Tirrell Chris - Sierra South: Backcountry Trips in Californias Sierra Nevada

Sierra South: Backcountry Trips in Californias Sierra Nevada

1st EDITION May 1968

2nd EDITION March 1975

3rd EDITION May 1980

4th EDITION April 1986

5th EDITION June 1990

6th EDITION August 1993

7th EDITION June 2001

8th EDITION May 2006

2nd printing April 2008

3rd printing July 2009

Copyright 1968, 1975, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1993, 2001, 2006 by Wilderness Press

Front cover photo copyright 2006 by Dan Patitucci/PatitucciPhoto

Interior photos, except where noted, by the authors

Maps: Bart Wright/Lohnes+Wright

Book & cover design: Larry B. Van Dyke, Lisa Pletka

Book editor: Eva Dienel

ISBN: 978-0-89997-414-9

Manufactured in the United States of America

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE: Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while in the wilderness. The fact that a trail is described in this book does not mean that it will be safe for you. Be aware that trail conditions can change from day to day. Always check local conditions and know your own limitations.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My thanks as always to my husband, Ed Schwartz, for his support. My thanks to Tom Winnett for inspiration, opportunity, and guidance. Im grateful to my co-authors for their enthusiasm and support during this project. Thanks also to (in alphabetical order) J. Brian Anderson, Walt Lehmann, Steven K. Schuster, and Marshalle F. Wells for the fine photos they generously submitted. I would like to also acknowledge the forbearance of the long-suffering staff at Wilderness Press, particularly Eva Dienel and Roslyn Bullas. KM

Working with Kathy Morey on this project proved to be quite enjoyable. As usual, thanks go to Eva Dienel and the staff at Wilderness Press for their stellar efforts. I greatly appreciated the company of Keith Catlin and Jered Singleton on the trail. MW

Many thanks to Debbie Clausen for sharing all those trail miles; my husband, Charlie Byrne; Mark Clausen for the long drive on Beasore Road; the helpful rangers at Clover Meadows for their advice and concern; and Kathy Morey for her expert guidance. SC

Enthusiasm, support, and accompaniment from my friends and family were indispensable. Without my parents continual belief in my capabilities, my work on this book would not be possible. My gratitude to my best friend, fellow natural-world enthusiast, and life partner John Heid. Sharing most of the trips with powerful and inspiring women, Allison Wickland and Leah Edwards, provided hours of conversation and entertainment on the trails. Many thanks to Matt Heid for his inspiration and enthusiasm for outdoor writing. To Deborah Walker for her incredible flexibility and support. I would also like to acknowledge Eva Dienel, Roslyn Bullas, Mike White, and the staff at Wilderness Press for their ability to create stellar books cover to cover. And lastly, thanks to Kathy Morey for the opportunity to fall in love with the Southern Sierra. AE

I would like to thank Kathy Morey for all her help and encouragement. Many thanks also to my hiking partners, Dennis Kim and Elizabeth Wall. A big thank you to Eva Dienel as well for getting me involved in the book! CT

GOING HIGH TO GET HIGH
By Thomas Winnett, Wilderness Press Founder

As I write this, it is nearly 40 years since we at Wilderness Press held a celebration to promote the first edition of Sierra North and the upcoming Sierra South , one-of-a-kind books Karl Schwenke and I wrote to recommend 100 of the best backpacking trips into the northern Sierra and 100 into the southern Sierra.

It was the summer of 1967, and we celebrated in the backcountry with a high-altitude cocktail party. We invited everyone we thought would help get the word out about the bookpeople from the Sierra Club, outdoor writers, and friends. We held it in August, in Dusy Basin, in the eastern Sierra, 8 miles from the nearest car. The hike went over a 12,000-foot pass, so we were delighted when 15 people showed up. It was a real party. We used snow to make our martinis, ate hors doeuvres, and spent the night. In a mention of the event, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen wondered, How high can you get to get high?

It was a spectacular occasion not only because we were launching the books, but because we were starting a new company. We founded Wilderness Press in 1965. Karl, a backpacking friend of mine, and I had been complaining about how hard it was to get accurate information about the out of doors. At the time, there were only one or two guidebooks to the Sierraour favorite placeso we decided to write our own. We planned to create pre-packaged trips that specified which trails to take and where to stop each night. We would do a series of small books, each covering a 15-minute quadrangle, and they would be called the Knapsacker/Packer Guide Series .

In the summer of 1966, we started doing the field research. Our approach was simple: We wanted to accurately describe where the trails led and what was there. On my scouting trips, I carried more than your average backpacker. In addition to all the standard gear, I packed two cameras, two natural history books to help me indentify flowers and birds, and my Telmar tape recorder. The tape recorder ran about half the speed of the recording devices that are available today, and Id walk along, dictating into the microphone everything I thought our customers would be interested in reading. So in addition to the basicshow to get to where you start walking, where to go, and the best campsiteswe also described what we saw, the animals, flowers, birds, and trees.

By the end of the summer, we had enough material to cover most of the trails in the northern Sierra, so we published a book of 100 trails and called it Sierra North . Next, we set about work on Sierra South , which we published in 1968.

The first edition of Sierra South sold like the proverbial hotcakes; we sold out our entire print run of 3000 books. Since then, this book has sold more than 140,000 copies, and it gives me great joy to see it in its eighth edition. As I think back to that high-altitude cocktail party in 1967, I wonder how many people have used this book to go high to get high in the Sierra. I have personally walked more than 2000 miles in this most beautiful of mountain ranges, and although I cant do that anymore, I am still hooked on the experiencethe splendid isolation, the scenery that really lights up your eyeballs, the strength you feel climbing with the weight of your pack on your back, the myriad trout. I hope this guidebook hooks you, too.