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The "Benson Riviera"
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the first 8 days....
No matter how much research and preparation goes into a backpack trip, the unexpected always happens. In part, this is why you backpack...to discover wonderous places you never expected to find. On the other hand, the unexpected can turn a trip upside down. Like this...
September 2010, my husband Dave and I set off on a 50 mile backpack of the Benson Lake Loop in the Eastern Sierra only to get 3 miles in when Dave said, "You'll never believe what I've done." I stopped breathing for a minute and then asked "What?" "Forgot my orthotics." Well, I think to myself, he has insoles. Somewhere. But then he said, "No insoles either."
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| Dave after he discovered he forgot his insoles at a lake on the way to Peeler |
I couldn't believe it...He would be hiking on flat feet and hammer toes, with 55 lbs on his back looking at 2,500 feet elevation gain on the first day of an 8 day-50 mile trip with no insoles, no orthotics and a repeat of the last time he hiked with no orthotics...foot destruction.
During the entire year I had been planning our Benson Lake trip, I never expected, never dreamed this would happen. No insoles. End of trip I thought. Well, not exactly. We changed our plan...instead of doing the entire loop we decided to do just half of it with extended layover days to reduce the likelihood of injury. It worked! We were able to complete an out-and-back trip on the western half of the famed Benson Lake Loop leaving the eastern half until 2011.
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| Kerrick Canyon...hiking is downhill and fast through this flat terrain on the way to Benson. |
Trip Summary
(I used "Sierra North" by Kathy Morey and Mike White to help plan my trip...highly recommended.)
Days #1 & 2-- Destination Peeler Lake, 8 miles from the trailhead with 2500 feet elevation gain. This trip starts from the Twin Lakes Trailhead near Bridgeport CA and Hwy 395. The hike is stiff, beautiful and you'll be bushed after you make the last 500 feet to the far side of Peeler. The lake has good but few campsites all congregated in the same area. No campfires although a huge fire pit is used by renegade hikers. Some people make the 11 miles to Benson from Peeler in one day, but this is a long haul through Kerrick Canyon...we saw a guy with the biggest bloody blister on his heel which didn't look worth the 11 miles to me...we laid over here to keep Dave's feet healthy and did a short day 3 to Arndt Lake...
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Night 1 on the Benson Lake Loop takes you to the
the still waters of Peeler Lake, 8 miles and 2,500 feet in elevation gain
from the Twin Lakes trailhead |
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| Fly fishing at Peeler Lake...you can see the fish but we had no success |
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| layover day at Peeler |
Day #3: Destination Arndt Lake, 5.6 miles from Peeler. This day's hike is far easier than Day 1 as you virtually stroll through Kerrick Canyon on pretty flat, easy terrain. To camp, we went a little cross country and stayed at Arndt Lake 4.5 miles before Benson, but there is really only one campsite and it is just as easy to forego the cross country to Arndt and set up camp in the flat, accessible canyon.
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| Unremarkable Arndt Lake...I'd take a pass. |
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| Fall colors of Kerirck Canyon on the way to Benson Lake |
Days #4 & 5...4.5 miles and a big dive into Benson which sits at 7,600 feet (down from Peeler's 9,500 feet). You know you are almost there when you cross a swampy area with a shallow stream and soon set your eyes on the prize--Benson Lake, HUGE and warm. Set in a bowl. Swimming is a must. My first look at this lake made me want to stay a week. Fishing is fantastic. The kids next to us caught 20 fish and shared 4 with us.Campsites are obvious and sparse. Not much privacy really. We stayed at the far end of the lake where there were the fewest people. One really nice thing--fires permitted. Our layover day here helped give Dave's feet much needed rest. Peaceful. Warm. Perfect.
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| We camped at the left side of this picture...the swampy entrance is to the right of this pic |
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We never expected to run into backpackers
from Livermore and Pleasanton, our hometown! They shared their catch of trout with us.
One of their friends had the monster blister from the 11 mile hike from Peelr. |
Days #6, 7, 8: Hiked back the way we came except we skipped Arndt and just found a nice sheltered, sandy spot in Kerrick Canyon. On the way out we pondered the idea of staying near a beautiful little creek (see photo below) which sits at the beginning of Kerrick Canyon..fish visible...shallow water...maybe someday.
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| You'll see this enticing stream just after a fence and a big rock on the way to Benson.. |
Benson Lake Take 2...
