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Tag: Shepherd Pass Trailhead

  • Shepherd Creek

    Shepherd Creek

    Kearsarge Pass | Center Basin | Forester Pass | Shepherd Pass | Shepherd Creek

    Part 5

    The first light of dawn peeks through the trees, nudging me awake from nine solid hours of sleep. There’s no rush, but we know we need to finish breakfast and hit the trail soon—Brad has a plane to catch. Breakfast is familiar but satisfying, with an extra treat of honey packets we saved from yesterday. We finish making the coffee, and just then, the single fuel canister we used, which was about 7/8 full to start out with, sputters its last puff—how perfect. I would later weigh the can and figure that we used 206 grams of fuel for the entire trip.

    We set off at a sprint, gliding down the trail. The descent is easy, almost effortless, as the pine forest gives way to oak and manzanita, and eventually, to cacti. But the ease doesn’t last. We’re soon trudging up the final climb toward Symmes Saddle. From our vantage point, it is obvious why the trail must cross over into the next creek’s drainage.

    The last half mile is challenging. The car is so close yet so far away. We lose the trail more than once, its path erased by past storms. Symmes Creek becomes our guide as we cross it repeatedly, following the faint and shifting trail. Finally, we emerge from a deep canyon slot and step into an open area. After a turn and a few more steps, the parking lot emerges.

    The Tundra is still there, where I had parked it four days ago. It’s a relief to see the car. The portable shower and a fresh set of clothes are waiting.

    Muscles worked. Heart conditioned. Friendship strengthened. Memories made. What a glorious trip!

    It’s been years since our last backpacking adventure together—2015, Glacier National Park, with my newlywed wife, Mark, and Grant. So much has changed since then: Yan and I have three kids now, and Brad’s kids have grown up.

    What took so long for Brad and me to plan another trek? The next one shouldn’t be so overdue. Time marches on, crossroads emerge, and life takes unexpected turns here and there. But let’s nail down one thing. Let’s pencil in the next trip!

    « Part 4: Shepherd Pass

     

  • Kearsarge Pass

    Kearsarge Pass

    Kearsarge Pass | Center Basin | Forester Pass | Shepherd Pass | Shepherd Creek

    Part 1

    At last, Brad and I are standing at the Onion Valley trailhead on this very overdue trip. Way overdue. We had talked about doing such a trip off and on over the years—for nine years, to be exact. Only now has it materialized.

    Dates were nailed down six months ago when I reserved permits, although for a different trailhead. Then, after grabbing reservations for this trailhead two weeks ago when they became available, a computer glitch in the reservation system caused us to lose our spots. Only from last-minute cancellations were we able to get new ones.

    It’s 9:47, and the morning sun is shining bright, blazing through a sky that seems too clear, a giant blue expanse that offers little protection. Sunscreen was slathered back at the Shepherd Pass Trailhead parking lot, where Symmes Creek breaks its downward plunge and fans out toward the plains. We had gotten up early this morning and both ordered the Iron Man Scramble with breakfast potatoes (not hash browns, as they were out) at the Alabama Hills Café and Bakery. As we waited for breakfast, first light kissed Mt. Whitney and the Needles. After cleaning up and packing and bypassing hitchhikers and bumping along the rutty dirt road, I backed the Toyota Tundra into a spot at the exit trailhead. Nearly on time, Lone Pine Kurt picked us up and shuttled us to Onion Valley, and now, here we are.

    Buckled up and checking all our gear, we hit the trail. Turning back isn’t an option—our car is waiting at the other end. Soon, we pass by the junction to Golden Trout Lake, triggering memories of those tough off-trail scrambles to get to our destination, especially with Daphney on my back and Yan six months pregnant with Jayden.

    The climb had been steady, but we’re not used to this altitude. Before long, we skirt by serene Gilbert Lake where we stop for lunch and get some water. Then, we bypass the spur to Heart Lake and instead, peer down on it from a rocky bluff above. The approach to Kearsarge Pass is relentless, with little shelter from the dwarf conifers clinging near the tree line. A handful of trail mix and a gulp of water push us through the final stretch.

    Kearsarge Pass! Cresting the rim and taking in the view on the other side is nothing short of breathtaking—meadows stretch out like a green tapestry, dotted with lakes that gleam like scattered gemstones. Peaks and pinnacles rise to meet the sky. Golden-mantled ground squirrels know this is a popular rest spot, and they scurry around looking for crumbs.

    We cruise down the trail and meander through the lakes, and we pick out a site overlooking the second Kearsarge Lake. Lunch is finished off, and we set up camp.

    Tent pitched, we take a moment to clean up and explore. I pull out my 3-weight fly rod and hit the water. The brook trout can’t resist the olive elk hair caddis fly. Nearby, a fellow camper chases away a curious black bear.

    Dinner is a warm and hearty red curry over white rice. Brad preps the red bell pepper and Brussels sprouts (tiny cabbages, as we like to think of them). We top it all off with peach cobbler for dessert. In this setting—golden light reflecting off Kearsarge Pinnacles, the air crisp with that unmistakable Sierra freshness—it feels perfect.

    The fish are jumping, and I show Brad how to cast. He quickly gets it, and we spend the evening in a rhythm of catch-and-release.

    As the night deepens, the waxing gibbous moon rises above the opposite shore. The sky fades from blue to purple, and stars start to sparkle against the darkening canvas.

    Part 2: Center Basin »