Sierra High Route Day 5: Veins of the Earth/Masses of Passes

We have a big day today with at least seven miles off trail over four passes. Then we connect to and hike out the Bishop Pass trail to Parcher’s Resort for another 5 miles for our resupply and zero day. Parcher’s Resort is 1.2 miles down the road from the Bishop Pass trailhead so it is convenient for us to resupply there and get back on the trail after a zero day. We dropped off resupply buckets before the trip at Parcher’s Resort but could have resupplied in Bishop as there is a shuttle service that takes people from Bishop to both the Bishop Pass trail at South Lake and the Piute Pass trail at North Lake. We need to get to Parcher’s Resort by 6pm if we want to get our resupply buckets tonight.

So we are off to another early start. Both Ray and I prefer hiking the hours from 6am to 9am as it is cool and the lighting is usually phenomenal, especially in the Sierras. We are only 400 feet below Cirque Pass at —- feet so work our way up granite ramps and get to the top of Cirque Pass well before 7am.

The lake between Cirque and Potluck Pass is unnamed but leaves its mark on us as the reflection glows with the reality of another world. I feel like I have entered an alternate space, caught on the sharp edge between light and dark. Ray takes a few amazing pictures in this area.

Soon we are working our way up the second pass of the day, Potluck Pass. Up a talus slope to the left and than across granitic ramps to the right to gain the top. Roper gives pretty good general instruction for these passes.

The next pass is only 1/2 mile away and we don’t lose or gain much elevation to get there. It is an easy one: Inconspicuous Pass. Then we drop down into Barrett Lake and leave the Sierra High Route as we head toward Thunderbolt Pass, our fourth pass of the day. This is an alternate route that will take us to the Bishop Pass Trail so we can hike out to Parcher’s Resort.

Thunderbolt Pass is easy to hike up from the south side and is well named. Dark magnesium-rich igneous rock is criss-crossed with dikes of lighter, more granite-like material. These “white streaks” look like lightning has been frozen into the rocks. The violent story of another time.

On the other side of Thunderbolt Pass is a massive boulder field. Ray and I slow down through this part – boulder hopping doesn’t happen fast.