August 31, 2014 - Copper Creek Trail

Title: August 31, 2014 - Copper Creek Trail

Trail head: Roads End

Hike Info:

Type:  Hiking

Trail: Copper CreekTrail

Destination: Upper Tent Meadow

Actual Destination: The Lip

Distance: 16.0 miles

Start Time:  7:05am

End Time:   8:30pm

Travel Time: 13:24 (1.19 mph)

Moving Time: 7:22 (2.17 mph)

Elevation Rise: 5,273'

Maximum Elevation: 10,366'

Description:
What a hike! As Fritz says, one vertical mile we climbed today, and he did a little bit more.

We get up at 6 and have breakfast. Sherri has decided to hike over to Mist Falls while we, that is Fritz and I, do our hike up Copper Creek. The last time I have been down, or should I say up, this trail was when my family climbed over from the Middle Fork of the Kings, back in the late 60's or early 70's.

Upper Kings Canyon at Daybreak

We get on the trail just a little after 7. This is good because Kings Canyon promises to be hot today. We are able to start in the shadows. I think the first miles, even though pretty well graded, are the steepest. Traveling at a steady 2 mph pace, we have climbed a thousand feet before we know it. But I am feeling like this will not be maintained all day long. 

A good thing about a climb like this is that you soon see the sides of the canyon. Kings Canyon is one of those places which can only be partially appreciated from the floor. As we climb up the sides we see the Sphinx and Avalanche Peak. Even higher up, we can see the cut which Roaring River passes through.

Fritz and Gary

There are several creeks which still have water in them. I am surprised as I thought even the main creeks like Copper may be dried up. The gurgling sound is always pleasant to the ear, unless it comes from your Camelback, which thankfully it does not today. Someplace after Lower Tent Meadow I start losing gas. I am stopping more often and for longer times. But Fritz is patient with me-I think he enjoys the company. Probably several factors: we are climbing steeply, our pace has been-not obsessive but more than I can now keep up, then because we are going up, we have less oxygen to breath.

Mt Hutchings

We pass a couple SLO women returning from back packing at Upper Tent Meadow. A good conversation. Then when we get to Upper Tent Meadow, we see a couple who will pass us in a few minutes. Friendly folk, besides, talking-and listening, I am able to catch my breath without stopping looking too bad. We sort of leap-frog for a while. They take our pictures and we theirs. Then a day hiker passes us, we find the secret to this trail. We need to be in the Zone! Right now, I am glad to be on my feet.

Fritz descending into the Granite Basin

But eventually, we get to The Lip, at 10347'. This is a ridge which divides Copper Creek from the Granite Lake basin. Nice views, but obstructed by trees.  Mt Hutchings is right before us with the Roaring River basin behind it. On our side, we can see some of the Granite Lakes. We have our lunch. Then Fritz wants to go down into it. I am still pretty tired so he goes on by himself. I wait on top. I snooze on and off, then write in my blog. After awhile I go down about a quarter mile to see if I can see him. No good, so I return and write some more.

Granite Basin

Then things started to go south. Fritz did not return. But I am thinking that  Fritz is still in Granite Basin. I wait and think that if there is a turn around time of 3:00pm then he may be back around 4:30. So I sit around and wait and write and play. At 4:25 I hear a shout and it is  the hiker we saw earlier today-The Zone hiker. He and Fritz had met on the trail and he had come up after me. What a guy!

Copper Creek and Avalanche area

So down I went. By this time I know the hiker's name is Gene. Fritz had gone down to find me while Gene came up to see if I was still on The Lip-I was. So I walked down with Gene and found out he is from Fresno and we had some friends in common. He is part of our hiking meetup group and knows some of the people I hike with. Pleasant chat, plus a good pace going down-it is easier.

Got back down around 7:30, to the relief of everyone. 

Upper Kings Canyon in the Evening

Trail Lesson:

Struggling during a hike is good. It gives a chance for others to be gracious.

 

Grand Sentinel

Mt Hutchings and beyond

Mt Hutchings

Lower Granite Basin

Pass above Granite Basin

Place: CA-Copper Creek

Copper Creek-5,043' (The Sphinx)   
(36.7938277, -118.5803768-Mouth)

Description:
An old name for a creek that enters Kings River Cañon from the north. There are several outcroppings of copper in the vicinity, and a small copper mine east of the creek has been worked from time to time. (J. N. Le Conte.)  From Place Names of the High Sierra (1926) by Francis P. Farquhar

According to GNIS, Copper Creek has also been called  Malachite Creek:  Browning, Peter. Place Names of the Sierra Nevada. Berkeley, California: Wilderness Press, 1986. p46

In the meantime a soldier had explored another canyon, and reported that we could get out to the north that way,  so the next day we started, and came to this camp. It was worse than any of our other trails. We are not over 4 1/2 or 5 miles from our last camp, and have come up over four thousand feet! It was heavy for our animals. Twice we had very steep slopes for a thousand feet together, where it seemed at first that no animal could get up with a pack. Once our pack horse fell, turned a complete somersault over a bowlder, and landed below squarely on his feet, when he kept on his way as if nothing had happened. His pack remained firm and he was not hurt in the least. Fortunately it was not so steep there. There were places where if an animal had once started he would have rolled several hundred feet, but all went safely over. We camped at a little over nine thousand feet where we are now, by a meadow on the hillside where we have a grand view of the peaks in front and the canyon beneath us.  From Up and Down California by William Brewer, Book 5  Chapter 2

In 1877 a party decided to winter over in Kings Canyon. They built a cabin on the east side of Copper Creek on the Canyon floor. Around this place a homestead for H Mehrtens is noted on US survey maps from 1884. Also There is a County Land Ownership map from 1905 which says that the Kanawyers located their camp there. The creek was named for a mine Pol;e Kanawyer worked up on the Canyon wall close to the creek. From Oak to Pine to Timberline by Helen and Forest Clingman
 

Trips:

• August 31, 2014 - Day hike up Copper Creek to the Lip with Fritz
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References:

•  Redwood Hikes - even though I do not think there are any redwoods close to this trail
•  Sierra Nevada Tourism site
• NPS Trail Description
• Bill Finch's backpacking trip
• Oh, Ranger!
• Hiking Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks  by Laurel Scheidt
• Lance Imm's trail description
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Pictures:

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