Sierra Club Outings | Josephine's Regards to Mr. Brewer, Kings Canyon National Park

Photo: Andy Johnson

Josephine's Regards to Mr. Brewer, Kings Canyon National Park
August 16-23, 2008

Highlights:

Hike cross-country at timberline elevations
Explore a remote Sierra Nevada canyon
Climb Mt. Brewer

Includes:

All food and cooking gear
Experienced volunteer leadership
A sense of adventure

The trip title borrows from a Scottish fiddler's tradition of naming airs and laments after people and their acquaintances. While we'll certainly see high and airy places, the trip won't leave you lamenting anything, except perhaps, that it's only eight days long. Josephine Lake lies high on the eastern shoulder of the Glacier Divide, within clear sight of Mt. Brewer to the east. Both are high, remote locations that reward intrepid knapsackers.

The route as planned is strenuous. This is a trip for experienced backpackers who are comfortable exerting themselves at and above timberline, who seek out places with no trails, and who are willing to bring a healthy level of stamina to the outing. There's a planned layover day, but it follows five days with 10,300 feet of accumulated ascent and 7,000 feet accumulated descent. The average daily distance is six miles.

Our motivation for pursuing this route is very simple: Over the last few years, we've led increasingly more difficult trips, from M to M/S, and it's time to "touch the ceiling" with a strenuous trip, before starting back again on moderate trips. This is a familiar area, and we've done the difficult sections before (and loved them). Very few backpackers can claim to have camped at Josephine Lake, and it's truly worth your effort to get there.

We meet at 8 a.m. on the morning of day one. The trip starts at Road's End, east of Cedar Grove, in Kings Canyon National Park. We'll board two chartered vans and ride to the Sunset Meadow trailhead. Our hiking is all on-trail this first day. We quickly pass through Rowell Meadow, and descend to Comanche Meadow.

The second day we walk below Sugarloaf, a striking granite doughball that guards the entrance to all high-country back canyons in the southwest part of Kings Canyon park. We'll follow Ferguson creek and find our way by cross-country route to some high meadows in Ferguson Canyon. .

Our third day is short, but involves a cross-country pass. We move to the southern tip of Ferguson Canyon, then swing east, to a very pretty site at Big Bird Lake. This day is entirely off-trail, and the scramble up and over the pass is steep. We'll get to Big Bird with plenty of time for swimming and exploring.

From Big Bird we drop into Deadman Canyon, and follow a trail downstream for two miles, to Ranger Meadow. We continue- up and over- to Josephine Lake. We climb the west side of Glacier Ridge, through a grove of Sequoias, past some small lakes, to a stark pass with a broad lake atop the very ridge itself. We will enjoy the Brewer range as we descend to Josephine Lake.

Leaving, we descend through trees along a ridge, then scamper across slabs before reaching the river bottom, and wading across to Cement Table Meadow. This descent is exciting, and will be a highlight of your trip.

We will have a layover day at Big Brewer Lake and try for the summit of Mt. Brewer (13,570 feet). We'll enjoy views of the Sierra Crest to the east, Monarch Divide to the north, Silliman Crest to the west, and granite-faced lip of the Tablelands to the south.

Our next-to-last day we climb above Big Brewer, then drop down into the Sphinx Lakes by cross-country route. Camp is by the next-to-lowest lake, with good fishing, and we hope for fresh trout at dinner.

The last day is an epic descent- 5,000 feet in 8.5 miles. The trail is well-graded, but insistent- every step is unrelentingly downhill.

Meals are vegetarian-friendly, but meat is served many times on the trip. Please be very specific in your application about any dietary preferences or restrictions. As on all other Sierra Club knapsack trips, meal preparation is a group effort - you'll be expected to help in the kitchen one or two days on the trip. Meals have been field-tested for simplicity as well as good taste.

This trip is rated Strenuous (S). It will be tough work at times, and there are four days in a row with 2000+ feet of off-trail ascent. The leader will carefully screen participants to ensure that those who sign up are in proper shape for this outing.

The most important "thing" to bring on a trip of this nature is a flexible attitude- conditions beyond our control sometimes intervene and we have no recourse but to adapt. It's part of the thrill of being in the mountains.

Please look at this article on knapsacking equipment at http://www.knapsack.org/basic_equipment.html for a general overview of the appropriate clothing and gear for this outing.

The heart of this route is nicely covered on the Tom Harrison map "Mt. Whitney High Country" and also on the following 7.5 minute USGS topographic quadrangles: The Sphinx, Sphinx Lakes, Mt. Brewer, and Mt. Silliman. Maps are not required, but can add immensely to the pleasure you'll experience - your leaders are always glad to help you chart our daily route on your maps.

We'll talk at times about the Sierra Club's origins, its early fights to preserve the areas of the Sierra Nevada we hike through, and the continuing efforts, by the Club and other organizations, to protect and preserve the lower-elevation front country.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Andy Johnson started hiking in the Sierra as a teenager, and has been leading backpacking trips such as these for the Sierra Club since 1981. He is a former chairman of the Knapsack Subcommittee, which organizes all backpack trips in California and Nevada.

Maureen Stubblefield completed the Knapsack Leader training trip in 1991, and has assisted on several Sierra Club backpack trips. They first teamed up as co-leaders in 2005 and so enjoyed themselves that they continue to lead trips together.