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High Sierra multi-camp backpacking trip ideas Posted on January 07, 2024 00:24:39.

High Sierra Multi-Camp Backpacking Trip Ideas
Updated 1/6/2024
All are acceptable, but listed in Bob's order of preference

1a.) Nine Lake Basin from Mineral King

Spend the night before camping at Mineral King
8 days, 7 nights, 3 layovers. Lots of climbing. Sequoia NP.
Start at Mineral King 7,827'
Night 1 Monarch Lakes 10,389' 2.8 mi +2,411'
Night 2 Big Five Lakes 9,839' 6.9 mi +2,179' -2,956'
Nights 3-6 at heart-shaped lake in Nine Lake Basin 10,459' 7.0 mi +1,082' -1,148'
Day hike ideas (pick 3):
around Nine Lake Basin
Triple Divide Peak 12,634' south ridge class 3 5 mi round trip +2,175' (or over to Lion Lake)
Kaweah Queen 13,382' northwest ridge class 3 4.8 mi round trip +2,923'
Black Kaweah 13,765' via west ridge class 3 5 mi round trip +3,037'
Note: if Red Kaweah or Mount Kaweah are desired, stop at Old Big Arroyo Patriot Cabin instead of Nine Lakes Basin, or on the way.
Red Kaweah 13,720' west face class 3 from Old Big Arroyo Patriot Cabin 5.0 mi +3,970", a lot of climb
Mount Kaweah 13,802' south slopes class 1 from Old Big Arroyo Patriot Cabin is 9.0 mi +4,070', a lot of climb and distance
Night 7 bottom of Lost Canyon 9,573' 8.9 mi +1,048' -2,446'
Exit 7.8 mi +2,096' -3,790'
Total Pack 33.4 mi +/-5,672'
Spend the night after at a hotel in Visalia

1b.) Nine Lake Basin from Cresent Meadow

8 days, 7 nights, 3 layovers. Moderate. Sequoia NP.
Spend the night before camping or in a lodge in the main section of Sequoia NP
Start at Crescent Meadow 6,754'
Night 1 Bearpaw Meadow 7,863' 9.6 mi +1,100'
Night 2 Hamilton Lakes 8,242' 3.0 mi +800'
Nights 3-6 at heart-shaped lake in Nine Lake Basin 10,459' 3.0 mi +2,411' -225'
See Nine Lake Basin from Mineral King above for day hike ideas.
if Red Kaweah or Mount Kaweah are desired, camp down at Old Big Arroyo Patriot Cabin instead of Nine Lakes Basin.
Night 7 Bearpaw Meadow 7,863' 6.0 mi +525' -3,211'
Exit 9.4 mi -1,100'
Total pack 31.2 mi +/-4,311'
Spend the night after in the park either camping with showers or in a lodge, or at a hotel in Fresno

2.) Goddard Canyon

7 days, 6 nights, 3 layovers. Long. John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon NP.
Start at Florence Lake 7,333'. Take ferry across.
Night 1 Confluence of Piute Creek and South Fork San Joaquin River 8,077' 9.5 mi +700'
Nights 2-5 Martha Lake 11,007' 10.7 mi +2,930'
Day hike over Hell for Sure pass on trail
Day hike to Davis Lake or Ionian Basin
Day Hike to Mount Goddard 13,300' SW ridge class 2 3 mi round trip +2,293'
Night 6 confluence of Piute Creek and South Fork San Joaquin River 8,077' 10.7 mi -2,930'
Exit to Florence Lake fery 9.5 mi -700'
Total pack 40.6 mi +/-3,630'

3.) Upper Kern Basin Shuttle

8 days, 7 nights, 2 layovers. Longest and most climb. Shuttle cars 48 miles or get taxi. Golden Trout Wilderness, John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia NP.
Start at Cottonwood Creek trailhead 9,700'
Night 1 Cottonwood Lake 4 11,066' 5.0 mi +1,366'
Night 2 over New Army Pass to lake SW of The Major General 10,814' 6.2 mi +1,245' -1,497'
Nights 3,4 Crabtree Meadow 10,363' 9.2 mi +1,321' -1764'
Day hike to Crabtree Lakes 6.8 mi round trip +974'
a.) Nights 5,6 lake east of Tawny Point in Wright Lakes Basin 11,138' 6.6 mi +1,707' -935'; includes 2 mi +741' off trail
Day hike up Mount Tyndall 14,018' up southwest slopes class 2 5.4 mi round trip +2,880'
Night 7 over 11,884' Shepherd Pass to Mahogany Flat 9,188' 10.1 mi +1,348 -3,297
Exit to Shepherd Pass trailhead 5.4 mi +643' -4,085'
Total pack 42.5 mi +7,630' -11,578'
b.) Instead of climbing Mount Tyndall, hike to lake just north where Milestone Creek joins the Kern River and day hike 13,666' Midway Mountain class 2 east ridge
c.) Do both in a 10 day trip

