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- Comparison of SGT and SHR
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Definitions
of abbreviations - SGT is the Sierra Grand Traverse (our route along
the range), SHR is the Sierra High Route (sometimes called Ropers High
Route).
Whats shared
To begin with, one third of the Sierra
Grand Traverse follows sections of the SHR. In particular, most of the
route between Lake Virginia and Humphreys Basin (Carol Col) is shared
between the two routes. As two thirds of our 200 mile route is
different, it is significantly different to deserve its own title rather
than be called a variation of the SHR.
For
those who have walked
the SHR, it is possible to vary some of the shared route. One
alternative route is to skip the Bear Lakes Basin, this is a very scenic
alternative that we checked in 2019. From Toe Lake, climb to and cross
Italy Pass to Granite Park (very scenic). Follow the trail to grid
reference 444342 (just before a small lake beside the creek), head
south climbing to a small tarn on the ridge above (has good views of
area) then
an easy climb southwest leads through the Class 1 Royce Pass to Royce
Lakes. Follow the lake chain south then head east to Pine Creek Pass
then follow trails to Elba Lake to either rejoin the SGT there or cross
Star Pass to rejoin the SGT in Humphreys Basin. It is also possible to
simply stay on the trail from Granite Park to Honeymoon Lake
then Pine Creek
Pass but that is a less remote and also a less scenic option as the
small lake and Royce Lakes are very scenic. Honeymoon Lake
is surrounded by forest and provides limited views of the surrounding
area.
Passes
The
SHR crosses 35 passes while the SGT crosses 41 passes. While the
SGT crosses a few more passes, in this aspect it is not
significantly different in character to the SHR
Lake Basins
The
big difference is the number of lake basins passed through, the SHR
passes through 17 lake basins while the SGT passes through 28 lake
basins, significantly more. Of the 17 the SHR passes through, 12 are
also part of the SGT. We deliberately sited our route to pass through
as many lake basins that were on or above the tree line as we could while
remaining reasonably close to the highest sections of the range.
Total Length
The
SHR is 195 miles long, the SGT is 200 miles long, essentially the same.
As the SGT crosses more passes and spends a bit more time off trails,
compared to the SHR it is suggested to allow a few extra days to
complete the SGT.
Route selection - Dusy Basin to Kearsarge Lakes
We
had two choices, one was to follow the SHR to Palisade Lakes, over
Mather Pass on the JMT then stay east of the JMT and follow a series of
small passes and saddles through the highest peaks on the divide
through to Taboose Pass, Baxter Pass then into the Keasarge lakes area.
This route is not all that logical as it winds a lot crossing multiple
passes (some of them difficult) with a lot of scree and passes
only
a couple of lakes or small tarns. Yes it is high but not overly
scenic. We instead choose a much more direct route from Dusy Basin by
heading
south crossing three valleys and passing through a series of
high, very scenic
lake basins, namely Dumbbell Lakes, Lake Basin, Bench Lake, Window Lake
and Sixty Lake Basin. In terms of direction, our route is also logical
as it is an almost
staright line across the range to Kearsarge Lakes area. The basins
passed through are some of the
prettiest in the entire range.
Snail Mail Address
John Chapman, PO Box 5042, Laburnum, 3130, Australia
Photographs and text are copyright © 2016-2023 John Chapman.
Last updated : January 21st 2023