Official Brochure for trip 10175A - "Humphreys Basin High Base Camp, John Muir Wilderness, California"
Start: Official start at 6:30 AM Sunday August 1 at the Packer's station near North Lake.
   Recommended meet up at 5 PM, Saturday, July 31, 2010 at Packers Station 
      30 min up CA-168 from Bishop (directions below)
End:   4-6 PM, Saturday, August 7, 2010
Contacts:
Leaders: Phone Mobile Email
Jeri Merritt Sacramento CA     worldhospice@hotmail.com
Don McBride Martinsville, NJ 732 560-0369   dtmcbride@yahoo.com
Outfitter
Mike Morgan Bishop CA 760 873-4785  
Correspondence
Welcome
Questions and Answers (FAQ) Updated
bulletin-1 - Equipment List and Roster 
Bulletin-1 revised

Transportation:
Reno is the closest major airport.
  (There is a small airport at Mammoth Lakes)
  Google directions from the reno Reno airport to the packers station. About 5  hrs.

Directions from Bishop to the Packers Station near North Lake:
About 30 min.
From Bishop head west on CA-168 W/W Line St for 18 mi.
Turn right (north) on N Lake Rd. 1.6 mi
Turn right toward packers station 0.1 mi
Google map

We highly recommend that people stay overnight at the packers station (9,000 ft. elevation) Saturday night to get acclimatized. Their contact information is:
Bishop Pack Outfitters 760 873-4785 - 247 Cataract Rd. Aspendell, CA

If you try to go from sea level over Piute pass at 11,500 you risk getting altitude sickness. [The atmospheric pressure at 11,500' is 2/3 that of sea level] We will set up camp Sat. PM then go back to Bishop for dinner at a restaurant.
The first official meal on the trip will be Sunday AM.

Day 1 Hike Map.

Humphreys Basin Map.

Jim's pictures at (coyotetrackadventures.shutterfly.com/humphreysbasin)

Hikes/Activities:

Hikes:
Short hikes and swimming at nearby lakes:
Packsaddle Lake,  1.5 miles
Many other local lakes
Day hikes:
Distance is round trip except *
Hike Dist Elev
Boulder scrambling near Pilot Knob 9 12,245
Wahoo Lakes, Muriel Lake, and Goethe Cirque 6 12,000
Alpine Col, upper Goethe Lake, the Keyhole.   12,200
Lower Desolation Lake 511,200
Overnight option:
Desolation Lake 3.5* 11,400
Fishing (requires California fishing license)

Reference:

USGS 7.5: Mt. Darwin and Mt. Tom
Inyo National Forest Map
Mono Divide High Country Trail Map at Tom Harrison Maps
High Altitude Guide
Acute Mountain Sickness (Altitude Sickness)
Introduction to California Plant Life
Trees and Shrubs of California
Sierra Nevada Wildflowers

Weather:
  Usually dry, but short thunder showers may occur in the afternoon.
  Av Temperature Aug:  Hi - 68°; Low - 46°
  Temperature can get below freezing at night.
  
  Virginia Lakes  is at 9,400 ft NE of Yosemite. 
See annual chart.
The following links to useful information on the Sierra Club Web site was included in the approval form page.
Links:

Southern Sierra Nevada
Return to California Basecamp trips

last updated 14 June 2009