Kibbie Ridge to Many Island Lake and out via Kibbie Creek

[jdabs]

I apologize if this route has been talked about on here, but given how common all the words are in "Many Island Lake," I did not find anything on point.

I am looking at doing a 2-nighter, starting at Shingle Spring and taking the Kibbie Ridge trail up for 10 miles or so and then dropping down on Many Island Lake for 2 nights in the same place with a full day of area exploration around Many Island Lake.

For our exit day, I am wondering how difficult it would be to follow Kibbie Creek down to Kibbie Lake and then out from there instead of just backtracking the way we came? I am fine with moderate XC, but prefer to avoid anything too hairy... as an example, I absolutely loved following Echo Creek down XC from Nelson Lake last summer, but there were only a few mildly technical areas along the way... I will also be traveling with a few folks who will be new to XC travel, so I don't want to overwhelm them.

Any info would be much appreciated!

[balzaccom]

I haven't done that trip...although we've considered it...

Great country in there...From Many Island, you can also get over to Boundary and the rest of the lakes there.

I would just warn you that we figure xc is twice as slow as being on the trail, even if you don't get bogged down in manzanita et.c.

[orion]

I would be more inclined to go up from Kibbie than down. I've done it four times, and it's always a little tricky, and folks always complain about that one. Probably your best bet is to take the north drainage down to the north side of Kibbie.

[jdabs]

Thanks for the comments. The reverse trip (going up Kibbie Creek) may be an option depending on permit availability that morning; the original plan is based on the fact that there are no trailhead quotas if you begin by heading up Kibbie Ridge trail.

I see on the map that there is a smaller lake (or patches of water at least) a much shorter distance off Kibbie Ridge traila little bit before we'd turn off the trail to head to Many Island Lake, but still well above Many Island to the northwest. Any idea whether that is suitable to set up camp for 2 nights? Seems like that would might a good option if the group is more in favor of retracing our steps on Day 3.

Thanks again for your input!!

[orion]

Well,first, I'd like to say that this is not a trip you will be taking this year, unfortunately. It looks as though a fair portion of that area will be burning down in the coming month. The fire is HUGE and unabated. Here is some latest to give you a sense of what is happening: http://yubanet.com/CAFires/Rim.php

As for those ponds above Many Islands, they are pretty swampy and probably not a place you'd want to be getting your water if you could help it. There is a little spring along the ridge, I think is called Sachse Spring, next to a little cabin. Not much for camping, but a water source.

I should also note that Many Island Lake is without fish. In their stead there are tadpoles and the occaisional giant waterbug, and a multitude of swifts in daytime and bats at night taking in the various flying insects over the water.

There aren't a ton of campsites, and they are all on the north side of the lake.

[jdabs]

Thanks for the link. Is that Kibbie Creek south of Kibbie Lake in the video on the linked page (at about 4:30 on the video)? At the same time you were posting I was emailing my group to let them know that we'll need another option for this year. Doubling in size in just a day... this fire is massive. Any word on how it started? I wonder how far up into Emigrant it will go...

[orion]

I think those flybys are all further down canyon, the South Fork Tuolomne probably. Right now they are just trying to save structures, this fire could potentially burn down Groveland.

The winds are going to be southerly or southwesterly for the next few days, which will likely bring this fire up to the Kibbie Ridge. The ridge burned about 10 years ago, and it starts to get pretty rocky up there. Cherry Creek Canyon is definately a firewall. I expect this one might run up Jack Main Canyon, The Tuolmne Canyon on the south side, White Wolf, maybe to May Lake, we'll see how the winds shift. They're not going to stop this fire, the winter will do that, and it's a long way off. I consider this the biggest disaster of my lifetime. That area is my home more than any other.

