Moderate Backpack South Fork Lakes Xerox Mountaineering & Backpacking Club ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Eastern Sierra Friday - Sunday, June 26-28, 1992 Brief: A moderate two-night backpack to South Fork Lakes in the John Muir Wilderness starting at Horseshoe Meadow out of Lone Pine. Somewhat on the easy side of moderate, this will be a 10 mile round trip with an elevation gain of approximately 1,500 ft. Trail head elevation is 9,600 ft, trail camp elevation will be at approximately 11,100 ft. (the elevation gain appears to be fairly evenly spread out). What: The trail begins with a gentle ascent through a dense stand of lodgepole and foxtail pine. We follow Cottonwood Creek for about 2 miles to Golden Trout Camp, and then another 2 mile to the Cottonwood Lakes basin. My plan is to continue a little further to look for a nice site on the west end of the westernmost of the South Fork Lakes. There will be an optional dayhike Saturday, at least over New Army Pass (12,200'), but I would like to attempt Mt. Langley (14,042'). Round trip distance from camp to the pass should be around 4 miles, to Mt. Langley around 11. When: We will depart from the Cottonwood Creek trailhead (not Cottonwood Pass - that's a completely different trail) at around 9:00 am Friday morning, it is strongly advised that you arrive Thursday night to acclimatize to the altitude. There are camp sites available near the trail head. We should arrive at our trail camp by early afternoon. Return to the trailhead is planned for early afternoon Sunday. Who: This hike is open to XMBC members and their guests. There is space for a total of six persons on the permit, so reservations and leader approval are required. There is a wilderness permit reservation fee of $3.00 per person. Reservations will be accepted on a first come basis. Weather: Expect night temperatures around or below freezing, there may still be some snow cover. Thunder or snow storms are always a possibility. I will be checking back with the weather service to get an update on weather conditions prior to the hike. Misc: An encounter with bears is a possibility, you MUST bring at least 50' of rope and stuff sacks to hang your food using the counter balance method. A bell or other suitable bear-raid-alarm device could be a good idea. Also, be prepared for wet conditions such as stream crossings and snow-melt runoff. Topo Maps: Cirque Peak, USGS 7.5' series (provisional ed. 1988), optional: Mt. Langley, USGS 7.5' series (1982). For reference, the 15' maps are Olancha (1956) and Lone Pine (1958). Directions: Take US 395 north to Lone Pine. Head west on Whitney Portal Road for 3.2 miles to Horseshoe Meadows Road. The Horseshoe Meadows Road goes south, passes Granite View Drive after 2.0 miles and comes to a gate 4.7 miles later. The road starts to climb via a few huge switchbacks and comes to the trailhead for the Cottonwood Lakes/New Army Pass Trail after another 13.0 miles. The road continues another 0.3 mile to Horseshoe Meadows, with its campgrounds, and the trailhead for Cottonwood Pass. Drive time from the south bay is approximately 5 hours. Reservations: To make reservations or if you would like more information, contact Randy Ortland at 805/962-6332 (work), 805/966-9422 (home), or E-mail: <71620.2666@compuserve.com>.