Really lovely! I just did pretty much this loop last week without knowing yet that anyone had named it. Just wanted some realistic off-trail hiking as part of my first solo trip, and this fit the bill. (And from your video, I'm glad I decided ahead of time not to attempt Star Col and headed straight for Carol Col / Puppet Pass instead). Like you say at the beginning, there are no bad days up there -- but there are definitely more challenging ones! Between rain delays and having to improvise a new approach to almost every stream crossing because of the late snowmelt, the loop ended up taking me four days instead of three. Still stunningly, transformatively beautiful, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Plus, my rain-shortened distance on day two allowed me to camp at Mesa Lake and spend an entirely human-free 24 hours, which I'm really grateful to have had the chance to experience. But folks headed up there this August and probably into September should anticipate slower than usual progress, along with some mud, some streams unexpectedly at flood stage (and some streams where none have been before), and in the French Canyon / lower Piute Canyon part of the loop, LOTS of mosquitoes. Thanks for sharing this. I'm already thinking about how to get back up there and experience it again in more consistent sunlight and with fewer bugs.
Thank you for sharing about your trip! It does sound like you had some challenges. I’m glad it turned out to be a good adventure. I do love Piute Pass. In fact Piute all the way down to the PCT is just a great stretch of trail with beauty at every turn. And for the most part it’s a gentle descent/climb depending on your direction. Piute. Bishop. Kearsarge. The Eastern Sierras have the best entry points to the high Sierra backcountry. Each of them are spectacular in their own way. And not too difficult for most hikers. Yeah. I can’t wait to get back up there as well. Thanks again for the comment. Happy trails to you my friend. Stay safe.
What a nice video. I was there last week and went clockwise up French Canyon and camped at Elba lake. The next day, the climb up to puppet Lake was interesting. It was all scrambling, but it felt great when we got to the top and saw what we had accomplished.
Thank you! I am leaning these days in the direction of color post processing my footage just enough to reflect how my eyes saw it in person at the time.
@@badderthanyou thanks again. I primarily use a GoPro Hero7 Black. I keep it on the Linear setting for the least amount of distortion. Wide angle has the "fish eye" issue that I do not like. Linear with the highest level of internal stabilization and set to 2.7K at 24p gives me the best hiking images for my taste (with the limitations of the GoPro). Linear does not give you the option of 4K. Not on the Hero7 Black at least. I edit on DaVinci Resolve (Blackmagic Design). It's free to download and massive! The "pro" version has obvious advantages if you are a feature film editor but the free version is MORE than enough for me. I took my Sony full frame (a7iii) on the "Lost Weekend" trip and shot almost nothing with it. For the 10+ extra pounds the pro camera gear added it just didn't pay off. And I was paranoid of breaking it. Lol. Supplemental shots I usually take on my iPhone set for 4k and a 4k point and shoot camera. But the GoPro does the heavy lifting. Honestly... it's the perfect ultalight camera for backpackers who don't stop to "set-up" shots all the time. It's run and gun and the results are darn good for weighing almost nothing. I keep mine on the original UltraPod mini tripod as a hand grip (and if I ever stop to set it down as a tripod) inside a front "fanny pack" which makes it extremely available to grab at any time. I hope this helps. I'd love to answer any more questions if I can. Happy trails
It's a fun little loop. And GORGIOUS! I don't know how agile or strong your dog is for the cross country off trail part. The hike up to Puppet Pass (off trail) past Desolation Lakes wasn't very sketchy... but the climbs down the north side of Puppet Pass was super steep boulder hopping all the way down. I wouldn't say it was too bad for adults as off trail passes go... but I can't imagine a dog being able to do the descent safely. But then again... you know your dog. Worst case scenario is that you see first hand if the pooch can do the descent... and if not you can always explore the many many lakes in that region. or head down Piute Canyon on trail and take the fork up French Canyon and see the lakes up a few miles. Make it a there and back if the cross country isn't up to your dog's abilities. It's just a stunning and beautiful area. Highly recommended for short trips.