4.) Lake Italy Shuttle

6 days, 5 nights, 2 layovers. Shorter but even more climb. John Muir Wilderness.
Start from the Lake Edison ferry 7,651'. Note that 2020 Creek Fire burned just north of there.
Night 1 Bear Creek along PCT at junction with Lake Italy trail 9,363' 8.0 mi +2,814' -1,127'
Nights 2-4 Lake Italy 11,204' 5.1 mi +2,048' -233'
Day hikes: class to high 13ers Mt. Gabb, Mt. Abbot and Mt. Dade via Gabbot Pass.
Night 5 over Seldon Pass to Salley Keyes Lakes 10.7 mi +1,792' -2,755'
Exit Florence Lake ferry 7,336' 8.1 mi +485' -3,114'
Total pack 23.8 mi +6,654' -7,229'
Shuttle 2 cars 12.4 miles

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Kaweahs Posted on January 06, 2024 23:02:23.

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bike trails Posted on December 31, 2023 16:54:01.

Bike Trails
Paved, >=5 miles
x = done recently (8 out of 32)
12/31/2023

Santa Rosa
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x Prince Memorial Greenway
x Santa Rosa Creek
x Brush Creek
x Howarth Park and Spring Lake

Sonoma County
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x Joe Rodota
West County
SMART: Healdsburg
x Santa Rosa (2 sections)
x Rohnert Park to Cotati
Petaluma

Marin County
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SMART: Burdell
Novato (5 sections)
San Rafael (3 sections)
Richmond Bridge (6 mi)
x Tiburon
Mill Valley - Sausalito

Napa County
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Napa Valley Vine (Napa to Yountville; 12 mi)

East Bay
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Bay Trail: Emeryville to Richmond
Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline (Oakland; 5 mi)
Alameda Creek (Fremont; 11 mi)
Iron Horse (Concord to Pleasanton; 27 mi)
Contra Costa Canal (Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Concord; 13 mi)
Delta de Anza (Pittsburg to Brentwood; 15 mi)
Lafayette - Moraga (Lafayette to Moraga; 7 mi)
Marsh Creek (Brentwood to Oakley; 6 mi)

San Mateo County
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Bay Trail: San Bruno Point
San Mateo
Palo Alto
Crystal Springs (11 mi paved)

Santa Clara County
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Coyote Creek (15 mi)

Northern California
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Monterey Bay Coastal (Castroville to Pacific Grove; 18 mi)
American River Parkway (Sacramento to Folsom; 32 mi)

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Bolt EUV Kirkwood Ski Trip with Topper Dec 2023 Posted on December 27, 2023 19:42:15.

Bolt EUV Kirkwood Ski Trip with Topper and 4 people
Battery still limited to 80% capacity
Dec 18-21 2023

Summary:

3.1 mi/kWh flat and warmer
2.7 kWh/1,000' climb measured
sanity check: it takes about 1.7 kWh to lift 4620 lbs 1,000' so this infers only 65% efficiency from the battery to the wheels
so with brushless DC being ~85% the drive train to the wheels seems lowvbut in the ball park
-2.4 kWh/1000' drop measured
regen doesn't recapture 100% of what is overexpended going uphill

47 kWh available due to 80% factory restriction due to battery recall and lower winter temperatures; 58 kWh est when restrition is lifted.
Yellow light comes on at 34 miles or ~36.4 kWh used, target usage.
Flat usable range estimate 36.4 kWh x 3.2 mi/kWh = 116 miles; better without topper, in summer, and when we get our full capacity back.
Driving 189 miles up 6,047' net to South Lake Tahoe would take ~61 kWh if flat plus ~16.3 more kWh to climb = 77.3 kWh = 2.1x usable range.
Driving 207 miles up 7,500' net to Kirkwood via highway 50 takes ~64.7 kWh if flat plus ~20.3 more kWh to climb = 85 kWh = 2.4x usable range.
Driving straight from Pollack Pines to Kirkwood would be 61.7 miles up 3,710' net would be 19.3 kWh if flat and 10.0 kWh to climb = 29.3 kWh vs. 36.4 kWh usable, 20% margin, assuming we can get over the pass.
To get from Pollack PInes to Carson Pass is 59.3 miles and 4,672' would be 18.5 kWh if flat and 12.6 kWh to climb = 31.1 kWh vs. 36.4 kWh usable, 15% margin to usable, 34% margin to "80%" capacity pack, 47% mrgin for "100%" capacity pack.
Could not make it from Folsom to Kirkwood. It took 22 kWh to get from Folsom to Pollack Pines, but it will take 31.1 kWh to get from Pollack Pines to Carson Pass so this would be 53.1 kWh, much more than the usable 36.4 kWh.
Sacramento to Kirkwood via highway 88 is 101 miles which would be 31.6 kWh if flat and starting 26' the 7,664' climb would take an additional 20.7 kWh, totalling 52.3 kWh vs. 36.4 kWh usable. But level 2 charging for a couple of hours in Jackson that is 56 miles away from Kirkwood and at 1,217' is 6,473' below it, it would take 17.5 kWh if flat plus coincidentally also 17.5 kWh to climb totalling 35 kWh which is just below the 36.4 kWh usable range, so probably could be done but with less margin. But the driving distance is only 20 miles shorter via Jackson and driving time is only 10 minutes shorter, so slow charging would probably add 1-2 hours to the trip, more energy efficient but a lot longer.

