Let’s cap off the Sierra summer with a late-season charge over Kearsarge Pass into the headwaters of Bubbs Creek. Forgoing car camping and its horrors, we’ll immediately hit the trail after our drive from Los Angeles, spending the waning light of late afternoon on a short hike to our camp at a jewel-like lake, our first of three nights on the trail. Our second and third days will take us over the pass into the deeper backcountry around Bullfrog Lake, Vidette Meadow, and the Kearsarge Pinnacles.

This will be a very strenuous backpack, covering nearly thirty miles in four days at a purposeful pace over challenging terrain at high altitude, so this trip is suitable only for experienced backpackers in very good shape. Signup preference will be given to GayOutdoors “Full Members”. Estimated per-person cost of $88 (wilderness permit, shared carpool gas & mileage) must be pre-paid and will be refunded only if the leader cancels for any reason or if a replacement signup is found. THIS IS IN NO WAY A PROFESSIONALLY GUIDED OR HOSTED TRIP. All costs, including park entrance and permit fees, will be shared pro-rata and at-cost, without profit margin or markup. This is a consciously low-impact outing, so carpool participation is required; signup spots 5-6 are conditional upon availability of a second driver.

This trip is strictly dependent upon a favorable weather forecast. A National Weather Service forecast of either thunderstorms or winter weather within 72 hours of our start will cancel or re-route this trip at the sole discretion of the leader, as will fewer than four confirmed signups as of Saturday, September 15. This trip will be by individual commissary, and we’re not planning any shared meals, so please plan to provide your own four-day supply of food.

Ample free multi-day parking is available at the Larry Zarian Transportation Center in Glendale (San Fernando Rd. x Brand Boulevard), where we’ll meet up at 12:00pm (SHARP!) on Thursday, September 20, 2012 in preparation for our long (4-hour) drive to the trailhead.