Kearsarge Pass and Charlote Lake (August, 2019)

Written: June 27, 2020

Bullfrog Lake, East Vidette

This was a lazy trip, hanging around Charlotte Lake with a few wanderings. The distance is not long, only 4.7 miles to the pass, and 8.8 miles all told to Charlotte Lake. This was once a popular area. These days most people are just "passing through" heading for points elsewhere. The pass is certainly popular, and gets lots of traffic with people going in and out to resupply efforts to hike the PCT or JMT.

Day 0, Friday August 16, 2019

I hit the road in Tucson at 1 PM and am in Needles by 7:30 PM. It is hot! I grab dinner at the Wagon Wheel and am driving again by 8:20. An hour of driving brings me to the Mohave preserve where I spend the night. The temperatures are nice, the sky is clear with a full moon.

Day 1, Saturday August 17, 2019

I am up at 6:30 with the sunrise. 3645 feet elevation. Nighttime low temperature was 75 degrees. It takes an hour to get to Barstow, another 2.5 hours to get from Barstow to Lone Pine.

I have never seen so many cars at the trailhead! I hit the trail at about 2 PM with a 33 pound pack. I hike from the Onion Valley trailhead to Matlock Lake and camp. This is probably only 3 miles, and maybe I could have hammered over the pass, but I have found it wiser not to do so. Instead I make the first day relatively easy, and gain some acclimatization. Another group is at "my" lake. I investigate camping at the east end, hoping for a spot with a view, but end up camping on the north side of the outlet lake. This is not a great decision, the water is semi-stagnant and there are lots of mosquitos. Nighttime temperature is a warm 45 degrees. I am in a hammock and this poses some issues since I can't just "lay out" without covers because of the mosquitos.

Day 2, Sunday August 18, 2019

I get up, make coffee, pack up, and hike to a nice spot under the trees above Flower Lake. I eat breakfast here. This is a scheme I often enjoy in lieu of cooking breakfast in shady cool temperatures with mosquitos. Up to the pass I go, with many stops to look at plants. I am intrigued with "alpine fell field" plants. I am at the pass by noon and at Charlotte Lake by 4:00 PM. I go for a brief swim, then relax in my hammock. This is my first visit ever to Charlotte Lake.

Day 3, Monday August 19, 2019

A lazy day. I hear stories of people with altitude sickness. A fellow at Darwin Lakes uses his Inreach device to report that he "cannot go on" and gets evacuated by helicopter. A climber fell on Thunderbolt Peak in the Palisades and it is aparently a fatality. I am reading that Roper says that August is the busiest month in the Sierra. July and September not so much.

Why so many people with altitude sickness? Impatience mostly, coupled with ignorance. There are no shortcuts to getting acclimatized and no mercy or forgiveness. They say that the strongest and most in shape get hit the hardest, because they try to push when they should just give their body time to adjust to the elevation.

Nice night in the hammock, 40 degrees at 10,400 elevation.

Bubbs Creek, view south, Center Basin in upper left

Day 4, Tuesday August 20, 2019

After a lazy morning, I get on the trail around noon. Hike down to Vidette Meadow (9500 feet) and cross Bubbs Creek. I attempted this once earlier in the season when Bubbs Creek was in full flood and decided it was too dangerous. On this visit, it is a simple matter of wading across the stream near Shorty's Cabin -- which is interesting to take a look at. He apparently had several such cabins, including perhaps one somewhere in Gardiner Basin. Somewhat downstream from the cabin is a log that would allow a dry crossing.

A pretty well defined trail heads up from here, and soon we are at the first of the Vidette Lakes. We drop our packs at 4 PM and it is easy enough to wander up talus and such on the right and take a look at the terrain above. It is not as tricky as it looks, and it would be tempting to explore the rest of the basin on another trip.

This is the magical Sierra timberline country. We made camp on granite slabs above the first lake. Trees are meager, but I manage to hang my hammock. A few mosquitos (a tent in lieu of a hammock would again be a nice option). Temperatures drop to 42 degrees. I am glad to have my down jacket.

Lakes in upper Vidette Creek

Day 5, Wednesday August 21, 2019

We are up at 7:00 AM and quickly get moving. I am on my own for the day. I chat with a guy retired from Livermore Labs. He is 74 years old and on his way to Center Basin. We end up talking cameras. He is carrying a Sony A7R (41 megapixel) camera with a 24-200 lens. This is a 3 pound package! A 2 pound lens and a 1 pound camera. He is planning to buy a 61 megapixel Sony that is expected soon, switch to the 24-105 lens and crop all those pixels as needed. This will perhaps save weight instead of the 200mm lens.

I end up loafing at the Glen Pass trail junction at 10800 for most of the afternoon. After another swim in the lake I have an excellent night in the hammock. Clear skys, fine stars, very quiet. 44 degrees.

Kearsarge Pinnacles and Lake

Day 6, Thursday August 22, 2019

I visit the trail crew at the lowest Kearsarge Lake. Two people there were bitten by a bat and were evactuated by helicopter! There is something I have never heard of before. I hike up to the upper (eastern-most) Kearsarge Lake. This is out of view and seldom visited -- and is quite nice. University Peak dominates. A person could hang a hammock at the lowest campspot. I leave this beautiful spot at 4PM and am back at Charlotte Lake by 6 PM. Two fellows (Rick and Alex) are there who are doing long distances along the JMT starting near Bishop.

Warm night, 53 degrees!

upper Kearsarge Lake, view west

Day 7, Friday August 23, 2019

Alex and Rick head off going to Bench Lake. The ranger heads off to Bullfrog Lake to help a guy who is having trouble with altitude sickness (vomiting). This turns into another lazy day for me between Charlotte Lake and Kearsarge Pass. I photograph plants, and return to Charlotte Lake at 4PM.

A warm afternoon and a swim in the lake (my third swim this trip). I never used to do this, thinking the lakes were absurdly cold. They indeed are, but I am never in the water longer than it takes to get back out after I dive in. Total immersion is required. This is immensely refreshing and sleeping clean is more than worth it.

Another warm night, 49 degrees.

Purple Mountainheath (Phyllodoce breweri) "heather", an Ericaceae

Day 8, Saturday August 24, 2019

Work on the stock fence below Charlotte Lake and hike down to the meadow west of Charlotte Lake.

Nighttime low, 51 degrees.

Day 9, Sunday August 25, 2019

Hike out and begin the drive home. I am in the truck driving at 6:00 PM and in 3.5 hours I am at my spot in the Mohave camping.

I am back home by mid-day Monday.

Charlotte Lake

Comments on pack weight, gear, and such

I started hiking with a 33 pound, 2 ounce pack. On exit, my pack weighed 29 pounds, 4 ounces. I carried food that I didn't really need to, but the distance is short (only 8.8 miles from the Onion Valley trailhead to Charlotte Lake)

I enjoy sleeping in the hammock, but dealing with mosquitos is the trade-off.

Note the 3.5 hour time from the Mohave to the trailhead. Driving time from the Mohave to Tucson is 6.5 hours, so a person could do the drive in 10 hours, but there would be one or two stops to eat and take breaks, so it would end up taking 12 hours. That would be a brutal driving regime for an old man like me, so I will continue to break it up into 2 days. Note that an early start from Tucson is pointless, as you will end up at the Mohave in the heat of the afternoon.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Tom's hiking pages / tom@mmto.org