Kern Valley Hiking Club

(This is the rescheduled event that got snowed out in February)

The Kern River Valley Heritage Foundation, thanks to Deanne Shulman, is once again allowing us special access to their property to do this hike. This will be different than hikes we have done at Hanning Flat in the past. We will be accessing the property from a private easement that crosses tribal land on the north side. We will caravan in high clearance vehicles to the vista point to start the hike. We will hike a newly established, five mile loop trail with about 1,000 feet of gain. There are spectacular views of Lake Isabella and the surrounding mountains throughout the whole hike. This is a great opportunity to hike a new trail and see some sites that are normally inaccessible. This is an amazing and beautiful hike that is moderately challenging.

Hike Plan: (READ CAREFULLY)
We will meet at the South Fork Elementary School parking lot at 9:03 am. It's at the corner of Hwy 178 and Fay Ranch Road. The road to the trailhead is unpaved with some creek crossings and requires a high clearance vehicle. (A Subaru does fine.) DO NOT BE LATE!!!, If you miss the caravan, you won't be able to get in. There are two gates that need to be unlocked and locked behind us, so once in, you are there for the duration of the event. We will establish a caravan at the school and then drive to the trailhead. Since we will be on tribal land, we must drive slow and be very respectful. Once we reach the vista point, we will start our hike on the new five mile loop. The hike should take around three maybe four hours. We will find a nice spot at some point for a lunch break.
Since there is the probability of rattlesnakes this time of year, long pants and gators are highly recommended. The trail is mostly exposed so bring a hat and plenty of water.

**\ *WAIVER OF LIABILITY *** The Organizers and members in this group are not professional trip guides. Each person who shows up for a trip/meetup (and their guest or guests) is responsible for his or her own safety. By attending a hike, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging that you and any guests that you bring are aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with the activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the Organizers, Members of the Kern Valley Hiking Club Meetup Group from and against any and all liability arising from your participation in the group activities.

NOTE NOTE NOTE: Meet up site is so messed up right now and I am not getting any notifications regarding the hikes I have posted, so if you post a question or concern, I won't get back to you right away, but I will at some point.
Ok, so the first mile of this hike is pretty boring, following along Hwy. 58, but then it starts to head north and up into the wilderness with junipers and such. It's been several years since I have done it so it's time. Trail should be in fairly good condition.
We will hike app. 5 miles in, have lunch and then head back.
Meet at the PCT trail head, Cameron Rd./Hwy 58 on the north side of the overpass.
Since this is an out and back hike, slower hikers are welcome to join. Go at your own pace and turn back when you want.
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No dogs allowed
15 ESSENTIALS YOU MUST CARRY ON ALL HIKES
Besides the obvious 1 1/2-2 liters of water, lunch, snack, warm jacket/wind breaker, rain gear if needed, warm hat and gloves, the following is a must to have in your day pack:

1. Map of the area, even if you are using a gps
3. Headlamp or small flashlight with extra batteries.
4. Knife or utility tool such as a Swiss Army knife
5. Fire starter. You can make your own with cotton balls and Vaseline or

Esbit fuel cubes.
6. Emergency space blanket
7. Emergency water purifier or filter.
8. Light weight base layer (Thermasilk is very light weight)
9. First aid kit
10. Extra food (2-3 power bars)
11. Waterproof matches (or regular matches or lighter kept in zip bag)
12. Sun screen
13. Small plastic trowel and toilet paper (in zip bag)
14. App. 2’ duck tape.
15. Whistle to scare away bears or to be found if lost.
Every hiker needs to carry these items on all day hikes.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY *** No one in the group is a guide or in any way responsible for your comfort or safety. Please be prepared with adequate gear and supplies for the trip. Please remember that going out into wilderness has risks associated with it and you should be aware and prepared to address any changes in weather, road conditions or to look out for/avoid random acts of nature, including insects, wild animals and natural hazards. It is your responsibility to evaluate the difficulty of any activity you participate in, and decide whether you are prepared by having the experience, skill, knowledge, equipment, and the physical and emotional stamina to safely participate.
*** WAIVER OF LIABILITY *** The Organizers and members in this group are not professional leaders, guides, or mountaineers. The function of the member or organizer is only to organize the trip. Each person who shows up for a trip/meetup (and their guest or guests) is responsible for his or her own safety. By attending a hike, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging that you and any guests that you bring are aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with the activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the Organizers, Members of the Kern Valley Hiking Club Meetup Group from and against any and all liability arising from your participation in the group activities.
By RSVPing you and those you bring with you as your guests ARE agreeing to the above statements.
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This is usually the first hike of the season I do in the High Sierras. Horseshoe Meadows road opens at the end of May but some of the other roads further north may still be closed so this is a perfect hike to get started on the Sierras.
Starting out at Cottonwood Pass T/H, hike to the pass and then take PCT south bound to Trail Pass and then hike back out, crossing Horseshoe Meadows. Lots of beautiful views along the way, Olancha Peak, Kern Peak, Langley, New Army Pass, Cirque Peak and Wollyback, which I am climbing with Steven and others the next day, so I will be camping up there Friday night.
It is a long hike, app 11 miles, but NOT super hard.
Meet at Cottonwood Pass t/h at 9am
**************************************
No dogs allowed
15 ESSENTIALS YOU MUST CARRY ON ALL HIKES
Besides the obvious 1 1/2-2 liters of water, lunch, snack, warm jacket/wind breaker, rain gear if needed, warm hat and gloves, the following is a must to have in your day pack:

