Off-trail and out of luck in the High Sierra | Kings Canyon High Basin Route failed attempt
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.พ. 2023
- Our hike of the KCHBR was going great until things took a turn for the worse. You could watch this video as a successful hike of section 1 of the route, but we were prepared and hopeful for a full thru-hike. This was our big hike of the year, so ending it prematurely was a tough pill to swallow. Just a reminder that success is far from guaranteed on a high route, even when you've completed one or several before.
Details of our route:
- Started at Twin Lakes trailhead at Lodgepole July 29th, 2022
- Followed Kings Canyon High Basin Route for a little over 20 miles (~18 off-trail) to around Colby Lake
- Bailed to Road's End via Cloud Canyon
- Total distance ~50 miles
I’m blown away by your storytelling in each video Dan. Not only is this beautiful but the plot keeps me engaged.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it
tough decisions...that route is still there as are you. Good choice that's hard to swallow. Till next time
Stenz, you are the real adventurer. I’m surprised you didn’t plan it with a 3rd guy like the SHR. Love that everything to do with a risky adventure is still risk averse. Showing me your doubts makes it utterly human. It’s just not an adventure without that. Your adventures are classic.
Always a bummer to have to pull the plug on a big trip, but better safe than sorry. Glad you found some peace among the sequoias at the end of it all. Beautiful shots after the rain, toward the end of day 1 and some fascinating ZPacks history 😂👍
Thanks 😁 it’s really amazing how far they’ve come from version 1
Great story and visuals, and perfect decision-making.
In the words of the legendary mountaineer Ed Viesturs (who summited Everest seven times but turned around four times): Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.
As to feeling bad for not doing the second attempt...If you weren't going to enjoy it, what would have been the point? Another great decision!
What a great quote! In an adventure culture that tends to romanticize risk that is refreshing to hear. Appreciate the supportive words.
Thanks for sharing your failure! We too were denied last year. July we give it another go… As you gain in age you’ll realize you’ve acquired some wisdom and the youthful goal of many miles per day will give way to what is best for your knees and health to complete the task. Happy trails…
Good luck this summer! Hopefully we’re both a little luckier next time
John Zahorian, Glen Van Peski and your videos are my favorite. Great video!
Thanks! Honored to be in the same list as those two :)
I was repeating JMT sections this past summer getting fit for the SHR. But when it came to do the SHR, I didn't like the idea of being so alone and just did another JMT section repeat. I feel sometimes my appetite for hiking is bigger than I can chew on my own. Going solo only goes so far. Good honesty in this video.
I have mixed feelings on high route type stuff solo. In some ways it’s very appealing but the reality can be daunting. Just need to be in the right frame of mind I think.
Thanks for sharing this. After getting knocked off the SHR three times in a row (injury, forest closure, forest closure), it's nice to know other folks don't always send it either. Lol'd at the zpacks prototype. Hah!
Wow that’s some unfortunate timing. Hopefully next time it works out! Honestly to this day I’m surprised we managed to finish the super SHR without an issue in 2020. We made it out within a day or two of the forest closures. Lot of luck involved.
I so love that tablelands area. being atop pterodactyl pass, horn col, and copper mine pass is amazing! I did a high sierra trail trip that included them. I started at Wolverton to emerald to pear up the marble fork to table meadows through the tablelands, over pterodactyl pass, horn col, copper mine pass to cloud canyon to Colby trail to the high sierra trail out Whitney portal. epic backpacking/flyfishing trip.
I'm going to do a circle of solitude loop this summer. Agnew meadows to kearsage pass to lake south america and the upper Kern basin via the jmt/pct. out via little Joe's foot pass to lake reflection bubbs creek back to kearsage pass.
Sounds amazing!
Isolated and remote….yet filled to the brim with something so full and alive….. it’s irresistible.
I honor you and your unique taste for experience.
Another great video and storytelling. Your videos seem like come from full time creators with 250k+ subscribers. You do good. Appreciate the content.
Just moved back to the Sierras and inspired to get back out there.
Thanks Jason, that’s quite the compliment. Enjoy the Sierra! I’m a little jealous :)
Another great adventure here Dan. Way too many opportunities for injury for me but you're a pro. Incredible scenic vistas. Turning back was a sign of older and wiser. Live to climb another day. How i'd love to see the sequoias. On my bucket list. That's one trail i could maybe manage :-))
Plenty of injury opportunities for me too :)
And yes the sequoias are worth the trip!
