With this trip, I retired my old hiking boots and started with new. My boots are Altra Lone Peak, which is the only brand I’ve found that offers a wide toebox that my feet require. The old lasted a little over three years, since June 2021, not bad. The soles were more worn that the tops, but both were done. Altra has saved my hiking, as any boot without a wide toebox causes me great pain, and the one other common brand with wide toebox just doesn’t work for my feet.
The purpose of the trip was mainly trail condition survey. I often do that early in the season, but didn’t get to it this summer. Conditions for the trails I did are listed below. I went in at Granite Chief Trail (after enjoying Bluesday at Palisades Tahoe), then south on the PCT. The number of PCT hikers has dropped off, but there are still some going, either late starts or flip-flopping.
I was curious about rerouting of the Tevis Cup Trail, a project which started last summer and will continue through next summer. A CCC (California Conservation Corps) trail crew is base-camped at Little Needle Lake, and working from near the PCT to the west. The reroute is in varying stages, ranging from just sketched out enough to follow from being walked on by the trail crew repeatedly, to essentially complete. Several rock outcrops near the east end had just been blasted the day before, leaving a mess that requires a lot of reconstruction. The crew has worked as far west as a small seasonal creek, which will probably be the only water source on the rerouted trail. Though the trail route has been flagged through to its connection with the old trail, somewhere, I did not follow beyond the existing work, but I’m guessing a little more than half of the reroute has at least been started. This will be a very nice trail when completed! As I’ve written before, the Tevis Cup Trail design was horrible, gaining and losing altitude repeatedly, often for no apparent reason. I don’t recommend that you try to follow the new trail until the end of next summer, I do encourage you to enjoy it when finished.
A Great Basin Institute trail crew was working on the cross-trail between the PCT and Tevis Cup, which I call the Tevis connector though it is not clear what its official name and number is. They are camped at the flats beside the Middle Fork. Because the reroute crosses the slope of Lyon Ridge much higher than the old trail, several new switchbacks are being worked to bring it up to that level. If you follow the old trail west from the PCT, the obvious worked trail will take you all the way down to the Middle Fork. The junction with the old trail is marked by a rock wrapped with flagging, but could be easy to miss.
Knotweed is brilliant fall color right now, bright to pale red, and occasionally yellow and orange. It paints the west slopes below Wa-she-shu Peak with color, mixed in with other plants of fall color. Some of the wooley mules ears fields are browned out, while others are mix of green and yellow. Though few things are still flowering, the California fuschia at lower elevations are striking red.
All my previous trips I had been sleeping under clouds, or smoke, or trees, but I had a full view of the sky with only a crescent moon to obscure. I have to admit I’ve forgotten a lot of constellations, but the night starts with the summer triangle overhead, and ends with Orion up in the east, and Jupiter.
I was going to do a loop out the Tevis Cup Trail to Talbot Creek Trail and back in on the Western States Trail in Picayune Valley, but realized I really didn’t want to deal with the old trail, and never will have to again. So I headed south on the PCT to Whiskey Creek Camp, and then west on the Western States Trail (which is called the Historical Western States Trail on some maps, I guess to distinguish it from the Western States Trail run on the Tevis Cup trail. Picayune is one of my favorite places in the wilderness, and I spent two nights there. Hiked out the trailhead one day, recording trail conditions, and lolled by the creek as much as possible.
The rain last week, while I was home, perked up three ferns that grow among the metamorphic rocks in Picayune Valley: cliff-brake, lace, and indian dream.
My ambition was to come back and do the Shanks Cove loop up the ridge and back down to Five Lakes Creek below Big Spring Meadows. But ambition failed me, and I stayed a night at Whiskey Creek Camp.
I hiked out Squaw Saddle Trail (has it been renamed?) and Five Lakes Trail to the trailhead. I walked the Bear Creek Trail towards River Ranch, planning to sleep part way along. But there are only two flat spots along the entire trail, one by the water tank and another on a bald hillock. But I noticed the hillock was covered with bicycle tracks, and I suddenly had a vision of being run over by night-riding bicyclists (which has become popular in the Tahoe area), and I had already passed the tank, so I walked all the way out to the stables and then bottom of Alpine Meadows road and camped by the river. I was surprised to see how many creeklets cross this trail, including at least three that are probably year-round. But the creeklets are all east of the water tank sleeping area.
While on this trip I finally identified the low shrub that I had been working on the Powderhorn Trail. It is snowberry, Symphoricarpos. It spreads by sending out runners that root. Sometimes across the trail, and those runners age to an almost unbreakable trip-wire, which is part of the reason I try to get it out by the roots, and cut it back if I can’t. On my earlier trip, the white berries were not there, but now they are, so I was able to identify. On the plus side, there was a patch of the gooseberry without spiny fruits around the old wilderness info sign at the beginning of the Tevis Cup Trail. Hmm, delicious.
There is a new trailhead map at the Talbot trailhead. It has the extended wilderness boundary on the northwest (lands purchased by the American River Conservancy), the new name Wa-she-shu, and a few other details. Unfortunately, it still shows the Buckeye Trail, off the Hell Hole Trail, which is essentially unfindable.