@@stephenswilderness687 thanks for all that additional info. My dog is a charger, but you're probably right about some of those sketchy parts. Better safe than sorry
I don't remember exactly what I wrote about my camera set-up in the "badder than you" message. But I will add a little about editing that I probably didn't mention. The footage is pretty good right out of the GoPro camera, but I do spend a lot of time in post production to get the color better and match the shots and balance the audio. I use the free editing software Davinci Resolve. The free version is huge and amazing and I don't edit professionally so I don't need the features of the pro (pay) version. A note on color. On the Piute Floopy Loop video I had the GoPro color set to ON. GoPro color is pretty vivid but still can use some post correction. I boosted the saturation for the Floopy Loop video but found it a challenge to ballance after that so it still looked natural. The end result does look really pretty but over saturated at times. I like it, but I went with the "Flat" color profile on my Big SEKI Loop hike video by contrast and I think the results are a bit more natural and subtle but still very nice and "pretty". The footage isn't that great right out of the camera on "flat" color profile though, so if you aren't planning on doing much post production stick with GoPro color. It was easier to work with the "flat" profile in post but I still had some skin tone issues. I think the GoPro is a great camera for backpacking minimalists. A very important note about GoPro battery life. I learned a huge lesson filming the Kearsarge to Bishop Pass hike. I think I had 5 or 6 GoPro batteries and a 20,000 mah battery bank. For a 5-6 day trip I thought that would be overkill. By the end of day three I had no more juice in my battery bank and I think only 2-3 GoPro batteries with full charge. I didn't realize before this that leaving the GoPro ON and letting it go into "sleep mode" (or whatever the stand by mode is called) drained batteries like crazy. So for the next three days I learned to keep the GoPro off until I wanted to shoot... hold the on button down, wait for it to power up, shoot the stuff I wanted and then hold the button down until it fully powered off. This method actually saves MASSIVE battery power. I was going through three batteries a day and then charging them at night. But with the powering down method I made the last two or three batteries last the next three days easily without compromising how much I shot. Just power down your GoPro in between shots. Lastly... if you want to shoot in 4k on Linear profile (non distorting) then you'll need the newer GoPro 9 Black. I shoot all my videos on Linear so I don't get the Wide Angle warping on the sides (that I hate). But Linear with image stabilization can only be used with lower resolutions (1440p or 1.5K). I just got the GoPro Hero 9 and I'm excited to shoot this seasons videos in 4K (and even 5K) on the new one. But, having said all that... you can see how the Hero 7 footage turns out on UA-cam. It's pretty darn good! So, if you don't care about 4K then save some $$$ and get the Hero 7 Black. It's been an awesome camera. All my best to you and I hope you have great success filming your future trips!
@@stephenswilderness687 thanks Stephen for the additional camera info ... it always helps learning from others experiences. Yeh I’ve 2 10,000 Ankers that I’ve always had left over power( iPhone,Apple Watch and inreach Garmin) on 4 day trips and was wondering about battery life for GoPro .. again thanks for additional info it’ll definitely come in handy
Great video Stephen!! Came across your review on Gens new style Cirriform tarp... was lucky enough to get his minimal Cirriform tarp... like you said the side entry is absolutely awesome and genius on Gens part.. anyways If you don’t mind what kind of camera gear are using? You last few videos are absolutely spectacular with the quality imho.... thanks for sharing your adventures!!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Yeah, I only saw the minimal version on the Yama site AFTER I already had the regular (updated) version. I probably would have started with the minimal version if I had seen it first. But, that is always my dilemma. How light and minimal to go. I've been in some massive storms and was thankful I had more than my Zpacks 5x9 tarp for those. I can sleep through anything if I know I'm protected. On the other hand... I'm always happy taking less. And my 5x9 tarp is great in general weather and rain. But It's the combination of hard rain and HIGH and gusty winds that the Cirriform tarp wins hands down at handling. And yes... that SIDE entry! So good!
