Cherry Creek 2013
Jul 17 (Wed) - Jul 24 (Wed): 1.5 days travel, 6.5 days hiking, 7 overnights.
Participants:
Steve
Axel
Esther
Martin B
Martin D (may do part of trip by himself)
Jym
Leslie
Nora
Base Camp:
Cherry Valley Campground on lower W side of Cherry Lake.
Reservations:
Tent-only site 002 (Jym)
Tent-only site 003 (MartinB)
Check in time is 2:00 PM.
Directions to Base Camp:
From Groveland drive east 13.6 miles on Highway 120 to paved Cherry Oil Road 1N07. This junction on the left, well signed, is a short distance past a bridge over a tributary to the Tuolumne River. Follow it 5.3 miles to Hetch Hetchy road junction, left on potholed horror for 17.6 miles to dirt Cottonwood Road 1N04. Beware, if you cross the dam you've gone too far. For a map, see Road to Cherry Campground.
The gate across the Cherry Lake dam road is open, so at the start of the backpacking (day 1), we drive up about 4 miles. Park near the Kibbie Lake trailhead, which is E of Cherry Lake.
Driving (3 vehicles):
Esther picks up Nora in Sacramento;
Jym and MartinD ride with MartinB;
Steve and Leslie ride with Axel.
Note: Cafe Bliss in Oakdale is about 1.5 h from mid-peninsula. Nominal coffee time is 10:00 AM.
Proposed Backpacking Route:
Day 1, 7/18, from Shingle Spring to Many Island Lake. Camp 1.
Day 2, 7/19, from Many Island Lake via Styx Pass to S end of Huckleberry Lake (near Addison Camp). Camp 2.
Day 3, 7/20, from Addison to Cow Meadow Lake. Camp 3.
Day 4, 7/21, from Cow Meadow Lake to Lord Meadow via North Fork of Cherry Creek. Camp 4.
Day 5, 7/22, from Lord Meadow into Cherry Creek Canyon to Flintstone or above. Camp 5.
Day 6, 7/23, either stay at camp and explore neighborhood or descend to Shiffrin Grove. Camp 6.
Day 7, 7/24, from camp descend Canyon. From the confluence of Snow Canyon Creek and Cherry Creek we ascent out of the Canyon, up Dead Horse Gulch to the roadhead at Shingle Spring. This is a "use trail" somewhat overgrown, following a forest fire many years ago, and kept open by the kayakers.
This is a fairly ambitious hike, an easier alternative and equally scenic would be the following:
Day 2 we camp at Lord Meadow and enthusiasts visit Boundary Lake or whatever.
Day 3 we ascend a portion of the North Fork and camp at Yellowhammer Lake. Enthusiasts can hike up the North Fork or cross-country to Big Lake. There is no level campsite for all of us in the North Fork canyon. Alternatively we could stay at Lord Meadow and hike up the North Fork. Either way, the trail requires a rather wet crossing.
Day 4 we return to Lord Meadow and descend Cherry Creek past the confluence with Big Lake Creek. The campsite at the confluence is too small for all of us. There is a better spot 3/4 mile or so downstream, with a lake.
Days 5, 6 & 7 as above.
One can loop around Gillett Mountain via Yellowhammer and Big Lakes, down into the canyon, but this cross country leg misses a very beautiful section of the Cherry. In places quite rough.
More details about route for last day (see map Return route from Canyon in Cherry Creek 13 Files): We are coming from a camp about 3/4 mile beyond the upper boundary of the map. The important exit landmarks are the Snow Canyon Creek and Knob 5328. Beyond Mile 16 the Canyon is impassable with a backpack.
Before we hit the trail we will be on the road to Shingle Spring. BTW, the road to Shingle Spring is confusing, it changed with the logging operation many years ago. We'll get directions at the Ranger Station.
