Planning a Sierra hike is a bit like playing chess, in that future moves are worth considering in advance. Each entry and exit trail can lead to amazing scenery, but one fantastic area could be bypassed in the rush to reach another. As soon as one trip is complete, I can look at the map and wonder what I missed by taking the route that I selected. From such speculation, future trips are born!
Our y2k trip was a fairly relaxing jaunt into Evolution Valley, and it succeeded in tying previous routes together, but Bishop Pass is still unseen in that area. Perhaps a future visit from there could finally reach McGee Lakes, with more x-c into Goddard Canyon and the Ionian Basin? That infamous '99 tour, however, tempered my cross-country interest: three consecutive days of it will no longer be in my plans! [Easy to say, but tough to prove..]
While the 1989 marathon was a great accomplishment, I will always regret passing through the upper Kern at such a fast pace. One of my next few trips will repair that, perhaps crossing Shepherd Pass into that area, then using one of several possible passes to cross the Kings-Kern Divide to East Lake. The loop could close with another visit to Forester Pass, but of greater interest would be a crossing of the old Muir Trail at Junction Pass.
Another interesting trip would test my resolve regarding cross-country terrain. Heading up Bloody Canyon to yosemite's Mono Pass, a route would be devised to cross the Kuna Crest to the Donohue Pass area. A deeper plunge westward would put me near the Merced River headwaters, setting up a day-trip to Red Peak Pass. After that, the High Route would lead east toward Banner Peak and either an exit via Agnew Pass or the northbound trail over Koip Peak Pass and out.
The snow-deferred '98 trip would cover the Kaweahs and Great Western Divide pretty well, so a trip originating at Lodgepole or Cedar Grove remains high on my list. Another probable solution to some regions is to start adding weekend-equivalent trips just before or after long hikes; such a two-day event can capture the Palisades and Garnet Lake, among other notables.
In the north, pretty much everything is unexplored. Every time I pass Bridgeport, I look at Sawtooth Ridge and wonder what can be done with it. Yosemite Park itself is unseen beyond a trip into the Valley in 1971, and the Ritter Range has only been seen well from the auto viewpoint near Mammoth Lakes. I had tentatively planned to dash in to Garnet Lake for a 2-day tour after the '99 Big Trip, but a longer visit has been saved for the new millenium.
|