@@stephenswilderness687 I’m like you and I’ve definitely been evolving to lighter gear. Couple Zpacks packs, Triplex, Plexamid and the 10x8.5 tarp which the tarp I used when I started dabbling with Bivy.. a good friend introduced me to Borah Gear which I absolutely love.. started first with Johns Dimma Satchel which is awesome for the cooler-cold weather, then I got his bug bivy( both with dcf bottoms, and 67 argon on sides with Dimma) for the warmer weather. Gen also makes some awesome bivies as well which when learning about Yama I was fortunate enough to pickup his 9/7x9 dcf tarp and use on my last 2 sections of my 4 part Ouachita trail hike last year. Then he came out first with his silpoly bug bivy which I went the larger and it still was only 8 oz... when he first came out I lucked out .. it was only $80!! Johns are 200+ so I just couldn’t pass it up.. and then when he came out with side entry.. lol I was like a vulture just waiting to see it announced on his website at the beginning of each month ... oh snd switched to frameless pack using Chris’s from LiteAF... have 2 of his packs as well and can’t say enough great things about his gear as well . Anyways glad I stumbled on your video bout Gens tarp ... I’m a follower now 👍
@@dennispixton9353 you sound just like me. Lol. MLD Super Light Bivy, Borah bug bivy, Zpacks Hexamid, Zpacks Tarp, HMG 8x10 tarp, HMG Echo 2. MLD Duomid. I love shelters. I love finding the right one for the right trip. Then there's quilts. I'm a big Katabatic fanboy. I have 4 of them and 2 from EE. And packs. Started in the 80's with external frame "old school" packs. Ended up with a ULA Circuit, then went frameless with an MLD Prophet. Now I'm a Pa'lante packs guy. I have three of their V2 packs and love them. Perfect for me and my gear. Thank you for following my channel. I'm not a regular UA-camr so I work a normal job and only post vids after my trips during backpacking season in the Sierras. In other words, not much content on my channel, but it grows a little every year with each trip. Thanks for joining me.
@@stephenswilderness687 yeh Palante... stumbled on John Z on UA-cam and followed him then learned of Andy ... was blown away both by their amazing feats FKT with the High Sierra Route and the Colorado Trail ( both of which each record has been broken) let alone Johns amazing videos as well .. I’ve always wanted to try Katabatic...or Nunatak... own 2 Zpacks quilts ( older models) 20 and 35 , and honestly only been using the 35 the last 2 yrs with a Xtherm pad and was comfortable in mid 20’s in September, High Uintas using the Dimma Satchel ( which def adds warmth, probably had been in triplex or the Plex might not have been same) and I completely understand the working man... tugboat Capt working 14 days away and 7 days off.. so it’s a nice juggle between my family and backpacking trips. Why I had to breakup my Ouachita trail hike where I’d come in off from work and leave 1am the next day to drive up to Arkansas and do a section then drive home for couple days then back to work and next time off stay home... then back to work then back to Arkansas....it’s not the same as a thru hike but I was very satisfied to having completed it.. my big trip for this year will be the Highline trail in the High Uintas which I’ll have to miss a few days at work but it’s been on my bucket list so that trumps it.. lol Again thanks for all the info on the GoPro... I’ll def be looking at them hard
@@dennispixton9353 Love John Z and Andy B. And I totally understand the working man's challenge for thru hikes. We do what we have to do to get out there when we can however it lays out for us with work and responsibilities. It's worth all the effort. Keep hiking and thanks for connecting. I very much enjoy talking gear and hikes with my fellow backpackers.
Enjoyed the video! Planning on heading over Piute pass mid July to do some fishing down in the canyon. The maps show two trails from the summit, one high, one low that takes you by some lakes then ties back in with the other heading down. Are you familiar with these, and if so, which way did you guys go on the way back up to the pass? Thanks
Thank you so much! Piute is such a great pass. Beautiful up and down it. Not too high. Pretty quick entry into the back country. I've always taken the Piute Canyon Trail (main trail = high trail) down and back up to answer your question. I noticed on the west side just after the pass Muriel Lake Trail cuts south west but stays relatively high for Muriel Lake fishing. The Golden Trout Lake Trail is the low one that splits off from the main trail down the canyon that you are referring to. I've never taken it but I really want to. Those lower lakes look stunning from the high trail looking down. Especially upper and lower Golden Trout Lake. Just gorgeous. And a little further west and a bit south (cross country) is Packsaddle Lake and surrounding mini lakes. I've run into quite a few hikers who fish over Piute Pass in the Humphreys Basin area and down the trail. Both south and north of the trail they say are many many great fishing lakes as you probably already know. Thanks again for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Happy trails and happy fishing!
