Dale Matson
Click On Photographs To Enlarge
Easy to Moderate 5.5 miles round trip hike with about 1,400’ of altitude gain. Maximum altitude about 10,600’. Trailhead at White Bark Vista (about one mile off) Kaiser Pass Road at Kaiser Pass. The one mile or so to the vista requires a high ground clearance vehicle with a 4X4 preferred. You can proceed further south to park near the gate to the Dusy Ershim OHV Trail. The gate opens August 1st. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can continue driving on this trail. Some of the worst driving is at the beginning of the North to South section. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pvh9cpWkHA
I was kind to my friend and fellow hiker who just bought a new Subaru Crosstrek. We took my Yukon 4X4 with the earned Sierra Pin Stripes. For those of you folks who just want a great view, and have a low ground clearance vehicle, park by the potties at Kaiser Pass and hike to the White Bark Vista.
Mt. Givens is a dry hike, so bring plenty of water and snacks. We were out for about 5 hours and had lunch on top. We also took lots of photos. The view area from Mt. Givens is a panorama beyond Banner/Ritter to the North all the way to Mt. Whitney to the South. Derek’ bought a “Peak Finder App” and it is really valuable and cheap.
After your first climb on the Dusy Ershim Trail you will come out of the woods and see a trail to the left. This is kind of a shaded shortcut. Your trail will eventually take you back to the D/E trail again. Eventually you will come to the place where you hike N.E. toward Mt. Givens and depart from the D/E Trail which heads South toward the Courtright Reservoir about 30 miles south.
This part is a steep .5 mile off trail climb with some assorted occasional cairns/ducks to help guide you. I always take a GPS that points the way. Yes, there are both deer and cow tracks along the way. This is what I consider an easier and better alternative to viewing the Sierra Panorama from Kaiser Peak. Your will need to scramble up some boulders at the top. I leave my trekking poles below. It is not an exposed climb.
https://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2021/06/kaiser-peak-hike-2021.html
I used a Sony A7C full frame camera with an 85mm 1.8 lens for all the photos. The photos of me were taken by Derek on his cell phone camera.
No comments:
Post a Comment