^ Bob standing on Colby Pass (12,000'), the border between Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

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A route map may be found at the end of this page.
If you are interested, follow the detailed trip report that follows.

Day 1
After wasting time with the permit ranger, I was off at 8:20 AM. Avalanche Pass required around a 5000 foot climb, so I did not make it over until 2:30 PM. My first camp was south of the Roaring River patrol cabin near the bottom of Deadman Canyon. That was the short day... about 16 miles.

^ the canyon of the south fork of the Kings River

Day 2
Deadman Canyon made a long, steady climb toward Elizabeth Pass. I saw the grave and wooden marker. "Here reposes Alfred Moinier, sheepherder and mountain man. 1887"  Then after the pass, the steep descent was at least 3000 feet, then I had to go back up to Hamilton Lake. The place was deserted. I camped high above the lake on the way toward Kaweah Gap. I had to camp where I could since there was almost no running water.

^ grave

^ Elizabeth Pass, looking south into Sequoia National Park

Day 3  "The Detour"
I was up early to get over Kaweah Gap. This would afford plenty of time for a long descent over many miles toward the Kern River trail. Unfortunately, I missed one of the two trail junctions halfway down, near the patrol cabin. In fact, since I saw the patrol cabin, that means that I had just missed the correct junction. Instead of heading down the main trail toward Chagoopa Falls, I was following an obscure trail in Big Arroyo toward Rattlesnake Creek. After I had been fighting through the weeds and willows for hours without any discernible trail, I realized that something was wrong, so I turned on my Garmin GPS receiver. The latitude and longitude were clear enough, placing me several miles south of where I should have been but my options were few. I could not backtrack all the way back to the correct junction without taking several hours. I dared not try to cut directly cross country north to get back to the correct trail since this was rough terrain. I looked vertically down into the Big Arroyo ravine, and it seemed a long way down into a rocky stream channel. Then I spotted two people in the distance, climbing their way down-canyon, hopping and crawling over the stream rocks. They seemed to be heading east toward the Kern River. I figured that if they can do it, I can do it. I climbed and slithered down into the canyon, attempting to catch up with the two. After crawling and splashing and bouncing around, I got close to the others. One was wearing a National Park Service cap, but seemed almost unresponsive to my greeting. I just followed them out to the Kern River, reaching the trail around 4:30 PM. I was happy to be on a main trail, but I was unhappy that I had spent so many hours thrashing around through the rocks and water. Although I was never lost, I was several miles south of where I had intended to be. Worse, this put my whole trip schedule into jeopardy. I had some doubt that I would be able to finish within the five days (and people would be worried). I stumbled north to Kern Hot Spring where I had intended to take a long, leisurely, hot bath there beside the river, thanks to Mother Nature's handiwork and the bathtub constructed years ago. Due to my time crunch, I had to get in and get out, but the hot bath still did wonders for my spirits. I hiked by flashlight that evening, finally camping in the dry river bed sand between the trail and the water.

^ when we say that the Kaweah Gap Trail was cut into the side of the mountain, we mean it

^ peaks south of Kaweah Gap

^ the Old Big Arroyo Patrol Cabin

^ Kern Hot Spring, beside the Kern River

Day 4
After regaining a positive mental attitude overnight, I decided to do what had to be done and got going on the trail before dawn. I sped up to the Colby Pass turnoff and turned west, climbing past some nice lakes and streams. There were plenty of ripe Sierra currants along the trail, so I ate a dozen at a time. They were much more palatable than the Power Bars that I had been carrying for days. As I neared Colby Pass, the trail started to elude me again. This time I got out a detailed topo map and verified my position with GPS, then moved steadily along the correct route upward. One packet of Power Gel was the secret energy to get me to the top. The view from Colby Pass is quite expansive, since it sits at 12,000 feet along the Great Western Divide. The trail northward is very steep, but manageable with rocky switchbacks. I met a youth group camped at Colby Lake, and since it was 4 PM, the adult leader naturally assumed that I was going to camp there. No, I still had several miles to travel that day! I headed north along Cloud Canyon more than half of the way down toward Roaring River. Finally, when I could hardly walk anymore, I camped. Since I had gotten back on schedule again, I felt relieved. I celebrated by eating two tiny dinners instead of only one.

^ Colby Pass, looking north into Kings Canyon National Park

^ Cloud Canyon, looking north toward Big Wet Meadow

Day 5
I still had about 20 miles to go to finish, so I was up and out on the trail early again. Passing Roaring River junction at 8:30 AM, I was estimating that it might take me seven hours to make it up to Avalanche Pass. I put my head down, drank some more dilute Gatorade, and panted up over the pass before noon! That was progress! I wandered down the rocky trail toward the finish at too quick a pace, blistering my feet a bit right there on the way out. I reached the car at Roads End at 4 PM, quite happy that I had done the trip, but equally happy that it was finished. I had seen plenty of wild, new country.

Statistics:
I had loosely estimated the trip to be about 85-90 miles in advance. Depending on whether you follow the Secor book, the Harrison map, the USGS topo maps, or Starr's Guide, you will get a different mileage. I carried the Harrison map, and it placed the total final distance around 98-100 miles. After I had eaten most of the food, my pack was down to 22-23 pounds and was empty of water. I had carried no real tent and only a small alcohol burner for boiling water. The weather was so moderate that I never used my Goretex rain shell. The 2-pound Goretex sleeping bag was plenty warm enough. Next time, I need to carry my PUR Hiker water filter in a place so that it is easier to get to. Body weight loss: five pounds in five days!