@@stephenswilderness687 I don’t personally own one but they look like a lot of fun, definitely ultralight! I built myself a sweet little 6’6”, 4pc, 2 weight fly rod specifically for small mountain streams in the back country. Fished it a couple times out of Lee Vining and had a bunch of fun on tiny fish. Your daughter will only need a few flies to get into fish… have fun.
Have you tried watching it with the sound on mute? Lol. Joking. I know music or no music... and/or choices of music is a struggle of mine. I'm a huge music fan and that means I don't always make good choices for music for anyone but me. But I appreciate honest comments like yours. So thank you for caring enough to share how you feel. I might just try all natural sound with no music in future trip videos.
Really lovely! I just did pretty much this loop last week without knowing yet that anyone had named it. Just wanted some realistic off-trail hiking as part of my first solo trip, and this fit the bill. (And from your video, I'm glad I decided ahead of time not to attempt Star Col and headed straight for Carol Col / Puppet Pass instead).
Like you say at the beginning, there are no bad days up there -- but there are definitely more challenging ones! Between rain delays and having to improvise a new approach to almost every stream crossing because of the late snowmelt, the loop ended up taking me four days instead of three. Still stunningly, transformatively beautiful, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Plus, my rain-shortened distance on day two allowed me to camp at Mesa Lake and spend an entirely human-free 24 hours, which I'm really grateful to have had the chance to experience. But folks headed up there this August and probably into September should anticipate slower than usual progress, along with some mud, some streams unexpectedly at flood stage (and some streams where none have been before), and in the French Canyon / lower Piute Canyon part of the loop, LOTS of mosquitoes.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm already thinking about how to get back up there and experience it again in more consistent sunlight and with fewer bugs.
Thank you for sharing about your trip! It does sound like you had some challenges. I’m glad it turned out to be a good adventure. I do love Piute Pass. In fact Piute all the way down to the PCT is just a great stretch of trail with beauty at every turn. And for the most part it’s a gentle descent/climb depending on your direction. Piute. Bishop. Kearsarge. The Eastern Sierras have the best entry points to the high Sierra backcountry. Each of them are spectacular in their own way. And not too difficult for most hikers. Yeah. I can’t wait to get back up there as well. Thanks again for the comment. Happy trails to you my friend. Stay safe.
What a nice video. I was there last week and went clockwise up French Canyon and camped at Elba lake. The next day, the climb up to puppet Lake was interesting. It was all scrambling, but it felt great when we got to the top and saw what we had accomplished.
Very well done! Appreciate the clean annotations. Heading up to that area this weekend, thanks for the inspiration buddy!
Great video! Beautiful and love the music and how you incorporated the route, very relaxing.
Awesome! So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
Absolutely spectacular stuff! Can't wait to get into that basin myself!!
It really is awesome. And it never gets old.
Very cool
Thanks Ansel. I've got a big one coming out soon. 90 miles in the high Sierras with my cousin I hadn't seen since we were 11! It was amazing!!!
awesome!
Thank you Marvin! I'm glad you liked it.
Gorgeous!
Piute Pass, Humphreys Basin, French Canyon are magical places. I really loved this short trip. Glad you liked it Nigel!
Love the colors.
Thank you! I am leaning these days in the direction of color post processing my footage just enough to reflect how my eyes saw it in person at the time.
Stephen's Wilderness looks fantastic. What are you using to film and edit the videos?
