General info:
1. Departure date: Monday, July 28. Six nights trail camping as usual.
2. Venue: Emigrant Wilderness, Granite Dome Basin, Iceland, Ridge, Sardella, Louise, etc., Lakes.
3. Starting point: Kennedy Meadows.
4. Water: Yes, every 3 - 4 miles, creeks and lakes.
5. Cross country: Yes, about a mile on a good use trail.
6. Population: Lots, unfortunately, around Kennedy and Relief Reservoir. Decreases with distance from there.
7. Loop: Yes.
8. Daily Mileage: About 5 to six.
9. Elevation: up to 9 kft on one trail and at the lakes.
10. Camping: fairly sparse. Dates: Monday July 28th through Monday August 4th. One night at trailhead, 6 nights on the trail.
Participants:
Martin
Esther
Martha
Steve
Axel
Jym
Reservations:
Steve will obtain required Forest Service permits.
No reservations for any of the Hwy 108 campsites accepted so this strategy: the first car (whoever) drives to the “Eureka Campsite” RHS 108 and about three miles beyond the Dardanelle Resort, and finds and occupies two sites (maybe we need only one?). There used to be a camp host there who may be able to help. If nothing, the car comes back to the Dardanelle Resort and waits in an obvious spot for the second car. We’ll backtrack from there to the following sites in order: Dardanelle, Brightman Flat, Boulder Flat all the way back to the Wagner Junction where a side road leads to the Fence Creek campsite. All of these have potable water. Pigeon Flat, just before Eureka, is a walk-in, no potable water.
Vehicles:
We plan to use only 2 cars: Axel, Martin
Food and Cooking:
Base camp dinner: Jym will bring chili for all. Others bring chips, bread, appetizers, libations. Martin/Axel bring camp stove.
Each person will need to carry a full-size bear barrel. Remember, even if you're not cooking dinners, you have to help carry the food.
Each person responsible for their own breakfast and lunch. Hot water only for breakfast. No cooking for lunch.
Each cooking group make their own dinner plans. Steve will supply adequate additive and Crystal Light
Two cooking groups: 1) Martin, Esther, Martha; 2) Axel, Jym, Steve.
Group 1 will use Esther's Soto Microregulator; Group 2 will use 2 Dragon Flys: Jym's and Martin Donald's.
Pump/filters: Axel (1); Martha (1).
Route:
Trailhead parking is just before the end of Kennedy Meadows Road. The trail, a jeep road starts just behind a gate past the pack station.
First day on trail:
2.4 mi, PG&E Relief Station, (maintenance station for the reservoir)
0.5 mi, Relief Dam,
2.2 mi, Grouse Creek. By the creek crossing is a collection of campsites, the creek is "guaranteed" (ha!) to have some water in it.
~2 mi, "permanent " creeklet where the trails split
~3 mi, Saucer Meadow, supposedly has a spring but limited camping. Summit Creek is nearby.
1.5 mi, Along Summit Creek to a red fir grove with some campsites and also the cross country ascent to Sardella and the Lewis Lakes.
I would suggest that we make this spot the initial starting point for the lakes above. To be discussed.
Overall:
Park at Kennedy Meadows Trailhead. Through the gate, up a Jeep road to Relief Reservoir. From the dam (invisible) the trail goes to Grouse Creek which should be the first watering spot and possibly the first night campsite. Summit Creek is off the main trail, at the head of Relief Reservoir and its camping possibilities are unknown to me. The next is Saucer Meadow which has some nice spots, but is at the top of a brutal climb, some nine miles from the trailhead.
From Saucer Meadow there are several short use trails to the Granite Dome Lakes, of which Black Hawk is the only without a campsite. For the return we drop down into the Lower Relief Valley and rejoin Summit Creek somewhere lower. This plan has short hikes but plenty of granite and lots of lakes. No ferns, no burns.
In Schifrin’s book/map the trails are numbered KM-1, KM-7 and KM-6. The lakes are Iceland, Ridge, Sardella, Lewis (3), Black Hawk, Pinto (2), Rose and at the end of KM-1 on top of the pass, Mosquito (my recommendation: ignore!).
Return route:
For the return route the descent from the north end of Iceland Lake is the best and easiest. The attached (see below) "Descent from Iceland Lake" shows this on the far left of the willow-choked creek in the middle. The granite plates take you all the way to the Lower Relief Valley trail, and to Summit Creek. Iceland Lake is under the nearest left granite dome. The descent starts at the top end of the lake in the Island Lake photo.
Last updated: 16 July 2014