Shaver Lake Loop (2010)

*There will be no photo or video albums for this trip due to unfortunate circumstances that I will explain later in the post.
**This trip was almost completely cross-country. All mileages are approximate.

My dad and I have been getting really antsy for a High Sierra trip for quite some time now. Since it's an El Nino year, we've had a significantly higher snowpack than usual, which has kept us from accessing our favorite backpacking destinations. This trip to Shaver Lake was completely last-minute, and ultimately was a desperately needed dose of backcountry air to tide ourselves over for another week or two. The bottom line is...it's almost June, we leave for the JMT in about a month, and we need some miles under our feet! No, this didn't hardly qualify as a "High Sierra" trip, but it was relatively snow-free, and a Shaver Lake adventure on Memorial Day weekend for sure!

Black Rock Reservoir (2010)

Click Here for Black Rock Reservoir Photo Album
Click Here for Black Rock Reservoir Video Album

I decided to celebrate the completion of my first year of college with a solo overnighter up to Black Rock Reservoir. And better yet, during finals week!

The reservoir itself is used almost solely for the purpose of generating hydroelectricity. It begins all the way up above 8,000 feet with Courtright and Wishon reservoirs, with the Helm's hydroelectric plant between the two. The water then falls down through the Haas underground power-plant to Black Rock Reservoir at around 4,000 ft. The water continues down to Balch powerhouse, and then finally down to the Kings River power plant at the head of Pine Flat Lake slightly above 1,000 ft.

I left my truck about halfway between Kirch Flat and Balch Camp, which took about 1hr 45min to drive from Clovis. From here, it would be about 15 miles and 3,000 ft elevation gain to Black Rock Reservoir. Despite the fact that this was all road travel, it was far better than what I had expected. First off, it can hardly be classified as a road. One lane, exposed cliff-faces, gorgeous views of the valley from the North Fork of the Kings River, Patterson Falls, and...only ONE car went by in my two days of travel!

Middle Fork Trail (2010)

Be sure to check out the video I made for this trip! It covers virtually everything in terms of pictures and video clips.

Click here to watch the video
(Must have a FaceBook account)

My dad and I left Clovis for Visalia around 7:00AM on a Monday, and once again we were flirting with an approaching storm front, predicted to dump some snow at low elevations late Tuesday evening. Due to this, our trip would only be one night, but we still wanted to pack on some miles. After stopping for a wilderness permit at the Foothill Visitor's Center in Sequoia National Park, we made our way to the trailhead. Traveling east on HWY 198, turn right towards Buckeye Flats Campground. After a short distance on this road, veer left at the sign for the Middle Fork Trailhead. This takes you on a very narrow dirt road about 1.3 miles to the trailhead.

Having never hiked this trail before, and realizing that its mostly uphill on the way in and downhill on the way out, we decided to hike simply until we got tired. Our goal was Redwood Meadows (13 miles)...

George Lake Day Hike (2009)

Click Here for George Lake 09 Picture Album
Click Here for George Lake 09 Video Album  

With winter nearing, I was eager to sneak in one more trip to the Sierras before we were "snowed out" until next spring. The destination of choice was George Lake, which is northeast of Huntington Lake in the Kaiser Wilderness. To access the trailhead, take 168 east of Fresno to Huntington Lake, then turn right onto Kaiser Road. Three to four miles up the road there will be a parking lot with a bathroom on the right hand side. The trail is on the opposite side (north) of the road.

My dad Jon, brother Tyler, girlfriend Megan, and myself left the trailhead around 8:30AM. The temperature was in the low thirties because we were now in the middle of November, but at least it kept the mosquitos away. The trail made a steady climb for the first two miles until we reached Potter Pass at approximately 9,000 feet, which offered extensive views of Huntington Lake to the south and Mt. Ritter to the north. Next the trail quickly descended for about half a mile down to a junction, veer left towards Twin Lakes.