Mid Sierra Musings: Hike Above College Rock Toward Kaiser Peak

Dale Matson

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Hike Route

As Dirty Harry once said, “Every man has to know his limitations.” I seems the older I get, the more I have to relearn and adjust downwards, those limitations. Here is last years trip to the top. http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2016/07/kaiser-peak-hike-2016.html

I got an early start (6am) and hoped to get at least to a point on the trail where I had a good view of the Central Sierra Nevada. And, that is as far as I got. It was a little over 8,900’ when I turned back. Kaiser Peak is about 10,300’. It was 4.5 hours up and 3 hours down total time out. The trailhead temperature was 50 degrees to start and 80 degrees at the end! That is pretty hot for 7,000’ in altitude. I was tired and the 1.5-hour drive back down to Fresno was not easy either.

Anyway, I thought I would share some photographs I took this year with my Sony A6000 and S/Z 16-70mm lens. They are less than optimal because there is considerable issues because of a forest fire that started near Mariposa and is still not contained. I wanted to travel as light as possible and used my Mountain Hardwear Race Vest as a daypack. Here is a photograph of me with it on at Devil’s Bathtub near Edison Lake. http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-race-vest-as-day-pack.html

I started with one full bottle of water and resupplied in the creek in a meadow above College Rock on the way up and on the way down. I suspect that there will be no water available for the entire hike by mid August. If you do the hike then, you will need to carry about three liters of water with you.