Start in Santa Rosa

80% capacity
ODO 42641
170 mi est range
51 degrees
190'

Fairfield

13'

Folsom

Outlets Electrify America
220'
43 mi range est
107.1 mi traveled
23% left
34.1 kWh used
1% climate; was 6% max when heater was set higher
150 mi range calculated
58 degrees
Charged for 25 min from 53 kW down to 43 kW up to 58%, 30 mins left to 80%, 120 mi est range
>> baseline: 3.2 mi/kWh at 30' net climb at ~55 degrees; at 52 kW = 166 mile range nominal vs. 150 calculated, 10% wintertime degradation, so assume 47 kWh available

Pollack Pines

Safeway EVGo
3,980'
44 mi range est
1.7 mi/kWh
37.5 mi traveled
81 mi range calculated
48 degrees
28% left
Starting at 44 kW added 31.56 kWh to est 150 mi range
>> 1.7 mi/kWh at 3,760' net climb at ~47 degrees; at 52 kW = 88 mile range nominal vs. 81 mi calculated, 8% wintertime degradation - may have been running hotter uphill
>> if flat and warmer would have taken 37.5 mi / 3.2 mi/kWh = 11.7 kWh but it took 37.5 mi / 1.7 mi/kWh = 22 kWh so 10.3 extra kWh to go up 3,760' net or 2.8 kWh per 1,000'

Echo Summit

7,377'
19.1 kWh used
35.1 mi from Pollack Pines
1.9 mi/kWh
4% climate

South Lake Tahoe

Big 5
6,237'
44.1 mi from Pollack Pines
20 kWh used from Pollack Pines
2.2 mi/kW from Pollack Pines
5% climate
41 degrees
45% left
est range not recorded
Charged starting at 53 kW up to 76% using 20.66 kWh, 142 mi est range, took 34 min
>> 2.2 mi/kWh at 2,357' net climb at ~45 degrees; at 52 kW = 114 mile range nominal
>> if flat and warmer would have taken 44.1 mi / 3.2 mi/kWh = 13.8 kWh but it took 44.1 mi / 2.2 mi/kWh = 20.0 kWh so 6.2 extra kWh to go up 2,357' net or 2.6 kWh per 1,000', similar to 2.8 kWh estimate above

Luther Pass

7,740', then only slight downhill to 89/88 junction

Carson Pass

8,652'

Kirkwood

7,690'
96 mi est range left
31.6 mi from South Lake Tahoe
2.3 mi/kWh
~55% left
calclated range 127 miles
Plugged in to 120V in garage and charged overnight, was there 3 nights, 141 mile range estimate
>> 2.3 mi/kWh at 1,453' net climb at ~41 degrees; at 52 kW = 119 mile range nominal vs. 141 mile range mi calculated, the final downhill must have messed up the range estimate
>> if flat and warmer would have taken 31.6 mi / 3.2 mi/kWh = 9.88 kWh but it took 31.6 mi / 2.3 mi/kWh = 13.7 kWh so 3.86 extra kWh to go up 1,453' net or 2.7 kWh per 1,000', similar to 2.8 and 2.6 kWh estimates above

Stockton
13'

Altamont Pass

741'
East side 86 mi range 40% xxx90 miles
Top 65 mi range 40% xxx96 miles
West side 66 mi range 35% xxx98 miles

Pleasanton

351'
61 mi range left
29.3 kWh used
5.1 mi/kWh
149.4 mi from Kirkwood
210.4 mile range calculated
60 degrees
1% climate
After charge 165 mi range est 43012 ODO
>> if flat and warmer would have taken 149.1 mi / 3.2 mi/kWh = 46.6 kWh but it took 149.1 mi / 5.1 mi/kWh = 29.2 kWh so 17.4 less kWh to go down 7,339' net or 2.4 kWh per 1,000', a little lower than the 2.6 to 2.8 kWh estimates above, probably due to regen being less efficient than climbing.

Santa Rosa

Only 3 of us; kids drove home vs. Dad drove the rest of the trip
190'
52 mi range
30% left
87.6 mi
3.0 mi/kWh, 6% worse than drive out to Folsom even with 1 less person in the car, possibly due to more agressive driving style of younger drivers
43100 ODO
2% climate

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bike light system Posted on November 08, 2023 23:04:30.

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New Compact EVs 3 Posted on October 26, 2023 00:32:10.

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New Compact EVs 2 Posted on October 26, 2023 00:31:45.

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New Compact EVs 1 Posted on October 26, 2023 00:30:53.

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mid sized rechargeable battery chemistry comparison Posted on October 17, 2023 23:09:16.

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astronomical events Posted on September 30, 2023 21:59:26.

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