Sierra trip Planning

The wife and I have eight days at the end of August, we want to do a high Sierra trip heavy on the backpacking, scrambling and fly fishing. We will be bringing a short rope and a light climbing rack. Both of us lead in the low 10's in the high sierra and have plenty of experience climbing that grade in the region. However, for this trip we want to head into a new area (for us), stay out there the entire time and do a bunch of peak bagging, adventuring, and camp chilling. The general guidelines look like this...

1) must have some sort of loop or out and back (trails not necessary, long approaches are fine)
2) probably going to cap the climbing at 5.8 so we can carry less gear
3) No routes that are listed in supertopo high sierra guide
4) Preferably multiple peaks within a cirque or a basecamp
5) The less human traffic the better
6) Good fishing is a plus

We're in the northern sierra so travel time is negligible... Thanks in advance!

M 

hmmmmm This is a really cool idea!! I hope whatever way you two choose it goes well!

One option could be go over shepherds pass and climb Tyndall and Williamson (different routes in Secor not listed on MP), drop over into the Barnard Carl Heller area and climb the routes that are listed on MP, then drop over into the Write lakes area (fish maybe?) before taking the JMT back towards Shepherds and home.

Go to the Kings Canyon area, hit up Vitaly (I don't know if he is on MP still) he has put up tons of beautiful big climbs back in there... And he is a bit of a fly fisher as well!

https://www.mountainproject.com/user/107508091/sirtobythe3rd

Peter Throckmorton wrote: hmmmmm This is a really cool idea!! I hope whatever way you two choose it goes well!

One option could be go over shepherds pass and climb Tyndall and Williamson (different routes in Secor not listed on MP), drop over into the Barnard Carl Heller area and climb the routes that are listed on MP, then drop over into the Write lakes area (fish maybe?) before taking the JMT back towards Shepherds and home.

I was thinking the same.  You could also tag the South Ridge of Junction Peak, which is in the same area and supposedly quite good.  However, instead of hiking out a different way, keep heading west to Milestone Mt.  Tag that and then swing north a tad to Table Mt.  You could also do the S. Ridge of Mt. Ericson, which is supposedly classic but little traveled because, well, it's way the eff out there.  I had gotten close to that neck of the woods a while back but only made it as far as the JMT before swinging south toward the Bighorn Plateau, which is a gorgeous area.  Saw very few people despite that it was the JMT.  I hiked past the drainage from Wright Lakes, which looks like a gorgeous, little traveled area.  It also puts you close to Mt. Barnard, which is the tallest 13er in the Sierra.  I believe it was considered a 14er for many years until it was remeasured and given an official height of 13,990'.  From there, if you're not too gassed, you could hike out the way you came or you could hike north and out over Kearsarge.  An interesting variation that would make it a small loop is to hike into Center Basin (again, supposed to be real nice) and hike out over the old Junction Pass trail, which used to be part of the JMT back in the day.  This will deposit you over the crest north and east from Shepherds and you can supposedly rejoin that trail around Anvil Camp.  

There's another loop that I started from Road's End that went up the East Lake/Lake Reflection drainage with the intent on heading over Harrison Pass, past Table and Milestone, over into Colby Basin, back north through Cloud Canyon and over Sphinx Pass to Road's End.  That was ambitious for the time I had, plus there was lots of off trail and I was by myself, so I played it mellow and just enjoyed the solitude at Lake Reflection.  You're close to Mt. Brewer, Thunder Mt., etc. in that area though.  

Too many good places to go.  

Jon Hillis wrote: Go to the Kings Canyon area, hit up Vitaly (I don't know if he is on MP still) he has put up tons of beautiful big climbs back in there... And he is a bit of a fly fisher as well!

https://www.mountainproject.com/user/107508091/sirtobythe3rd

Kings is a good idea but Vitaliy’s routes are mostly 5.10/11. Other easier options in Kings would be routes on The Obelisk and some scrambles up in The Gorge of Despair. If you found yourself on the Rae Lakes Loop, check out the Sphinx, Fin Dome and the  South Arete of Charlotte Dome, an old Galen Rowell route (5.9) that hardly ever gets done. 

The Sequoia backcountry/west side is another good option. Saber Ridge, Dancing Deer Direct & N. Face, both 5.7 & on Eagle Scout Pk. Something in the Kaweahs, loop in out of Mineral King, HST or Deadmans Canyon. N. Ridge of Glacier Ridge Pk (5.7) is super remote. The Giant Sequoia trees are near the HST trailhead. Excellent fishing too, but I’m not posting that beta here. PM if interested. 

Second Gorge of Despair (and second that V's routes are mostly harder). Probably because I've wanted to go there for so long. You've got Cobra Turret and Mount Harrington offering easier routes, and there is a single larger lake up there (can't speak to the fishing, I doubt it's stocked though). You'd have stupendous views of Tehipite Dome. You could certainly wander over the ridges and check out all the basins around the Monarch Divide circumnavigating Kennedy Mountain. And you will certainly not find anyone else up there...(now I'm thinking about it myself)

Enjoy wherever you go! Sounds wonderful.

Do you have Secor's book? One thing that comes to mind is the 60 Lakes basin

Edit: A personal favorite of mine is The Miter Basin, where Sky Blue Lake is. Many Class 2-4 peaks.

Right on! Good replies! I’ve got the secor guide but I don’t plan on hauling that thing out, plus there’s so much potential in that book that I figured first hand experience from the community might be better. Right now we want to nail down a trailhead, some peaks, maybe some routes, and some trout lakes.

SEKI looks like the place to be but before we commit to that, does anyone have experience in the Hoover wilderness? Looks good to me, we’re not strangers to the “second first ascent” either

I don’t know if Charlotte Dome is of interest to you, but the hike up goes next to bubbs creek. 7.5 miles of chill backpacking to a great camping area with fishing. Or you could push the approach 1-2 miles closer to the dome and campout at 36.775 latitude -118.4776 longitude. Our own little self made campsite. I was there end of July. Climbing is straightforward and soft for 5.8. Small offset nuts 2 or 3 of them are all you need, single rack to 3.5 and double set of nuts. Probably one of the best views you’ll ever see while climbing. You’ll also be the only people out there. Idk how the permits work for walk ins. We got ours months in advance.

North lake to South lake.
There’s a lifetime of climbing/scrambling/fishing back there. 

Taking a look at your parameters, you should take a look into the  "Tamarack Lake" area....Saber Ridge area in the south Sierra. ~15 miles in, a few 5.7's-10b's in that area, you get to pass " Valhalla" on the way in... pretty isolated, etc etc.

Cheers!

I suspect the OP has already done his trip. Since the request was for last summer.