Pitman Creek Aug 26

Some of the others seemed to have a bit of a canyon hangover and slow start to the day, which was forcing us to question our plans. Gavin and particularly Keith were worried about being cold in their wetsuits given their experience the day before. We searched for alternatives and decided that nearby Pitman Creek sounded like it would have less flow, less swimming, and drier rappels. It was touted as being a good cool down after Big Creek and a drive home, which sounded like us. Keith opted to pass which meant that we could save some effort and have him close the shuttle for us. We drove around to the top and half suited on the side of the road. A short and steep rutted road led to a surprising amount of water flow infrastructure. The canyon started as an chain of potholes and pools, most of which could be bypassed on slabs or downclimbed. The canyon soon steepened, forcing more slippery downclimbs past waterfalls. The slabs gave way and the canyon narrowed, while at the same time increasing in steepness. Finally the rappels started kicking in.

The rappels were all nicely bolted and for the most part led down fairly dry paths. Several optional jumps were bypassed to keep warm but at least a couple were too nice to skip.

A standout section was a three-tiered rappel through pools where the canyon is narrowest. Below was a steep and intimidating slide we opted to pass given a tailbone hit possibility.

The last rappel (frontispiece) was over a particularly vertical face of rock. Once far enough down it was possible to pendulum over into the flow. 

Plenty more downclimbing led us through the end of the clean bedrock section and into a boulder dominated section. We avoided several features here using the trails on the side to speed up progress. It took us about 4.5 hours to reach the waiting cars. Unfortunately Keith was not there and after much searching and whistle blowing I hiked back up the last part of the canyon. We must have walked around him on our way down. Finally reunited, we said adios and began the long drive back. 

It was a nice enough Sierra canyon, beautiful with a few nice features notable for its easy access. In the end it made me ponder just how many comparable canyons there must be in the Sierras, undescended due to the extra effort needed to reach them. Hopefully next year's season is more cooperative of wet canyon descents than this covid muddied one is.

N.F. Kings River Aug 25

I managed to pull together interest in a Lower Jump Trip (N.F. Kings River), the classic Sierra waterpark canyon. This would be my second time visiting the canyon, first time getting to lead it. Dropping down the Grapevine into a thick smoke layer was a forbidding start to the trip as much of northern California was on fire. I met Keith and Maia past dark at Kirch Flat, dropped my car at Balch Powerhouse to set the shuttle, then drive up the hill to the cool temperatures at Black Rock Campground. Keith's kayaking friend Gavin joined us to camp. I slept very well in the cool temperatures and thankfully minimal smoke.

Jameson met us at the put-in at 8am the next morning and off we went down the old road to the river. The 11cfs flow looked like it would make for a nice day, probably slightly more flow than I had on my previous trip. Not feeling as loose or limber as I would like, I opted for the rappel instead of the 52 foot Entrance Exam jump. Gavin and Jameson enthusiastically went for it though.

        Split Falls jump

The canyon features were all largely as I remembered them. The water temperature was great in my 4/3 wetsuit though I soon noticed some of the others were getting cold and craving sun in their thinner suits. Happily everyone was pretty enthusiastic about the bigger jumps and so we made good time working our way through. 

The Black Hole jump and the big waterfall below were certainly a highlight- the enclosed canyon walls and horizon line pour-overs in this section are great. Everyone seemed to be impressed by the big waterfall rappel and the full force of the water as they rappelled through.

The niceties continued, especially as we turned a corner into the sun. A couple nice jumps were found. The 80ft Big Kahuna rappel looked like a lot cleaner jump than I remembered. Shortly on was one of the bigger jumps in the canyon into a massive pothole pool. Rigging the Rainbow Room rappel took some time given the slippery slope and difficulty communicating but eventually we got everyone down and through. This is still easily my favorite part of this canyon. The rappel drops you in the back of a watery slot with several waterfalls surrounding which you have to swim through. A short jump brought us to some nice slabs for a lunch stop.

        Big Kahuna rappel

        In the Rainbow Room

        Looking back at the Rainbow Room

Next we had the long slog of about 2 miles of boulders and long pools broken up periodically by more interesting jumps and small slides. Once again I was glad to have my PFD for the long pools.

At the end of the slog was the very fun tobaggan, a steep slide that plunges into a 12 foot drop. I was most excited about the 300 foot multi-stage waterfall section towards the end but found the main bolt missing its hanger and nut and the description for the hanging pool bolt suggested it had some movement. So we opted for the bypass trail instead.

More slogging and boulder scrambling put us in view of the powerhouse and final waterfall. Feeling slightly exhausted (dehydration probably) I rigged the last drop only to find that everyone had enthusiasm for jumping it. 9.5 hours car to car. The final insult was when the powerhouse bypass trail had some protruding chain links that snagged and tore my wetsuit- super annoying! 

All in all everyone seemed to have an excellent day and were thoroughly impressed by the canyon. The plan was to drive on to Shaver Lake area to check out Big Creek tomorrow which meant much more driving. Everyone was desperately hungry but we decided it was best to drive over the dirt road pass to McKinley Grove Road before it got dark. I drank warm sparkling water and ate popcorn as I drove, slowly feeling a little better. We ended up camping at a crowded forest service pullout with many semi-permanently situated motor homes. A good day out, thanks to everyone for a fun, social trip.

