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Mt Brewer 2007
Posted on Wednesday, August 22 @ 20:24:54 EDT by squishy |
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On August 10th, Hiking-n-Stuff's “insert club name here” embarked on a mountaineering trip to Kings Canyon to climb the beautiful and remote peak of Mount Brewer (13,570 ft / 4136 m), a mountain first climbed by William Henry Brewer and Charles F. Hoffmann on July 2, 1864. W.H. Brewer was the principal assistant and chief operative in the field to Josiah D. Whitney (for whom Mount Whitney is named) on the first California State Geological Survey.
Here’s a short account from Brewers diary of what they saw that day: “The view was yet wilder than we have ever seen before. We were not on the highest peak, although we were a thousand feet higher than we anticipated any peaks were. We had not supposed there were any over 12,000 or 12,500 feet, while we were actually up over 13,600, and there were a dozen peaks in sight beyond as high or higher!” The California State Geological Survey also discovered Kings Canyon that same year and went on to influence the future of surveying and spurred the creation of the United States Geological Survey in 1879.
Sphinx lakes
Adam, Squishy, Lewcifer, Luis, Aeger, and a_requiem all took part in this adventure. We successfully summited Mt Brewer on August 12th after an 8,500+ vertical ft hike and two nights of acclimating to the elevation. Adam and Aeger surprised everyone with their gourmet Jetboil cooking, hauling fajita fixin's, eggs, and other homemade goodness into the wilderness. We encountered deer and other wildlife but failed to catch a glimpse of the famous intelligent bears that inhabit the area of Bubbs Creek. Just days before our visit a bear snuck up on a hiker and stole his food from just a few feet away while he was cooking, so we paid special attention to our food supplies after hearing this and other similar stories.
From Roads End, we hiked along Bubbs Creek past the Sphinx and climbed out of Kings Canyon along Sphinx Creek and its mighty series of switchbacks. We passed several back country lakes, our source of water, which teemed with jumping trout. We pitched first camp at the lowest of the Sphinx lakes (9,640 ft), and second camp at the highest (11,340 ft). Exhausted from hiking and out of breath from the thin air, setting up camp or simply taking a swim became strenuous activities. Between the cliff faces above and boulders below lay small north-facing patches of dying glaciers, remnants from past ice ages which sculpted the Sierras into what we see today. Many people do not realize glaciers still exist in California, and even fewer get to visit them. On Saturday we climbed a small spur near camp which Aeger nicknamed the “Butterhorn,” and it was from this slightly higher vantage point that we first saw our destination in the distance, over the 12,000 ft pass above.
Each night before bed we laid across granite slabs, intently watching the drama of the universe. Satellites crossed the sky, and the Milky Way extended out into space before us. The Perseids Meteor Shower peaked on August 12th during the night of a New Moon and offered nightly amazement to complement the wondrous sights of the day. During dusk and dawn we were greeted with bright colors as the mountains shone red from the alpenglow. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks periodically experience very poor air quality due to pollution. This causes breathtaking sunsets and reminds us of the cause: ourselves.
Click here to see the Mt Brewer Gallery
Summit of Mt Brewer
The highest Sphinx lake
Lake 10,500
Alpine meadow
MT Brewer from the "Butterhorn"
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