1. Map of the area, even if you are using a gps
3. Headlamp or small flashlight with extra batteries.
4. Knife or utility tool such as a Swiss Army knife
5. Fire starter. You can make your own with cotton balls and Vaseline or

Esbit fuel cubes.
6. Emergency space blanket
7. Emergency water purifier or filter.
8. Light weight base layer (Thermasilk is very light weight)
9. First aid kit
10. Extra food (2-3 power bars)
11. Waterproof matches (or regular matches or lighter kept in zip bag)
12. Sun screen
13. Small plastic trowel and toilet paper (in zip bag)
14. App. 2’ duck tape.
15. Whistle to scare away bears or to be found if lost.
Every hiker needs to carry these items on all day hikes.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY *** No one in the group is a guide or in any way responsible for your comfort or safety. Please be prepared with adequate gear and supplies for the trip. Please remember that going out into wilderness has risks associated with it and you should be aware and prepared to address any changes in weather, road conditions or to look out for/avoid random acts of nature, including insects, wild animals and natural hazards. It is your responsibility to evaluate the difficulty of any activity you participate in, and decide whether you are prepared by having the experience, skill, knowledge, equipment, and the physical and emotional stamina to safely participate.
*** WAIVER OF LIABILITY *** The Organizers and members in this group are not professional leaders, guides, or mountaineers. The function of the member or organizer is only to organize the trip. Each person who shows up for a trip/meetup (and their guest or guests) is responsible for his or her own safety. By attending a hike, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging that you and any guests that you bring are aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with the activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the Organizers, Members of the Kern Valley Hiking Club Meetup Group from and against any and all liability arising from your participation in the group activities.
By RSVPing you and those you bring with you as your guests ARE agreeing to the above statements.

This trip is for you if you have wanted to try backpacking, or if you have new gear you would like to try out on the trail. We have done this as an overnighter in the past. Several people have requested that we stay two nights, so this trip we will have two nights. This gives us one full day to explore.

Please Note: There are two Kennedy Meadows on the Pacific Crest Trail. This event starts at the southern one, located on the border of the South Sierra Wilderness. Interested people should add themselves to the waitlist. I will move people to "going".

We will start by camping Friday night at the southern Kennedy Meadows campground (No drinking water, no trash cans, no fees).
Saturday morning we will hike north on the PCT along the South Fork of the Kern River. We will cross the bridge over the South Fork of the Kern River, leave the river and make base camp at Clover meadow. Clover meadow has Crag’s Creek for water. We will explore the area and return after two nights.

After camp is setup, those who desire can explore the area. We might hike north on the PCT to see more meadows or decide to summit Deer Mountain.

Permits: This trip requires a permit (no fee), but there are no quotas for this section of the PCT. Federal Wilderness regulations limit group size to 15 people. Permits become available 2 weeks prior to trip.

Length: 5 miles one way, if we camp at Clover Meadow.
Elevation: 6146ft to 7,026ft
PCT mileage: Kennedy Mdws, mile 704.7, cross bridge over Kern River, mile 706.6, 1st campsite mile 709.5 (7,026ft).

AllTrails route: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/kennedy-meadow-to-the-bridge

We will hold Zoom meetings to make sure everyone has all the gear they need. It is important that everyone is self sufficient with regards to gear, food and hiking ability.

*** PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY *** No one in the group is a guide or in any way responsible for your comfort or safety. Please be prepared with adequate gear and supplies for the trip. Please remember that going out into wilderness has risks associated with it and you should be aware and prepared to address any changes in weather, road conditions or to look out for/avoid random acts of nature, including insects, wild animals and natural hazards. It is your responsibility to evaluate the difficulty of any activity you participate in, and decide whether you are prepared by having the experience, skill, knowledge, equipment, and the physical and emotional stamina to safely participate.

*** WAIVER OF LIABILITY *** The Organizers and members in this group are not professional leaders, guides, or mountaineers. The function of the member or organizer is only to organize the trip. Each person who shows up for a trip/meetup (and their guest or guests) is responsible for his or her own safety. By attending a hike, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging that you and any guests that you bring are aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with the activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the Organizers, Members of the Kern Valley Hiking Club Meetup Group from and against any and all liability arising from your participation in the group activities.

By RSVPing you and those you bring with you as your guests ARE agreeing to the above statements.