Gandy & Fish Lake Valley Springs Aug 6

After flat tire shenanigans the day before we finally manage to make it to Gandy warm springs, a hidden unassuming gem of an oasis in westernmost Utah. I had been here twice before and had always been impressed by the crystalline high-vis waters, comfortable water temperatures, and lush surroundings. As expected the spot was a hit with the kids. There are multiple spring sources along the limestone hillside above the pool but at the pool's edge is a travertine deposit with a low-air space cave that can be carefully navigated for about 30ft. The kids had fun exploring the cave, gaining bravery step by step. We spent a solid 2 hours in the pool before it was time to drive onwards.

We had our second flat tire (same tire, same repaired spot!) about a half mile from the highway! We quickly changed it. Highly inconvenient but at least we were actually heading towards Ely this time and I knew right where to go. I thought the tire was hosed but we had someone else help us with the tire at the shop that seemed enthusiastic and optimistic about fixing it (I think he actually knew what he was doing...). Back on the road! We drove the long and lonesome highway 6 across the grain of Nevada. Mountain pass, long valley, repeat countless times. Cranky kids led to nearly as cranky adults but we had a destination to get to. A little before sunset we turned off on pavement just shy of the California border and hoped the tire would hold up on the dirt road. We had Fish Lake Valley Hot Well nearly to ourselves, another desert oasis a result of a fortuitous hot well. The hot well waters feed a slippery concrete tub, which then overflows into two sizable warm pools surrounded by water plants. I set up camp while the others watched the setting sun from the tub. Frogs rustled and croaked right next to our tents. Ducks called. Hundreds if not thousands of bats swooped overhead. The long drive easily washed away and I was quite happy to get to visit this out of the way spot.                                                                                                  

The next morning we drove back via Deep Springs Valley and then the standard 395 after a brief stop in Big Pine. Thanks to Heather for all the organizing.

Great Basin Alpine Traverse Aug 5

This was Heather's trip and though I don't usually think of Nevada as a "go to" destination, I was mildly curious to see Great Basin National Park and to experience it in the best way possible. Unfortunately Lehman Caves was closed to tours because of the pandemic. Most of the trails center around the Wheeler Peak (13063') area where there are glacial moraines, lakes, bristlecone pines, and the peak itself. Further south at the end of Snake Creek road was another trail that went to a pleasant looking lake, past a mine, then on up to the main alpine ridgeline. Curiously the alpine terrain extended for 3.5 miles between the Johnson Mine and Wheeler Peak without a trail or route marked- I think I found my adventure! It seemed rough and potentially slow going but certainly doable. Heather kindly let me do my own thing for half a day and would be able to pick me up at the end. It would be a 12.5 mile hike with a 4000ft elevation gain.

I woke up early, packed my ultralight daypack (4lbs with water?), and loitered a bit. Though the plan was to have Heather give me a ride up the road 1.5 miles to the road end I didn't have the heart to wake them from restful sleep and so started my hike from the campground (7500'). I got to the trailhead at about 7am and made good time hiking through the aspens and meadows with the light pack and cool morning. The hike was fairly unnotable until I reached 10000' where I encountered the millsite for the Johnson Mine and a few other buildings.

        Johnson Mine mill ruins

It took a little under 2 hours to reach Johnson Lake. In hindsight the prettiest lake I saw in Great Basin National Park, it was a classic glacial cirque lake with pleasant meadows on three sides. I had a snack, downed a bunch of water, and filtered about a liter to carry with me. I briefly chatted with a fellow hiker at the water's edge. Turns out he was also planning to get to Wheeler Peak basin but by a different route down into Baker Lake area. I was pretty sure he was going to be having a much longer day than me, and indeed I did not see him again. 

        Johnson Lake

        Johnson Lake from the saddle

I made great time past the remnants of the mine tramway and up the switchbacks to the saddle near the aptly named Pyramid Peak. From here I would have 3.5 miles of off-trail traversing to reach Wheeler Peak. Happily the granite made for flat ground and I zoomed along for a full half mile until I hit quartzite. Yikes! The next half-mile had a broken ridgeline with a precipitous north face, so I opted to traverse across a sloping ocean of scree to where I hoped the ridge would provide better travel. Angle of repose and clearly infrequently traveled, this slope of unstable 3ft+ boulders was formidable terrain. The views were good and I am certainly comfortable scrambling so I progressed slowly across, committed. This half-mile took me 45 minutes to traverse and gain the ridge.

