A while back when trying to come up with backpacking trips for my friends and I to try this summer I came across something called the Big Seki Loop. 154 miles of High Sierra goodness that looped around right back to the same parking lot. Since you have to carry your food on your back and in a bear canister in the Sierra, and since there is nowhere to resupply with food on the route this meant an 8 or nine day trip at most. Most of my friends said it sounded too ambitious. One did not.
We set out on the 18th of July with the intent of picking up our permits that day and beginning on the 19th. On our way we picked up a hitchhiker near Grants grove. She was clearly a backpacker and among backpackers it is good form to give rides to/ from trailheads and towns. She turned out to be a super epic backpacker trail-named "wired" Her blog is here: http://walkingwithwired.com/ She has done the PCT, AT, CDT, Hayduke, GDT, HST, HSR etc.. etc.. She told us that she had left the same traihead we were about to start 1 month ago. Her advice was to see if there were any permits for that day and start the hike about 4 miles in to a nice camp that evening when we would be in the shade. This turned out to be excellent advice. We thanked her, she thanked us. We dropped her off at her car, picked up our permits for that day (not a popular trailhead because of a reputation for super steep and hot). We started up the trail at about 5pm and it was perfect.
 |
| Deer Standing right on the trail the first night. |
 |
| Our water source at camp. |
 |
| Looking East down the canyon. |
 |
| Looking west. |
The next morning we had to walk another 3,000ft up to Granite Pass. It is an incredibly beautiful and sparsely used portion of the park. We didn't see more than 2 people for the first 5 hours of the day.
 |
| Granite Basin and Granite Lake |
 |
| Looking south from granite pass. |
The climb that day had taken us up to 10.6kft. I was really huffing and puffing by the time I reached Granite pass. I was probably a bit dehydrated too because I was a bit dizzy so we rested and ate and drank. The rest of the day was almost all downhill and another ~16 miles. We set out and the mosquitos were incredibly thick. Stopping to filter water meant being eaten alive. We passed through a ton more beautiful country.
We arrived at Simpson meadow ~20 miles later after doing about 3,000 ft up and 6,000 ft down. This downhill had really taken an effect on Dylans knees.
We found a great camp, set up and sat down. I ate but Dylan didn't have much of an appetite. That night around 10pm (well after we'd gone to bed) huge footfalls and breaking branch sounds right next to our camp awoke us accompanied by a cowbell. By the time I got up, found my headlamp, and got out of the tent there was a guy in our camp with his headlamp right in my face and HUGE horses walking right past my tent. (One of them had a bell on so that the owner could find it the next morning). Apparently the owners of the horses had set them lose to graze that night and they had decided to come right through our camp. TOTALLY UNRELATED, a guy who was still hiking at 10pm by headlamp was off trail in our camp and wanted to sleep nearby. The horses wandered off, the guy found nowhere to lie down and they all left. We eventually went back to sleep.
The next day we woke up with the plan to go ~17 miles and 5,000ft up to the Palisade Lakes. The day started out beautifully.
 |
Once we crossed the above bridge we entered the North Fork of the Kings River canyon. Apparently almost NO ONE ever uses this trial because it was essentially a bushwack up a steep river canyon for 8 miles. It was slow, really tiring, and again REALLY pretty.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Nice spot for lunch. |
 |
| Where we were headed. |
 |
| Near the John Muir trail junction. |
At the end of the North Fork trail we had to cross Palisade creek. There used to be a bridge there but it washed away enough times that the park service wasn't keen on replacing it anymore so hikers just have to walk through a strong fast moving creek. It was a bit sketchy but we made it and joined up with the JMT (John Muir trail). Things immediately got really crowded and the trail was clear and fast. We joined up right before something called the "golden staircase". Any trail called "staircase" lets you know what you are in for. It was 4pm. the sun was strong and we had to go up 2kft in 1.5 miles. I WAS DYING. I consider myself a pretty strong hiker but at that time of day, in the heat, at that altitude after 15 miles of really hard trail already covered I was taking 100 steps then resting, 100 more, rest, etc... Eventually we made it up and set up camp next to the lovely Palisade Lakes.