@@badderthanyou thanks again. I primarily use a GoPro Hero7 Black. I keep it on the Linear setting for the least amount of distortion. Wide angle has the "fish eye" issue that I do not like. Linear with the highest level of internal stabilization and set to 2.7K at 24p gives me the best hiking images for my taste (with the limitations of the GoPro). Linear does not give you the option of 4K. Not on the Hero7 Black at least.
I edit on DaVinci Resolve (Blackmagic Design). It's free to download and massive! The "pro" version has obvious advantages if you are a feature film editor but the free version is MORE than enough for me.
I took my Sony full frame (a7iii) on the "Lost Weekend" trip and shot almost nothing with it. For the 10+ extra pounds the pro camera gear added it just didn't pay off. And I was paranoid of breaking it. Lol. Supplemental shots I usually take on my iPhone set for 4k and a 4k point and shoot camera.
But the GoPro does the heavy lifting. Honestly... it's the perfect ultalight camera for backpackers who don't stop to "set-up" shots all the time. It's run and gun and the results are darn good for weighing almost nothing. I keep mine on the original UltraPod mini tripod as a hand grip (and if I ever stop to set it down as a tripod) inside a front "fanny pack" which makes it extremely available to grab at any time. I hope this helps. I'd love to answer any more questions if I can. Happy trails
Looks epic. I might just do this exact trip! Wonder if my dog would make it 🤔
It's a fun little loop. And GORGIOUS! I don't know how agile or strong your dog is for the cross country off trail part. The hike up to Puppet Pass (off trail) past Desolation Lakes wasn't very sketchy... but the climbs down the north side of Puppet Pass was super steep boulder hopping all the way down. I wouldn't say it was too bad for adults as off trail passes go... but I can't imagine a dog being able to do the descent safely. But then again... you know your dog. Worst case scenario is that you see first hand if the pooch can do the descent... and if not you can always explore the many many lakes in that region. or head down Piute Canyon on trail and take the fork up French Canyon and see the lakes up a few miles. Make it a there and back if the cross country isn't up to your dog's abilities. It's just a stunning and beautiful area. Highly recommended for short trips.
@@stephenswilderness687 thanks for all that additional info. My dog is a charger, but you're probably right about some of those sketchy parts. Better safe than sorry
Just saw your reply to badder than you about your camera... def need to look into that GoPro 7!
I don't remember exactly what I wrote about my camera set-up in the "badder than you" message. But I will add a little about editing that I probably didn't mention. The footage is pretty good right out of the GoPro camera, but I do spend a lot of time in post production to get the color better and match the shots and balance the audio. I use the free editing software Davinci Resolve. The free version is huge and amazing and I don't edit professionally so I don't need the features of the pro (pay) version.
A note on color. On the Piute Floopy Loop video I had the GoPro color set to ON. GoPro color is pretty vivid but still can use some post correction. I boosted the saturation for the Floopy Loop video but found it a challenge to ballance after that so it still looked natural. The end result does look really pretty but over saturated at times. I like it, but I went with the "Flat" color profile on my Big SEKI Loop hike video by contrast and I think the results are a bit more natural and subtle but still very nice and "pretty". The footage isn't that great right out of the camera on "flat" color profile though, so if you aren't planning on doing much post production stick with GoPro color. It was easier to work with the "flat" profile in post but I still had some skin tone issues. I think the GoPro is a great camera for backpacking minimalists.
A very important note about GoPro battery life.
I learned a huge lesson filming the Kearsarge to Bishop Pass hike. I think I had 5 or 6 GoPro batteries and a 20,000 mah battery bank. For a 5-6 day trip I thought that would be overkill. By the end of day three I had no more juice in my battery bank and I think only 2-3 GoPro batteries with full charge. I didn't realize before this that leaving the GoPro ON and letting it go into "sleep mode" (or whatever the stand by mode is called) drained batteries like crazy. So for the next three days I learned to keep the GoPro off until I wanted to shoot... hold the on button down, wait for it to power up, shoot the stuff I wanted and then hold the button down until it fully powered off. This method actually saves MASSIVE battery power. I was going through three batteries a day and then charging them at night. But with the powering down method I made the last two or three batteries last the next three days easily without compromising how much I shot. Just power down your GoPro in between shots.
