Sierra Trekkers

About Trekking

The vast amount of land in the Lower Sequoia and Golden Trout Wilderness offers loads of opportunity for backpacking, camping, team building, leadership, swimming, fly-fishing, photography, and reflection. We offer trek lengths ranging from 3 days to 9 days for our premier Black Rock to Whitney hike of 65+ miles. We will embark upon a backpacking journey in which we will spend nearly the entirety of the trek learning and practicing Leave No Trace practices and wilderness ethics, backcountry travel and navigation, lightweight cooking, backcountry health and hygiene, team building activities, and risk management. The guides for the treks will initiate discussion, teach activities as they arise, provide reassurance for those trekking, and be knowledgeable in wilderness first aid and advanced backpack country techniques.

Our list of backpacking treks represents what we deem to be some of the best trips for the length and intensity of a trek your unit would choose. They are by no means the only excursions available. Custom itineraries, which can be developed around activities that your group would like to do, may be available.

Group sizes are limited to help lessen environmental impacts and other logistic concerns. Trek group size is a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 10.

All treks include all fire and wilderness permits, transportation from camp to the trailhead and back, food, guide, water purification methods, communication equipment (i.e. satellite phone or radio), and a back-up group first aid kit. Other equipment available for use are: Stoves and fuel, Granite Gear backpacks, bear canisters, cooking equipment and bear bags. Other personal gear and fishing permits are the responsibility of the participant.

     Intro to Backcounty Living

Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
6 days total (3 in base camp, 3 in backcountry)
Approx. 15 miles

Looking to get into backpacking, or to train for a longer backpacking trek? This course provides the perfect balance of education and experience, which will help bring all of the fundamentals into your grasp and increase your level of comfort in the backcountry.

We start off in base camp for a day to cover the basics and pre-trip planning. The next day our backcountry trip starts. For three days we put those skills to practical use, in addition to going into further depth in an experiential learning environment. Our highly skilled instructors cover backcountry travel and navigation, wilderness ethics and Leave No Trace Awareness workshops, backcountry health and hygiene, backcountry cooking, an introduction to expedition behavior, and risk management. While in the backcountry we take it easy, covering around 5 miles a day, and focus extensively on teachable moments. We recommend this trip for any group with limited backcountry experience or as a training program to get in touch with the current wilderness practices.

This trek starts at its highest point near 7,730 ft at Clicks Creek trail head. The trail follows Clicks Creek for the next 3.75 miles and then descends 1500 feet. Once the trail parts from Clicks Creek, it gradually rolls down another couple hundred feet to our camp for the night Grey Meadows (6,128 ft). The next day, while hiking to our camping location, we will travel along the Little Kern River drainage and cross Fish Creek. There will be various opportunities for “teachable moments” so the roughly 4 miles to Jug Springs (6,300 ft) will be broken up over the course of the day. The final day, you will travel gradually up to Jerky Meadows which stands at 6,891 ft. It is a great place to break for lunch and take in the pine tree fringed meadow scenery. Once back on the trail, another 2.5 miles and a 2,000 ft descent leads into the manzanita-fringed Jerky trail head (5,841 ft) and waiting transportation back into base camp.

     Forks of the Kern to Jerky

Difficulty: Moderate
6 days total (2 in base camp, 4 in backcountry)
Approx. 35 miles

Hands down, this is one of the best tours of the Kern River Canyon and Little Kern drainages. Altogether, the trek will cross a great variety of terrain - from grasslands to dense forest and meadows - and we utilize some of the Golden Trout Wilderness’s premier camping locations. This backcountry trek is all about the wilderness experience and imparting solitude and serenity, which won’t be hard to find because few hike in this far. We reinforce positive backcountry skills which participants already possess, as well as instruction in those areas with less of a foundation. Focus is placed on advanced navigation skills, wilderness group travel, advanced cooking skills, wilderness ethics and Leave No Trace training, proper backcountry health and hygiene, advanced backcountry cooking, personal expedition behavior, and group risk management. This is a terrific trip for groups with backpacking experience that are ready to experience the Sierra wilderness.

This can be a challenging trek for some, and we highly recommend any group wanting to undertake it to do adequate training prior to arrival.

     Black Rock to Whitney

Difficulty: Strenuous
11 days total (2 in camp, 9 days in backcountry)
Approx. 65 miles

The highest peak in the lower forty-eight states, at 14,994 feet, Mount Whitney offers a spectacular view of the gorgeous California countryside. Not an easy undertaking, this is an intense trek that only the most serious of groups should attempt. If you've never gone backpacking before, this may be more than you're ready for.

All nine days of the trek are filled with challenging hiking. One food drop allows for lighter loads and re-supply. We eat great light-weight backpacking meals utilizing a “bulk food method”. The sixty-mile trek includes half of the required hours of service to accomplish your "Fifty Miler" award for all participants as well as our own commemorative patch. A great deal of this trek utilizes the Pacific Crest Trail, a famous trail system which stretches from Mexico to Canada. You are bound to meet some interesting and enjoyable company while on this portion of the trek. The culmination of this journey is a challenging summit bid on the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mt. Whitney. As with all of our programs, focus will be placed on Wilderness Ethics and Leave No Trace Training. Specific program offerings include backcountry travel efficiencies, bear aversion techniques, and alpine ecosystems.

After making your bid for Mount Whitney, your trek will exit the Sequoia National Forest via the Whitney Portal and the group will be shuttled back to camp. Upon arrival at base camp, you can expect a large meal and a great night of sleep.

Three Treks will be offered in 2008*. Limit 10 participants per trek. Sign up early as they will all fill up!
*Please Note: Availability is based on the ability to obtain permits from the National Forest Service in the Mt. Whitney Lottery. Permits will not be received until April 15th.