September 2011--The plan this year was to be out 8 nights and 9 days to do last year's "undone half" of the Benson Lake Loop...It would take us from Twin Lakes eastward to Crown Lake instead of Peeler, then to Upper Piute Creek, to Matterhorn Canyon, to beautiful Smedberg Lake and back. We would be humping our much too heavy (60 and 44 lb) backpacks over three mighty passes-- Mule (10,470 feet), Burro (10,650 feet), and Benson (10,140 feet). I was especially looking forward to fly-fishing at Smedberg Lake, working up a sweat and washing it off with cold, high country water, and gazing at brilliant star light. Back at the trail head, we planned to restock and then head out for a second 4 day trip to East Lake for more fly fishing. I couldn't wait!
The next 9 days on the BLL
Day #1...This year, Our day 1 destination was Crown Lake not Peeler. It turned out to be far more beautiful than expected. (8 miles in, 2,500 feet elevation gain, but not a tough hike)
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| Crown Lake, 8 miles from Twin Lakes trailhead |
Well, the unexpected happened AGAIN on our second visit to Benson...except for the beautiful clear night at Crown Lake, we were hit with torrential rain, sleet, thunder, lightening and wind 7 days in a row. After making the first pass, we decided to do the WHOLE loop to avoid repeating the snow covered passes.
Quick Trip Summary...
Twin lakes to Crown Lake to Upper Piute Creek to Matterhorn Canyon, to Smedberg, to Benson to Kerrick Canyon to Peeler to Twin Lakes with as many lay over days as your bear cannister can afford.
Looking back, this has now become our favorite trip although at the time it seemed so stressful to have to set up camp each day in a mad dash just before it started pelting rain. We would wake up to clear skies each morning, but by 1 pm each day the sky turned dark, and the rains came. Then we were stuck in the tent the rest of the day and night. We wore a whole in the floor of the tent!
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| Dave and I spent a lot of time in the tent looking at our elevation changes and next day's route |
My greatest prayers were to avoid being wooshed away by the rising Rancheria creek and to be able to cook a hot meal. We ate alot of "dry" meals inside the tent which required no water or outdoor cooking...tuna packs, mayo, buns, cheese, cookies. But the drama made it unforgettable and it felt like quite an accomplishment...oh yeah, and after going over the first 11,000 foot pass covered in snow...we decided to do the entire loop instead of back track over the passes again. It took us 6 hours to go 3.5 miles over the first pass.
Day #2- up and over Mule Pass
The Sierra snow pack in 2011 was 170% of normal so the snow in the passes lasted far into September. I wouldn't have been so anxious if I hadn't learned that a Ranger had just discovered the body of a hiker who had disappeared 7 years ago...he was the husband of a woman we knew from Livermore. They think he slipped on the snow and fell to his death with all his equipment. Pretty scary for us as novice ice hikers to be in the same place with the same opportunity to fall.
You see the Sawtooth Range behind Dave...the views are truly spectacular. The snow was mostly chunky and easy to slam your toes into as a way to anchor yourself...we didn't have crampons. We used our trekking poles to determine how deep the snow was...didn't want to crash through it.
We met these two hikers as we were coming into the snow...they just wore tennis shoes and gaiters and seemed to have no fear. I guess they had done the snow thing many times before.
We were able to fly fish at Smedberg Lake on day 3...I had my first High Sierra fish on the line after just a few casts. This is a beautiful, fish filled lake but there are only a few campsites --we had the lake to ourselves. It started raining in the afternoon and misted long into the evening letting up just long enough to start a fire and cook our fish.
When we hit Benson for the second year in a row, it was sunny, then within a few minutes, the sky turned black and it began to pour. We had rolling thunder that lasted for minutes at a time. Deafening thunder. Quite spectacular.
We trenched but eventually the water came pretty close to the tent door. I know it doesn't look like much in the photo, but it rained for 5 hours so we were concerned!
About 7 pm, the rain stopped for a beautiful sunset at Benson Lake.
Our trip gave us day after day of threatening skies...
but it was exhilarating to be right in the center of mother nature doing her thing...
Our kitchen in Kerrick Canyon next to Rancheria Creek...we lost our water pump here and I thought I was going to be wooshed away by the rising creek.
This is Peeler Lake at night 8...we got into camp, trenched and prepared for heavy rain, but it was more like sprinkles and wind.
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| Our Campsite at Peeler on the last night...room for about 10 campers here |
The next day we headed back to Twin Lakes passing Barney Lake and lots of aspen. September really is a great time to do this loop...few people, dramatic landscape, unpredictable weather--the stuff that brings you back again and again.
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| Aspen colors on the way back to Twin Lakes Trail Head |