Lastly... if you want to shoot in 4k on Linear profile (non distorting) then you'll need the newer GoPro 9 Black. I shoot all my videos on Linear so I don't get the Wide Angle warping on the sides (that I hate). But Linear with image stabilization can only be used with lower resolutions (1440p or 1.5K). I just got the GoPro Hero 9 and I'm excited to shoot this seasons videos in 4K (and even 5K) on the new one. But, having said all that... you can see how the Hero 7 footage turns out on UA-cam. It's pretty darn good! So, if you don't care about 4K then save some $$$ and get the Hero 7 Black. It's been an awesome camera.
All my best to you and I hope you have great success filming your future trips!
@@stephenswilderness687 thanks Stephen for the additional camera info ... it always helps learning from others experiences. Yeh I’ve 2 10,000 Ankers that I’ve always had left over power( iPhone,Apple Watch and inreach Garmin) on 4 day trips and was wondering about battery life for GoPro .. again thanks for additional info it’ll definitely come in handy
Great video Stephen!! Came across your review on Gens new style Cirriform tarp... was lucky enough to get his minimal Cirriform tarp... like you said the side entry is absolutely awesome and genius on Gens part.. anyways If you don’t mind what kind of camera gear are using? You last few videos are absolutely spectacular with the quality imho.... thanks for sharing your adventures!!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Yeah, I only saw the minimal version on the Yama site AFTER I already had the regular (updated) version. I probably would have started with the minimal version if I had seen it first. But, that is always my dilemma. How light and minimal to go. I've been in some massive storms and was thankful I had more than my Zpacks 5x9 tarp for those. I can sleep through anything if I know I'm protected. On the other hand... I'm always happy taking less. And my 5x9 tarp is great in general weather and rain. But It's the combination of hard rain and HIGH and gusty winds that the Cirriform tarp wins hands down at handling. And yes... that SIDE entry! So good!
@@stephenswilderness687 I’m like you and I’ve definitely been evolving to lighter gear. Couple Zpacks packs, Triplex, Plexamid and the 10x8.5 tarp which the tarp I used when I started dabbling with Bivy.. a good friend introduced me to Borah Gear which I absolutely love.. started first with Johns Dimma Satchel which is awesome for the cooler-cold weather, then I got his bug bivy( both with dcf bottoms, and 67 argon on sides with Dimma) for the warmer weather. Gen also makes some awesome bivies as well which when learning about Yama I was fortunate enough to pickup his 9/7x9 dcf tarp and use on my last 2 sections of my 4 part Ouachita trail hike last year. Then he came out first with his silpoly bug bivy which I went the larger and it still was only 8 oz... when he first came out I lucked out .. it was only $80!! Johns are 200+ so I just couldn’t pass it up.. and then when he came out with side entry.. lol I was like a vulture just waiting to see it announced on his website at the beginning of each month ... oh snd switched to frameless pack using Chris’s from LiteAF... have 2 of his packs as well and can’t say enough great things about his gear as well . Anyways glad I stumbled on your video bout Gens tarp ... I’m a follower now 👍
@@dennispixton9353 you sound just like me. Lol. MLD Super Light Bivy, Borah bug bivy, Zpacks Hexamid, Zpacks Tarp, HMG 8x10 tarp, HMG Echo 2. MLD Duomid.
I love shelters. I love finding the right one for the right trip. Then there's quilts. I'm a big Katabatic fanboy. I have 4 of them and 2 from EE. And packs. Started in the 80's with external frame "old school" packs. Ended up with a ULA Circuit, then went frameless with an MLD Prophet. Now I'm a Pa'lante packs guy. I have three of their V2 packs and love them. Perfect for me and my gear.
Thank you for following my channel. I'm not a regular UA-camr so I work a normal job and only post vids after my trips during backpacking season in the Sierras. In other words, not much content on my channel, but it grows a little every year with each trip. Thanks for joining me.