As for alternate plans, you might look into the east side, maybe up from Twin Lakes, or that trailhead near the Marine Alpine Training Center that goes up toards Tower Peak, anything West of there in the Emigrant Wilderness (Crabtree Trailhead, Kennedy Meadows trailhead) or Northern Yosemite is apt to be choked with smoke. There are some good hikes on the south side of Yosemite, to Breeze Lake, Chain Lakes, Ottoway Lakes, and Red Peak Pass heading out of a trailhead near Chiquito Lake, or you could hike up towards the Minarets and Banner Peak from the Mammoth area. I'm considering Trinity Alps or King's Canyon as well. I'm not sure how the fire will affect the crowds in the Valley and up in Tuolumne, could get worse for the lack of options, but the fire might hit Crane Flat before you know it and make Tuolomne Meadows empty if you can get there from the east side.

As far as how it started, I suspect lightning, but the cause is unknown. I was just saying last week to a friend that I hoped the lightning didn't burn the whole place down before I got a chance to head up there this weekend. Looks like the lightning burnt the whole place down. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I feel devastated. This is an absolute tragedy.

[Kpeter]

I did this hike in (but not out via Kibbie Creek) in June of 2012, and I used Balzaccom's excellent site to help plan it. These are good early season hikes since they are at lower elevation than most of the Sierra. I filed a trip report on a different forum which might be useful if you do this in some future year.
http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... ary#p56399

There are a few ponds on Kibbie Ridge before you get to Styx Pass, and a pond that is right in Styx pass. None of them are particularly beautiful, but they are water. I see no reason why you would prefer them to Many Island Lake, provided you are headed down to Many Island anyway. That pond in Styx pass, by the way, was my signal to cut over and look for the granite slabs down to Many Island. There was a very nice campsite overlooking Many Island at the top of those slabs--but you would have to haul water from the pond.

Doing the Cross Country from Many Island to Kibbie is something I have considered. Other threads I have come across indicate that coming to Kibbie from Many Island or from Little Bear is not bad until you get near--then you get into a lot of brush. Also, getting around Kibbie on the east side is not easy. I have read of a route around the north of the lake but have not done it. There are some threads about all of this if you look around.

However, the sad news is that the Rim fire today made its way to the Shingle Springs trailhead. Whether it continues up Kibbie Ridge (much of which burned not so long ago) or not remains to be seen. There will certainly be no access and no permits for a good long while even if Many Island and the wonderful surrounding area manages to be spared. At this point I am simply hoping that the fire spares these lakes.

[jdabs]

Thanks for the additional posts. Hopefully we'll get to see Kibbie and Many Island Lakes someday. I have to say I'm having a hard time coming up with the motivation to try figure out other options for this trip while the Rim fire is destroying so much. So devastating. Hopefully the various containment lines will hold...

Kind of leaning toward Chain Lakes for now, or maybe something around Kings Canyon.

Take care and thanks for all the input.

-Joel

[Kpeter]

I came across this trip report and remembered that someone here was asking about this same trip. This is quite informative about what not to do if trying to get from Kibbie to Many Island:

http://inmenlo.com/2013/08/30/summer-ad ... and-turns/

And I found this trip report that has a map and a break down on the cross country from Kibbie to Many Island:

http://www.highsierratopix.com/communit ... yle#p45197

[AlmostThere]

Of course, none of the trip reports now accurately describes the area, since the Rim Fire ate the trees and closed the campgrounds. It will be many years before the trees come back.

[Kpeter]

Of course, none of the trip reports now accurately describes the area, since the Rim Fire ate the trees and closed the campgrounds. It will be many years before the trees come back.

I am devastated by the Rim Fire. However, none of the cross country route from Kibbie to Many Island was burned. Kibbie to Flora was badly burned, but not Kibbie to Many Island.

As far as this proposed trip is concerned, the areas that burned are on the approach, which will make getting in and out uglier and more difficult, but that is all. Of course, there is no knowing how long it will take them to clear the trailhead. There will be countless trees down and much erosion on the Shingle Springs road after the winter storms. I could see it taking all summer to repair the road if we get a wet winter.