        Ocean of scree

        Baker Lake(s) and Pyramid Peak

Once I gained the ridge I got my first of many evolving views of Baker Lake (actually lakes plural due to lower water level). Curiously I could see people boating around it in a heavy inflatable kayak. Hopefully it was for work because it seemed like pretty pointless recreation. This next mile of ridgeline to Baker Peak (12298') was very scenic and easy going. Precipitous gully cracks intermittently framed views of Baker Lake and peaks beyond. The slope up to Baker Peak provided fairly good travel though I was starting to get hungry and thirsty at this point. Down from Baker Peak I skirted around another precipitous ridge gap and then found a nice lunch rock near the saddle below. This view was probably my favorite of my hike (frontispiece) and I thought that overall Baker Peak made a more impressive mountain than Wheeler Peak. The view also highlighted the punishing final 1300' climb up to Wheeler Peak, and that my estimated arrival at the road end was also completely blown.

        Baker Peak

It took me about an hour to climb the final one mile 1300' scree slope to Wheeler Peak, certainly the hardest part of the hike due to increasing fatigue. I stood of Wheeler Peak for probably about 5 minutes enjoying the view. It wasn't much better than what I had been seeing the last several hours but it was neat to look back along the way I came.

        View from Wheeler Peak looking back along the route

Already later than I said I would be, I now made serious tracks down the trail. I kept a stout pace where I was half falling on my trekking poles and kicking up rocks like mad. Most hikers I past were polite about letting me rocket past. Past the saddle I made a couple cross country maneuvers to speed my way past lengthy switchbacks. From Wheeler Peak I made the three miles to the parking lot in under an hour! My party was waiting for me and so we set off. It was a nice hike. Mostly for the self-inflicted challenge but at times the scenery was nice too.

        Stella Lake and Wheeler Peak on the descent

The plan was to drive on to Gandy warm springs for a swim but this was not to be. We got a hissing flat about 15 miles shy of the spring and so retreated back to pavement. The improvised solution was to get a motel room for Heather and the kids at the stateline. I would carefully limp back to Snake Creek to collect our camping gear, then back to the motel for the night (3 hours round trip). So that was a frustrating end to an already long day. In the morning I would limp over an hour to Ely to be at the tire shop when they opened and hope that that would put us back on track. Thanks to Heather for letting me have a little half day trip and picking me up at the end.

Valley of Fire Aug 4

If you discount Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada is the ideal place to socially isolate. Miles and miles of empty roads and even emptier landscape between. With most national parks either closed or in an overwhelmed state, the idea was to use the opportunity to check out the infrequently visited Great Basin National Park (and also to escape the heat!). To do so Heather and I planned a road trip loop with a few stops to break up the driving. We left Riverside in late afternoon with the plan to camp at Valley of Fire east of Las Vegas. Despite driving through the area countless times on the way to or from the Colorado Plateau, I had yet to have a chance to explore this state park. We arrived around 9pm, with temperatures still in the mid 90s. After setting up camp we went for a quick night hike down a wash and between fins, checking out some neat erosional caves. Sleep in the heat was a struggle. I got some, but not a whole lot.

In the morning we checked out Atlatl Rock near our campsite, which had a steel staircase leading up to an impressive petroglyph panel. We then drove past the visitor center where a herd of bighorn sheep were loitering in the empty parking lot without care, and then drove up through the gap onto the main scenic drive.

The drive was pretty spectacular with classic undulating pavement meandering across rocks of nearly every imaginable color. Though the scenery was different the park loop reminded me a lot of the layout for Arches National Park. Here and now at least there were nearly zero people in the park. At a nondescript wash we pulled over and set out for a short hike down into Pink Canyon.

At the first turn past the road the wash narrowed to a shallow slot canyon with some excellent sculpting, colors, and textures. The pinks, reds, and oranges were particularly good. I'm certainly a sucker for the textures and took photos every few feet walked. The narrowest section had a sandy floor and flared walls that made for about a hundred feet of kid-friendly "floor is lava" stemming. The shade was greatly appreciated too, even at this early morning hour. We slowly walked only about a quarter mile down the canyon then crossed the slickrock into an ajoining canyon before looping to the road. It was a very short hike but gave a sense for some of the terrain and dense scenic beauty in Valley of Fire.

We drove on to the White Domes trailhead at the end of the road and had a snack in the shade before taking on some kid-friendly slab climbing. Some more nice colors, patterns and reflected canyon light were enjoyed.

On the way out we detoured to Silica Domes, watched the bighorns a bit more near the visitor center, and then went for a short walk to check out the petrified logs. Though still morning the heat of the day was already kicking in and so we continued on our drive to Great Basin. A couple hours later we stopped in the pinon pines at Oak Springs Summit for a lunch stop in some meager shade. On a whim we backtracked the couple miles to a turn-off that said "Oak Springs Summit Trilobite Area." It was a gamble but this ended up being a great little stop to break up the day. I was able to find a road that took us straight to the trilobite area, and happily found that the heads (cephalons) were quite easy to find. Everyone found some ranging in size from pinhead to silver dollar without even digging or splitting and it was a fun little scavenger hunt. 

Back on the road it was another 2 hours to the Great Basin visitor center (a free national park? wow this one really is out of the way!), and then nearly an hour further up Snake Creek. We found the last campsite (of four!) in Eagle Peak Campground and set in for the evening. It was a nice spot next to a creek in aspens at 7700 feet. Everyone slept very well that night in the cool temperatures.