I finally figured out why my hips have been hurting this entire season. The waist belt on my Osprey Atmos 50 AG backpack has velcro attachments between the hip belt and the waist belt. On one side, the velcro no longer holds where it is supposed to, so the waist belt no longer cinches as tight as it should. So the pack was riding low on my hips and causing pressure with every stride. It also explains why I was more and more holding onto and pulling in on the shoulder straps, trying to pull the pack up off my hips. Though these are called hip belts, they are meant to go above the hips, to ride on top of the pelvis and not on the hips. I will have to get that fixed during my late fall slow backpacking time.
Trail Conditions
- Granite Chief Trail (15E23): good condition, one 9 inch down tree, could use spot brushing; adopted by Truckee Trails
- PCT south to Tevis: good condition, one 6 inch, some debris*
- Tevis Cup Trail (16E04): see notes above, old trail unacceptable, new reroute not complete
- Tevis Connector: good condition
- Little Needle Trail: This is not marked on maps and was formerly just a seldom used and hard to follow hunters trail, but with the CCC trail crew camps at the lake, it is now easy to follow.
- PCT south to Whiskey Creek Trail: good condition, five down but all easy to step over or bypass, some debris
- Whiskey Creek Trail: good condition, except broken tree fragments at the bottom
- Western States Trail (16E10): to Shanks Trail, 16 down trees, some very brushy areas, moderate debris; to Talbot trailhead, about 30 down (forgot to record), some brushy areas, some areas of moderate debris; most of the down trees have established bypasses or can be stepped over/climbed over, but some newly fallen are difficult; though there are a lot of down trees on this trail, it is still worth walking or backpacking; the trail sign at the junction of Western States and Shanks is broken and down, but still readable
- PCT south to Squaw Saddle Trail: good condition, one down tree, well brushed
- Squaw Saddle Trail (if it is still called that): good condition
- Five Lakes Trail to Alpine Meadows Trailhead: good condition, could use spot brushing
Trails not checked so far this season:
- Shanks Trail
- Greyhorse Taril
- Hell Hole Trail
- Talbot Creek Trail
*debris: I used to call this winter debris, the branches and cones that fall out of the trees during the winter, but since if falls year-round now from dead trees, I’m calling it debris.
Photos on Flickr:
- Album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/allisondan/albums/72177720320219684
- Granite Chief Wilderness Collection: https://www.flickr.com/photos/allisondan/collections/72157637640215275/
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Nice reports! Thanks! It looks like from reading some of your reports that my route later this summer might be possible. Would you mind giving feedback? I plan to start at Olympic Valley and head down the Painted Rock trail and then at The Cedars travers over to French Meadows and up the Picayune Valley to Shanks Cove. From there hit Five Lakes Creek trail and head south to the Powderhorn Creek trail into Barker Meadows. From what I gather the only poor trail is along Five Lakes trail with many downed trees. I don’t mind minor bushwhacking nor downed trees. But I really want to avoid getting slashed by vegetation as I will be with my dog. Thank you for your attention. Jim: jimhorning@gmail.com
Of your route, I think what will be the big challenge is the Painted Rock trail. I have not been on that trail in years, but when I was, it was overgrown with willow and alder in the wet areas, not maintained at all. Unless someone has adopted it, it will likely be worse. The lower trail, from northeast of Painted Rock, is more open and should be OK. The route to The Cedars goes through private property, but use seems to be accepted.
I took a look at the uppermost part of Painted Rock Trail. The trail junction sign is broken but readable. The trail as far as the crossing of Middle Fork American is followable with a close eye. I did not go beyond that. The trail gets little use, none so far this season. There are more trees down this year, on all of the trails.
Wait, I’m a bit confused. Powderhorn flows. Five Lakes is dry by hell hole trail. Hell hole trail crosses just above Powderhorn. Five Lakes also is flowing at a higher elevation. Is that accurate? Is it basically just a mixed bag of flowing and stagnant/dried up all throughout? I have a 10L water bag, so I can camel hard if needed.
Also, is there a common radio frequency or emergency frequency people use there? I’m considering bringing a radio. Not sure it’s actually going to be useful at all, or if it could receive weather broadcasts in the canyons. Any advice?
Five Lakes Creek dries at the Hell Hole Trail crossing because it is a wide flood plain area, and people seeing that think Five Lakes Creek is dry, but in fact it flows upstream and downstream.
I don’t know anything about radio frequency reception. I do know that there is no cell service except along the main ridge and much though not all of the PCT. Below the ridge, none.
Alright. Thank you very much again.
Here’s a custom map I made of the area, maybe it will be of some use to you, only thing I can think to give in exchange, replace the [dot]: https://file [dot] io/rf1nx4Zwwecb
Hello, if you do a report for September, could you let me know how the creeks are fairing, in terms of level, or if they’re bone dry? I have a trip planned through the eastern section of GCW in early October and am a bit worried it might be parched. Thank you!
I have another trip post coming, but to answer your water question: creek from Granite Chief meadow/Wa She Shu Creek headwaters should be fine, though the creek is dry at Palisades Tahoe. Middle Fork American is low but flowing. Whiskey Creek is very low but not dry. Five Lakes Creek will be very low at PCT, better below. Springs in North Fork Blackwood Creek along PCT/TRT will be low but not dry. Most creeklets dried long ago, but surprisingly a few are still flowing.
Awesome, thanks a ton. That’s very helpful. I’ll be heading along both forks of five lakes creek and powderhorn, my primary concern. If I’m reading you right, it seems there will at least be water along some of that stretch. Good to know.
Powderhorn Creek will be low but flowing. Five Lakes Creek dry at Hell Hole Trail crossing, but flowing above.