Another great Video. I am always excited to see them come up to watch. I think you did the right thing by trusting your gut by not hiking the rest of the hike. That pass at 8:40 (horn cowl?) great
Thanks Duane!
Another excellent mini storytelling adventure Dan, just gotta have respect for the power of those trees man.
Tough decisions but glad you both made it out okay. Live to hike another day. Thanks for the videos and sharing your stories.
Nothing but praise for making all the right decisions! And also for a great video with great visuals!
Thanks Jordan!
Great job, man. Tight, compelling narrative. Eager to see this channel soar. Love the Sierra and Kings Canyon.
Thanks!
Heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring. Kudos to you for putting your friends above completing the 'mission,' something you never fail to do.
🙂
Great vid
Another great watch! You two would have been able to complete it technically speaking if it was gonna get easier. Just a matter of finding another time window and do it all over.
your friend seems fun!
I like it when he sings to the mountains
This is a great video, not my kind of scenery but i know it's yours:) Much safer to hike with someone so I'm glad you turned around when you went back
Thanks for sharing the flip side to a successful hike with your honesty and good decision making. The footage was stunning and helped me connect to places on a map that I've stared at for a few years. I hope to get out to Tablelands and a few other areas on the KCHBR soon. Maybe we'll cross paths up there!
Thanks! Highly recommend Tablelands. Not too hard to get to and such a unique place in the Sierra.
Great video Dan. Not only the trekking but the story of bailing and then returning to the trail and pulling the trigger again. I did something similar recently too, a moment of tiredness, lack of confidence maybe, even just missing home pulled me off the trail. Two days later I regretted it but the flights had been chnaged and the deal was done. I will take the experience through to the next and have vowed to meditate daily to help keep a good perspective.
It happens! I’ve been there several times. Trying to get better at that whole perspective thing :)
There's always a next time Dan! Count your blessings as that was still an amazing trip.
Definitely. We were saying at the time that, if not for our expectations, it was an amazing 50 mile trip
Yeah boyyyyyy
It's a shame that you had to quit so early. I first heard about the KCHBR was when Skurka was interviewed on The Trail Show podcast. He said then about the KCHBR and off trail routes in general, that you need to approach them like a mountaineering expedition, not expecting to finish. With so many things that need to go right to finish the KCHBR, chances are you won't finish it as a through hike. Did you consider hiking the 20 miles from Cedar Grove to Lodgepole, topping off your food at Lodgepole, then heading out and hiking back to your car?
Having started reading some of the accounts of the men who first explored the Sierra and having done some off trail hiking myself now, imagine the size of the balls on the original explorers who not only were traveling off trail but without maps and no hope of help or rescue from the outside world if anything went wrong.
Yes I think about that a lot when I’m out there. Some of these places are so remote it feels a little spooky, especially solo.
I definitely agree re: treating high routes more like an expedition. Very different from a trail where you’re generally likely to finish with enough tenacity.
We did consider doing it the way you described to make it a complete loop but figured it would be an easy enough hitch. If I come back to do it again I’ll probably just hike from roads end up cloud canyon and pick up where we left off.
Hey Dan, I super appreciate all your videos. My people haven't really ever understood what I do when I do high routes, and sharing your video of the YHR helped them understand the mental and physical challenges of it.
I'm planning on doing the KCHBR this summer, solo unfortunately, and have been trying to find ways to efficiently break it down into 2-3 sections. I really love your narration, especially sin e you are honest about the challenges, the difficult decision making, and the head game of doing high routes.
What's your next high route? You seem to be two seasons ahead of me!
Next thing I’d like to do is a route I’ve been sketching out that is a longer non-technical route near the evolution traverse. Starting probably from Paiute pass and the keyhole and following the crest as close as possible without exceeding class 3 to at least bishop pass
lol that's literally at the top of my list. I skipped that section when I was solo'ing the SHR. Thunderstorms and existential thinking caught up with me. The SHR seems to skip some good stuff in that area. I was with my wife in the Sabrina Basin a few weeks ago and it rained the whole time. Still gorgeous though. Good luck to you Dan and thanks again for the inspiration! Maybe I'll see you out there some year.
