50.5 miles of hiking • 10500' elevation gain • 4 nights
Picked up permits in Prather, CA for the Maxson TH at Courtright Reservoir. Then set off to explore Red Mountain Basin, Goddard Canyon, Blackcap Basin, and Bench Valley.
Day 1 - 10.7 miles, 2376'elevation gain Hiked 10.7 miles in from the TH and camped somewhere along the trail.
Day 2 - 10.5 miles, 3022' elevation gain Made stops at Disappointment Lake and Hell for Sure Lake before heading over the LeConte Divide via Hell for Sure Pass to Goddard Canyon. Spent the night camped along the South Fork of the San Joaquin River.
Day 3 - 6.1 miles, 2190' elevation gain Hiked up to Martha Lake before heading back over the LeConte Divide via Confusion Pass. After a stop at Confusion Lake, we descended to Rainbow Lake to camp for the night.
Day 4 - 9.4 miles, 1153' elevation gain Headed down into the higher elevations of Blackcap Basin to take Blackcap Pass into Bench Valley. Very brief stops at Guest Lake and McGuire Lakes. Passed through Big Maxson Meadow as we looked for camp along the North Fork of the Kings River.
Day 5 - 13.9 miles, 1711' elevation gain Hiked out the TH under overcast skies.