 |
| Where the rocks turn more golden is the "Golden Staircase" |
 |
| At the top of the staircase 1 of the 2 lakes in the foreground and tomorrows pass in the back. |
 |
| Where we set up camp for the night. |
We set up camp in a pretty spot, sat down to eat and I was starving, Dylan still had NO appetite. He pulled off his knee braces and his mosquito bites had turned into infected puss filled boils. We had both had our tails whipped that day and he suggested we think about getting out of the loop early. We went to bed with the agreement that we would see how we felt tomorrow and talk about it then (never decide to quit at your lowest moment)
The next morning we woke up and had to climb Mather Pass at 12,100 ft. A little less than 1,750 ft in 2 miles.
I ate great! Felt Great! Walked like I was floating on air! Finally I had gotten my trail legs!!!! Optimism abounded!!! ....
Dylan did not.... he still couldn't eat. He was tired going up. We made it in the cool morning air pretty quickly up to the top.
 |
| Top of Mather pass. 12,100ft |
 |
| Where we were headed. The amazing Upper Basin. |
We had a snack and cruised down the trail after Mather pass into the Upper Basin it was a highlight of the trip.
When we sat for lunch Dylan mentioned he still wasn't feeling up to it. He suggested we take it easy that day in hopes that he would recover. We decided on Lake Marjorie as our camp spot for the day. I was secretly hoping that this tact would work but I knew it meant we'd be WAY behind schedule and it probably meant doom to the idea of covering the whole loop.
Lake Marjorie was lovely.
 |
| With Crater Mountain reflection |
 |
| Alpenglow. |
 |
| The water was naturally this pale blue color. |
 |
| Those rings are from 3 inch little trout that started jumping in the evening and morning. |
Again we went to bed suggesting that we would see how we felt the next morning but his bites had gotten worse and his appetite was still non existent. I could see the writing on the wall.
We woke up the next morning and climbed Pinchot Pass 12,300ft with no problem at all.
The trail down seemed to beat Dylans knees. By the time we reached the Woods Creek bridge and junction with a trail back to the car I had run through it all in my head. He was sitting there on a log with a map out and asked what I wanted to do. There was another out that we could take in a few more days
"IF I really wanted to push it..."
I DID want to push it. I've wanted to see the Rae Lakes and Fin Dome for a long time
BUT,
I knew he wanted out and didn't want to say it directly so I agreed that we should head back to the car. We had already walked 8 miles that day. The car was 17 miles away and I figured we could stay 1 more night somewhere. I had wanted to see the Woods Creek Bridge for a long time also. It's a 1 person at a time swinging wooded suspension bridge.
Since it was right there I crossed it twice just for fun.
 |
| Notice the bridge flexing and swinging. |
It was going to be all downhill to the car. We saw lots of people out on the famous Rae Lakes Loop.
The trail was good and fast. it was all downhill and soon he mentioned that at this pace we could make it out to the car by 7pm. Home by 1am. I knew what that meant too. It meant he wanted out now. It was going to be a 25 mile day but we could do it. I agreed.
The alternate that we had taken to get back to the car was the trail past Mist Falls. The hike we used to take as a family. The falls were much different now. There were downed trees everywhere. The waterfall was really hard to get to. I wanted to preserve something from the day so I made us stop briefly.
I even tried to find the spot we took our famous family photo from.
 |
| One normal. The light is different and the angle but I think this was the exact spot. |
 |
| One trying to act tired and slouched like in the original. |
We made it back to the car by 7:30. Out to In-n-Out in Visalia for post hike burgers and then home by about 1:30am.
The truth is I was feeling great by day 4 and I am more than a little disappointed in how the whole thing went down. I don't blame Dylan at all and I'm sure we made the right decision to get out considering his knees and bites and lack of appetite. All of those signs very clearly pointed to getting out. I just feel like it was 1/2 of an epic trip and it's not easy to get to the places we were going to go so trying to find time to get there again is going to be difficult. A missed opportunity.
In good news I might've found a way to sneak in a much smaller trip to the Sierras in the next few weeks before I start work again.
In case you're interested. This is what we managed to do.
76.54 miles in 4.5 days.
15,000ft +/- elevation total
RTSZAW