From MartinD: Days 5,6,7 follow Cherry Creek down from Lord Meadow. The route follows the East bank of Cherry Creek until just past mile 17 where it heads up a sloping bench back to the cars at Shingle Spring. The map to use is the same as for day-1 and the route follows the blue line down from Lord Meadow (you may expand the map a lot). The profile is found as file Days-5-7-profile.JPG and is the same as Ben Schifrin's PC-6 route except that it contours to that final bench rather than descending then regaining altitude. Mile markers are the small yellow diamonds on the map. The steepest side-slopes appear to be just downstream of the confluence with the stream out of Hyatt Lake. There's no way of knowing about rock-slides and talus on the route. Note the 700' climb up to the cars.
Maps:
Tom Harrison Emigrant Wilderness
Cooking:
Base camp dinner - Pot luck dinner - Everyone please email Jym what you plan to contribute so we don't have massive duplication.
Esther and Nora will bring a "big" salad.
Steve will manufacture pseudo-tapas (cold) in situ.
Jym will do a black bean and corn succotash with diced chicken.
Axel will bring a dessert.
Trail cooking arrangements: Steve and MartinD will each cook independently. The rest will be in 2 groups:
1) Jym and Axel and Leslie;
Each of us should plan and carry 2 meals for 3 people. Apparently I am the only one having pots, so we take both my 4- and 2-qt pots, also my Dragon Fly and my fuel bottles (2), but Axel's water filter. On the Goodale Pass trip (2010) we documented that each full fuel bottle went for 11 people-meals. So we'll need at least 1.6 bottles of fuel. I recommend 1.75 bottles of fuel. I will provide the fuel.
Weights:
Water filter (dry) = 1 lb
22 oz fuel bottle (empty) = 0.25 lb
Dragon Fly = 1.1 lb
4-qt pot = 0.75 lb
2-qt pot = 0.5 lb
I also propose we plan to carry this equipment as follows:
Axel: filter + 3/4-full fuel bottle (2.25-lb est)
Jym - Dragon Fly + lg pot (1.85-lb est)
Leslie: - Sm pot + full fuel bottle (2.0-lb est)
2) Esther, Nora and MartinB.
BEAR BARRELS ARE MANDATORY--each participant carry 1 full-sized barrel!
Wading shoes advised.
Leather gloves advised.
Swim suits advised.
Cameras desirable.
Information from the Groveland Forest Ranger:
1. Yes, there is quite a lot of water in Cherry Creek "... but probably not enough for kayaking all the way down". Not that we want to, but it gives an idea.
2. Campfires are permitted provided we get a fire permit, which we always do.
3. The weather has been very dry, no lightning storms on the Yosemite side of the canyon. Also no forest fires in the Northern Sierra.
Probably not too many bugs either.
Technical information (from the Cherry Creek 13 Files):
1) For equipment we have (Equip We Have-1). Please email Jym updates to this list for equipment you have (we're only concerned with the type of equipment already on the list).
2) Road to Cherry Campground map
3) Cherry Lake Campground map
4) Cherry Lake Roads-1 map
5) Emigrant routes 6 MB map
6) Day-1 map
7) Day 1 profiles
8) Shingle Spring to jctn Kibbie Lake profile
9) Jctn to Kibbie Lake South profile
10) Kibbie Lake NE to Many Island Lake NE profile (cross country)
11) Day 1 summary of mileage and elevation gain/loss
12) Days-2-4-map
13) Day-2-profile
14) Day-3-profile
15) Day-4-profile
16) Days-5-7-profile
17) Return Route from Canyon map
Post-mortem (25 July 2013). We never got beyond Kibbie Lake due to the rough hiking between there and Many Island Lake. Due to the dry winter, Kibbie Ck above Kibbie Lake was not flowing (there were a few stagnant pools). Weather was mostly hot--too hot--except Monday 7/22 when it was overcast. However, almost no mosquitoes. Cooking went well. Esther/Martha/Martin using Esther's SOTO, micro regulator OD-1 R stove, which is really efficient. Jym/Axel/Leslie used Jym's Dragon Fly: fuel usage about 1.2 22-oz canisters per 18 people-days or about 15 people-days per canister.
Last updated: 10 July 2013