June 11, 2021
Planning -- the Kings Kern divide
The basic idea here is to hike over Kearsarge Pass, join the JMT and hike south
to Vidette Meadow. Cross Bubbs Creek and head up into the Vidette Creek basin.
Work south up the basin and over Deerhorn Pass and then Harrison Pass.
Then drop down past Lake South America and visit the Kern headwaters,
including the big lake on the west side of the basin. Then head east,
join the JMT again, head north over Forester Pass and back to Vidette Meadow,
and from there back over Kearsarge Pass.
Mt. Stanford
I have said I am done with peaks, but this might not be unreasonable from
Harrison Pass. The peak is at 13963. Harrison Pass is 12720.
The south ridge sounds like the classic route.
Secor says to go east from Harrison Pass over easy slopes.
Make a delicate class 3 move over a chockstone to descend the
north side of Gregorys Monument and descend to a ledge on the east side
of the south ridge (about 100 feet below the ridge crest).
Traverse the ledge to a point east of the summit and scramble to the top.
This is much easier than it looks from Gregory's monument.
Harrison Pass
The worry is possible snow and ice on the north side.
Secor calls this pass class 2. It is either steep and icy
or steep with loose rock. The south side is easy.
Online comments state that Harrison is easier than Lucy's Foot
or Millys Foot and is fine as long as the snow is gone.
Lucy's foot is the worst of the bunch (a steep, loose, narrow col).
Milly's is said to be loose on the north side.
One fellow says about Deerhorn and Harrison,
"Maybe we got lucky but all I remember is a pleasant walk in the mountains
on our way to summit Mount Stanford.
Nothing that would cause any sort of delay beyond standard cross country wandering.
Here is an interesting write-up from September of 2016.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's hiking pages / [email protected]