and Lake.

Rae Lakes Loop

In August, 2005, John Vidale and I hiked the Rae Lakes loop (Kings Canyon National Park) from the west side. The mosquitos were really bad but the scenery was beautiful. We got car-fever at the end and hiked the 20 miles from Rae Lakes in a single day--my calves hurt for a week afterward.

John hiking up toward Fin Dome and Rae Lakes from the north.

John and me atop Glen pass (11,978 ft.).

San Gorgonio

This summer (2006) I did not manage to schedule a backback trip, but since I turned 50 in July, I wanted to do something to mark the occasion, even if only for a day. I had never hiked up San Gorgonia (the highest mountain in southern California) so this seemed like a good goal. Fortunately, my friend Mark Burnett (a youthful 47) was easily persuaded to join me. On September 16, we got on the Vivian Creek trail at about 7 am and made it back to the car at 6 pm. Up over a vertical mile in about 8 miles of trail (and then back down again). Not bad for an old man.

Me at the trailhead.

The USGS benchmark. Me and Mark on the summit.

Palisades Loop

In August, 2007, David Sandwell, his son Nick, and I hiked for 6 days out of South Lake. We went over Bishop Pass into Dusy Basin, then descended to the John Muir Trail and hiked south to Palisade Lakes. We returned to Dusy Basin via three Class 2-3 passes: Cirque, Potluck and Knapsack, just west of the Palisades crest. We had good weather and no mosquitos! There was some smoke the first couple of days from a fire near Santa Barbara.

Me hiking in Dusy Basin.

At camp beneath North Palisade. David fishing at dusk.

Crabtree Pass/Miter Basin

From August 29 to Sept. 3, 2008, David Sandwell and I hiked for 6 days out of the Cottonwood Pass trailhead. We camped at Chickenspring Lake the first night, Rock Creek, Crabtree Lake, Sky Blue Lake, and Chickenspring Lake again on the way out. This was a semi-loop trip using Class 2 Crabtree pass to get into Miter Basin on the way back. We had excellent weather, no mosquitoes, and no real problems other than mild altitude sickness the first night or two. My left knee gave out on during day 5 on a big down step, which worried me, but it was much better the next morning. The entire Miter basin area is exceptionally beautiful. We did a day hike to Iridescent lake from Sky Blue Lake.

Camping near upper Crabtree Lake. David hiking above Crabtree Lakes.

David and me atop Crabtree Pass. Me in Miter Basin.

Lake Italy

From August 3 to 7, 2009, David Sandwell and I hiked for 5 days out of the Pine Creek trailhead. We camped at Lower Pine Lake the first night, Lake Italy for nights 2 and 3, and Granite Park on night 4. This was an out-and-back trip over Italy Pass to get to Lake Italy. We had strange weather for August--a cold front blew through and it was very windy at Lake Italy. It was 26 degrees the morning of our last night in Granite Park.

David hiking in Granite Park. David and me atop Italy Pass, Mt. Humphreys at back left.

Our camp at Lake Italy. The stone wall helped with the wind. Mt. Abbott from Toe Lake.

Mt. Fuji

On August 29/30, 2009, I climbed Mt. Fuji with my daughter Rachel, ERI's Satoko Oki (who arranged the trip) and Sawako Miyabayashi. It was quite an experience, not a wilderness experience (you don't climb Fuji during the July/August climbing season for that), but an experience in taking part in a shared, almost ritualized, communal climb with thousands of other people. We left on Saturday from Kawaguchiko 5th Station (2300 m, ~7500 ft) at about 1 pm and arrived at our hut at the Yoshidaguchi 8th station (3350 m, ~11,000 feet) at nearly 7 pm. After sleeping for a few hours, our group started out again at 1 am and reached the summit (3776 m, 12,388 ft) before dawn and had time to walk around the crater. The sunrise from the top was spectacular. The knee-grinding descent was more tiring than the ascent because we had to meet our bus at 9:30 am. But the payoff was going to a Japanese bathhouse to get cleaned up before having lunch on the way back to Tokyo.

The crowd ascends. It was this density all the way up.

Sunrise from the summit.

Looking west just after sunrise, you can see the shadow of Mt. Fuji.