Mid Sierra Musings

Saturday, September 22, 2018

Birch Lake II: A Bridge Too Far

Dale Matson

Click On Photos To Enlarge

Suunto Ambit 3 Download

Garmin GPS Route Download To Topo Map

My first attempt at reaching Birch Lake below Birch Mountain (13,609’) can be found here along with the particulars of getting to the trailhead. https://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-birch-lake-trail-on-and-off.html

Sharon and I got an early start at 7:30am and made a valiant effort to get to Birch Lake. Unfortunately, after 7 hours of outbound hiking, we realized that we would have to turn back with our goal nearly in sight because we needed to finish in daylight. We were able to return to the truck before it was dark but after sundown. It was that close. Fortunately, we were able to hike back to the truck in 4 hours and 45 minutes. It is indeed sad that one must be at Birch Lake to see it. We were actually above it by about 80’ at one point.

I believe there are three important things to pass along that could be helpful for those attempting Birch Lake as a 12-mile round trip day hike with over 4,500’ of gain. If I ever do this hike again, it will be an overnight hike.

First, a common mistake (not only me on my first attempt, but others as well) is to take the left fork in the trail which leads to Birch Creek instead of taking the right fork which is the real trail. There is a pile of rocks on the north side of the trail by the junction and white flagging tape. (see photo)

Second, there is no water available this time of year until the trail runs into a creek at about 5 miles outbound. The springs before that have no water for resupply. Thirdly, when you reach the creek, follow the trail on the near side of the creek climbing about another quarter mile before crossing the creek. There is a cairn to mark that crossing location and several along the trail following that.

We stopped short of the willows but some have said there is a trail through the willows and another person said to just dive through the willows.

This is a day hike only for young and fit individuals. We saw some young hunters and older fishermen along the trail. I am nearly 74 years old and even though I am fit, my wife and I could not beat the daylight clock and made a good decision to turn around when we did to allow enough daylight to return to our vehicle. I do not recommend trying to find your vehicle in the dark even if you have a headlamp. The beginning of the trail is simply a maze of possible routes. You can see by the map that even at dusk, we were off the trail on our return.

My photos were taken with the Sony A7R3, Batis 135mm 2.8 and Batis 25mm 2.0 plus the Sony RX1R2. The mountain I labeled “Ed Lane Peak” is only labeled on the USGS topo map as an altitude.

Mt. Tinemaha Left And Split Mountain Right At Sunrise From McMurray Meadows Road

Green Spot Center Is Where Vehicle Is Parked 5 Miles Away

Crop of Above Photo Showing White Vehicle (Center) And Trail Sign At End Of Road

The Thumb On Right (13,388')

Ed Lane Peak At 200mm (cropped 135mm)

Birch Mountain

Take The Trail That Goes North At This Junction

Altitude and Ascent Part Way Outbound

Owens Valley Below With Inyo Mountains Beyond

Ed Lane Peak Center

Hunters

Tired!

These Last two photos of Birch Lake were taken by Ronn Rose one of the fishermen we met on the trail. Sharon Left a note on his truck asking if he would send us photos of Birch Lake. He was kind enough to do so and I am so glad to include both. Thanks so much for your kindness Ronn!

I Made It!
https://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2020/06/birch-lake-third-times-charm.html

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Shuteye Peak (8,351’)

Dale Matson

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Shuteye Peak Hike Route

Since I live in Fresno Ca, I am always looking for new ways to view the Sierra Nevada from the west side. Some of my articles have included, White Bark Vista, Kaiser Peak, Mt. Gibbs, Mitchell Peak and fire lookouts. These include the lookout in Kings Canyon near Panoramic Point, and the Mt. Tom fire lookout near Kaiser Pass. Yesterday we spent 4 hours getting from Fresno to the place we started our hike from. I guarantee you, the roads above Bass Lake are confusing to say the least. Let me begin with a route to consider. Keep in mind that unless you have an off-highway vehicle (OHV) set up especially for off road travel, you will not be able to drive to the top of Shuteye Peak. I have a 4X4 Tahoe with undercarriage protection but would never consider driving the 2.7 miles beyond the gate to the top. There are places above the gate that look similar to the Dusy Ershim Trail. We parked 1.0 miles below the gate so our total hike round trip was about 7.5 miles. There are two areas on the left in relative proximity just below the gate where we could have parked had I known ahead of time that they were there. One has a campsite.

Here is one way to get there from Fresno. Take Highway 41 north past Oakhurst to the Bass lake turnoff (road 222) continue until the road forks taking road 274 to the east side of the lake. Turn north on Beasore Road. In about 10 miles turn south on Central Camp Road. This immediately turns into a dirt road which requires a high clearance vehicle (recommend 4x4 also). There is a sign at a junction indicating “Shuteye L.O. 8 miles” stay left. In about 5 more miles there is a wide spot in the road. To your left is a road that goes off at 45˚ angle. There is a sign there that says, “Caution, share the road with others” A few feet into the road is a short post marked 6S59. This is the road to Shuteye Peak but there is no sign saying this (also known as fs road 8029). Take this road till you get just below the gate and park there. You will cross two areas on the road that would have a water course that crosses the road itself. In the Spring that could be a serious problem.

If you park near the gate, the hike is about 5.5 miles round trip with about 1,500’ of gain outbound. The hike is exposed the entire way which makes for a great view to the east but there is no shade. There is no water along the way for resupply this time of year. Additionally, there is considerable sand and scree on the granite surface that makes it rather slippery descending inbound.

Richard Bushnell was on duty the day we visited and was cordial and helpful with helping locate various mountains starting from the north, Madera Peak, Mt. Lyle in Yosemite, Banner/Ritter in the Ritter Range, Mammoth Mountain and further south to the Palisades (Sierra 14ers). We also were able to see both Bass lake and Shaver Lake. The view to the west was hazy as usual. The air to the east was relatively clear with clear views. Richard said the air was clear enough the previous day to see the Coastal Range. He also mentioned that the Shuteye Ridge area had become a favorite of climbers and showed us a climbing book dedicated to the area. I got lots of photos and some video with the flag waving though some shots because the best area for viewing was right below the flag.

Thanks for your hospitality Richard and keep an eye out for the mountain lion that made some tracks that we spotted on the road up. The drive home was much shorter although just as bumpy before getting to Beasore Road.

Photos were taken with the Sony A7R3 and Batis 135mm 2.8 (with some photos cropped in camera to 200mm) The other photos were taken with the Sony RX1R2.