Panther Gap, May 2006: Sequoia National Park

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May backpacking trips to above 9000 feet are always epic. Trouble is, there are only a few spots in the Sierra Nevada accesible to this altitude. You can go to the Desolation wilderness above Tahoe, but the elevation there is significantly lower that in the Southern Sierra's near Sequoia and Kings Canyon. After much thought, we decided on Panther Gap, a forested ridge on the rim of the 8000 foot deep Kaweah River Canyon. The trailhead is from Wolverton, just south of Lodgepole. According the rangers the trail was snow free, but this was hardly the case. 4 miles of soggy feet and hard hiking through the snow later, we arrived at the ridge. We were surrounded in mist and fog, and light snow. We made camp. The next morning though, the majestic splendor of the site was in full view. We took a day hike up the High Sierra Trail to the Alta Peak Junction where we were stopped by snow drifts. It was a fantastic trip as Memorial Day trips always are.

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Photos

The Group Before we Started
Stephen, Amanda, Laura, Jeff, Karen, Brian

The Kaweah River Canyon
The Kaweah River falls from 13,000 feet to 1000 feet in only 25 miles- a vertical challenge that takes the Colorado River 1000 miles to do!

The Trail
Supposedly "Snow Free" according to the Rangers

Snow Free Trail
We soon discovered just how snow free the trail really was.