@kkshdfkjhfubfjkkl yeah we kept thinking the Roper route should go higher there!
Agree - Like you did with the super SHR, I'm hoping to plot a preferred route that takes the best of the KCHBR/SHR/YHR/soSHR and find the most bang for your buck line@@DanStenziano
i tell ya Dan, even military expects recon & forward movement patrols to maintain and increase nav skills !!! i believe EVERYONE should attempt to 'increase' the abiliries !!!!! even take some orienteering classes or a nav class of some sort that is not all classrm !!!
sorry this was " one of those " trips !!!! it's just a matter of when one will NOT GO AS PLANNED. Not IF one will go bad. the more u go out, the sooner you'll meet
" that one " !!! 8( it's a Murphy thing amigo !!!
Wise decision. Knowing the capabilities of your hiking partner has its merits! Curious: Did the cough go away on decent?
Yes it did, so very likely altitude related
I appreciate that you made this video. While watching, I kept expecting to learn that Radio (and then you) got covid, but it sounds like Radio may have just had a cold.
I imagine it may not have felt super comfortable to publish this publicly, but I'm grateful that you did. I also think there's something admirable and strong that comes from vulnerability.
Anyways, I'm thinking about attempting the KCHBR myself this summer. I'm familiar with the terrain and high routes, having previously completed the SoSHR & a section of Roper's SHR. I'm curious if you found it important to buy Skurka's notes & mapset or if there's anything else you'd suggest.
Hmm. I suppose if you were really confident in your navigation and knew where the route went you could just print your own topos, but he has a lot of useful information and insight in the guide that I found helpful not just in planning but also in the field. As far as suggestions go, a couple notes:
-we felt in our planning that going over Kearsarge and into Independence made most sense for a resupply, though Roads End would also work.
-The hitch between Roads End and Lodgepole should be easy in either direction.
-if you don’t like the sound of King Col, sixty lake basin is a nice easier off trail alternate not listed in the guide.
Otherwise straightforward. As far as Radio’s cough, we eventually figured it was probably from the altitude. In some cases altitude sickness can cause fluid buildup in the lungs. He was coming from sea level and we had a big first day and went up to 10-11k pretty quickly
@@DanStenziano Noted! Thanks for the beta
So, I'm wondering: do you think your friend would have settled in to the altitude after a few days? I ask because he seemed to improve as soon as you did the big descent out of KC.
Possibly, but he would have needed a night at much lower elevation to recover, and we didn’t really have food for that. I didn’t go into this much in the video, but we descended down to around 9,000ft to camp on the second night to see if he got better, and he didn’t really. Wasn’t until we got most of the way down that we saw real improvement.
@dan what tarp are you guys using in this video? And just polycro for your ground cover?
X mid 2p. I think we brought the inner too and polycryo if inner wasn’t needed
The exact thing happened to me on the Yosemite High Route this year. Never had a problem with altitude, came down with a bad cough, had to bail. I wonder if it's COVID related?
That’s what I thought at first, but we actually are pretty sure it was from the altitude, because as soon as we descended it started going away. Altitude sickness can sometimes cause fluid buildup in the lungs. Even the possibility of that is why we took it so seriously. Yknow, he came from sea level and we had an aggressive first day so it’s a possibility even if it seems weird
@@DanStenzianoYeah that tracks, I also came straight from sea level. That never mattered before but I guess there's a first time for everything. Acclimation from now on!
Is that a Bristlecone Pine behind you at 7:15?
Yep I’m pretty sure it is
Where do you aquire topo maps for this hike?
You can get a map set from Andrewskurka.com
What tent did you guys use? Would you recommend?
We shared an x mid 2 for this trip. The x mid tents are great in general
Thanks @@DanStenziano . I gotta admit, I've researched maps and videos and forums for years, and have been obsessing over the KCHBR and planning for the past month even though it is a year away. Your videos and beta are the most influential to me, and the ones I connect with most emotionally. Thanks man!
Lotta logistics involved for KCHBR! Good to start early. I’m glad my videos have been meaningful. Hopefully your KCHBR hike goes a little smoother than ours :)
I think we all know why this wasn't a successful trip... one word.. MUDSLIDE