@@stephenswilderness687 yeh Palante... stumbled on John Z on UA-cam and followed him then learned of Andy ... was blown away both by their amazing feats FKT with the High Sierra Route and the Colorado Trail ( both of which each record has been broken) let alone Johns amazing videos as well .. I’ve always wanted to try Katabatic...or Nunatak... own 2 Zpacks quilts ( older models) 20 and 35 , and honestly only been using the 35 the last 2 yrs with a Xtherm pad and was comfortable in mid 20’s in September, High Uintas using the Dimma Satchel ( which def adds warmth, probably had been in triplex or the Plex might not have been same) and I completely understand the working man... tugboat Capt working 14 days away and 7 days off.. so it’s a nice juggle between my family and backpacking trips. Why I had to breakup my Ouachita trail hike where I’d come in off from work and leave 1am the next day to drive up to Arkansas and do a section then drive home for couple days then back to work and next time off stay home... then back to work then back to Arkansas....it’s not the same as a thru hike but I was very satisfied to having completed it.. my big trip for this year will be the Highline trail in the High Uintas which I’ll have to miss a few days at work but it’s been on my bucket list so that trumps it.. lol
Again thanks for all the info on the GoPro... I’ll def be looking at them hard
@@dennispixton9353 Love John Z and Andy B. And I totally understand the working man's challenge for thru hikes. We do what we have to do to get out there when we can however it lays out for us with work and responsibilities. It's worth all the effort. Keep hiking and thanks for connecting. I very much enjoy talking gear and hikes with my fellow backpackers.
Enjoyed the video! Planning on heading over Piute pass mid July to do some fishing down in the canyon. The maps show two trails from the summit, one high, one low that takes you by some lakes then ties back in with the other heading down. Are you familiar with these, and if so, which way did you guys go on the way back up to the pass? Thanks
Thank you so much!
Piute is such a great pass. Beautiful up and down it. Not too high. Pretty quick entry into the back country. I've always taken the Piute Canyon Trail (main trail = high trail) down and back up to answer your question. I noticed on the west side just after the pass Muriel Lake Trail cuts south west but stays relatively high for Muriel Lake fishing. The Golden Trout Lake Trail is the low one that splits off from the main trail down the canyon that you are referring to. I've never taken it but I really want to. Those lower lakes look stunning from the high trail looking down. Especially upper and lower Golden Trout Lake. Just gorgeous. And a little further west and a bit south (cross country) is Packsaddle Lake and surrounding mini lakes. I've run into quite a few hikers who fish over Piute Pass in the Humphreys Basin area and down the trail. Both south and north of the trail they say are many many great fishing lakes as you probably already know.
Thanks again for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Happy trails and happy fishing!
@@stephenswilderness687 thanks for the info. Planning on fishing Piute creek around Hutchinson meadow, love throwing dry flies for hungry goldens 👍🏼
@@moscaman559 just bought my daughter a Tenkara rod. She's excited about fishing on our next backpacking trip together. Have a great trip!
@@stephenswilderness687 I don’t personally own one but they look like a lot of fun, definitely ultralight! I built myself a sweet little 6’6”, 4pc, 2 weight fly rod specifically for small mountain streams in the back country. Fished it a couple times out of Lee Vining and had a bunch of fun on tiny fish. Your daughter will only need a few flies to get into fish… have fun.
@@moscaman559 Very cool! Thanks and you too!
Nice video! You sure hit the sweet spot for getting some epic wildflowers. Were you there in June or July?
Thank you so much! I believe it was a late July trip. After July 20.
@@stephenswilderness687 I did the North Lake / South Lake Loop a month later. Only a few flowers left. What a difference a month makes!
ughh would love to see this without music
Have you tried watching it with the sound on mute? Lol. Joking. I know music or no music... and/or choices of music is a struggle of mine. I'm a huge music fan and that means I don't always make good choices for music for anyone but me. But I appreciate honest comments like yours. So thank you for caring enough to share how you feel. I might just try all natural sound with no music in future trip videos.