Elizabeth Wenk - Sierra North

Sierra North: Backcountry Trips in Californias Sierra Nevada

1st edition, 1967; 2nd edition, 1971; 3rd edition, 1976; 4th edition, 1982; 5th edition, 1985; 6th edition, 1991; 7th edition, 1997; 8th edition, 2002; 9th edition, 2005; 10th edition, 2021

Copyright 1967, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1985, 1991, 1997, 2002, 2005 by Wilderness Press

Copyright 2021 by Keen Communications LLC

Cover design: Scott McGrew

Text design: Andreas Schller, with updates by Annie Long

Cartography: Scott McGrew, Elizabeth Wenk, and Mike White

Cover photo: aaronj9/Shutterstock

Frontispiece: A towering Jeffrey pine near Camp Lake in the Emigrant Wilderness (); Elizabeth Wenk

Project editor: Holly Cross

Copy editor: Kerry Smith

Proofreader: Emily Beaumont

Indexer: Potomac Indexing LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wenk, Elizabeth, author. | White, Michael C., 1952 author.

Title: Sierra North : backcountry trips in Californias Sierra Nevada / Elizabeth Wenk, Mike White.

Description: 10th edition. | Birmingham, AL : Wilderness Press, 2021. | Revised edition of: Sierra North : backcountry trips in Californias Sierra Nevada / Kathy Morey [and others]. 9th edition. 2005

Identifiers: LCCN 2020040269 (print) | LCCN 2020040270 (ebook) | ISBN 9780899978864 (paperback) | ISBN 9780899978871 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: HikingSierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)Guidebooks. | BackpackingSierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)Guidebooks. | Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV199.42.S55 S54 2020 (print) | LCC GV199.42.S55 (ebook) | DDC 796.5109794/4dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040269

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040270

Published by: WILDERNESS PRESS

An imprint of AdventureKEEN

2204 First Ave. S., Ste. 102

Birmingham, AL 35233

800-678-7006, fax 877-374-9016

Manufactured in the United States of America

Distributed by Publishers Group West

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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 authors 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.

WE DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO ROSLYN BULLAS (19612020),

former managing editor and associate publisher at Wilderness Press. We will forever remember the opportunities she gave us to share our explorations of the Sierra Nevada through guidebooks, and we know she enjoyed exploring wild places as much as we do.

The Authors

Acknowledgments

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of the 10th edition of the original hiking guide by Wilderness Press. Hiking 59 trips for this book required a bit of a time commitment, and I always appreciate my familys enthusiasm for book-driven Sierra adventures, as well as my husbands willingness to be a single parent for a month each summer while I continue exploring the mountains on my own.

Thank you as well to the many friends who have joined me on trips, especially the Rengers, who are my companions each summer. A number of friends have read segments of this book, confirming that my writing matches their memory of trips: thank you, Inga Aksamit, John Ladd, Ethan Gallogy, and Peter Hirst.

As my coauthor, Mike White, will attest, updating this book did not go quite as smoothly as either of us had planned, with record snowpacks in 2017 and 2019 and fires in the region in 2017 and 2018 repeatedly interrupting hiking schedules; I felt unusually relieved when I finished mapping the trails.

I hope that you have the chance to experience many of the trips describedand that you consider the landscape as beguiling as I do.

Elizabeth Wenk

I am always indebted to the ongoing support of my wife, Robin, for the opportunity to be in the wilderness and to write about its wonders. Companionship on the trail is usually desirable, and many have walked along with me on this project, including Dal and Candy Hunter, Keith Catlin, and Joe and Chris Tavares. The folks at Wilderness Press certainly deserve kudos for guiding this project to completion, especially with the delays caused by forest fires and a pandemic. Thank you to Tim Hauserman for revising the Wolf Creek Meadows trip. Thanks also to my coauthor, Lizzy Wenk, for all of her support and help in making this new edition a reality.

Mike White

F inally, we jointly wish to acknowledge the Indigenous tribes who have been the custodians of the northern Sierras lands for millennia and who continue to maintain a close cultural connection to these lands and waters.

Contents

View toward Summit Lake as you descend from Virginia Lakes Burro Pass () Photo by Elizabeth Wenk

Going High to Get High

Note for the 10th Edition

Sierra North was Wilderness Presss first book, providing Californias outdoors enthusiasts with an in-depth guide to the northern Sierras best trails. Over many subsequent editions, it has remained a prized tome on many backpackers shelves, showcasing a sublime collection of on- and off-trail hikes between Tahoe and Yosemite. Sadly, I never had the privilege of meeting Tom Winnett, but I am delighted to have collaborated with Mike White on the latest update, reworking the selection of hikes included and updating the information to match the expectations and use patterns of todays hikers.

E. W.

By Thomas Winnett (19222011), Wilderness Press Founder

It was the summer of 1967, and to promote the first edition of