This trip is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I'm glad I waited until this year. I had an incomplete vision of what was possible and what would work for me. Two trip reports helped. One from Peaks for Freaks and the other, a Flickr album by Craig Taylor opened my eyes to how much more there was than just getting to Hell for Sure Lake and Pass. Indeed.
View Trip Map for loop details and campsite locations
LOOKING BACK AT PEARL LAKE ON THE TRAVERSE OVER TO CATHEDRAL LAKE
THE VIEW FROM MIDWAY LAKE. CATHEDRAL LAKE IS HIDDEN IN THIS VIEW
SUBMERGED GRASS IN MIDWAY LAKE
STARTING THE ASCENT TO FINGER COL
STARTING THE ASCENT TO FINGER COL - SAME SPOT
LOOKING UP THRU THE SHORT SECTION OF SCREE BEFORE TAKING ON THE STEEPER SLABS ABOVE
BACK ON EASY GROUND AFTER NEGOTIATING THE SOMEWHAT EXPOSED SLABS BELOW
HARD SNOW JUST BELOW FINGER COL
FINAL STEPS TO FINGER COL
THE FINGER IN FINGER COL
LOOKING EAST FROM FINGER COL
LOOKING DOWN INTO GODDARD CREEK DRAINAGE FROM FINGER COL
NOW WHAT? THE IDEA WAS TO STAY ON A LEVEL CONTOUR ALL THE WAY TO THE LAKES ON THE GODDARD BENCH
A SCREEN GRAB FROM CAL TOPO OF THE ROUTE TO GODDARD BENCH
INITIALLY THE TRAVERSE FROM FINGER COL WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT ANY DRAMA
LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING. NEEDED TO GET DOWN TO THIS LAKE BUT COULD TELL IT CLIFFED OUT.
PRIOR TO ARRIVING AT THIS VIEW THINGS HAD BEEN EASY
SAFELY DOWN AT THE LAKE WHERE THE REALLY NICE MELLOW TRAVEL BEGAN AT LAST
THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A WONDERFUL EXCURSION ALL THE WAY TO REINSTEIN PASS
APPROACHING THE LITTLE TARNS WHERE I WOULD TURN NORTH TOWARDS REINSTEIN PASS
THE SMALL TARNS WHERE THE GODDARD BENCH ACTUALLY BEGINS
LOOKING NORTH TO REINSTEIN PASS FROM THE GODDARD BENCH
LATE AFTERNOON WALKING NORTH ON THE GODDARD BENCH
LOOKING SOUTH INTO THE HEART OF KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK FROM THE GODDARD BENCH
PREPPING FOR RAMEN WITH SOMETHING A BIT MORE TASTY
THE SUN HAS ARRIVED. MORNING DAY 5
EARLY MORNING WALKING ALONG THE GODDARD BENCH
EARLY MORNING WALKING ALONG THE GODDARD BENCH
EARLY MORNING WALKING ALONG THE GODDARD BENCH
STARTING THE MELLOW ASCENT TO REINSTEIN PASS
THE SLOW RISE TO REINSTEIN PASS
MORNING VIEW OF BIBAY PEAK FROM GODDARD BENCH
THE GODDARD BENCH JUST NEVER SEEMS TO END
AFTER AND END AROUND TO THE LEFT THE LAST SECTION OF SCRAMBLING TO REINSTEIN PASS
LOOKING NORTH FROM REINSTEIN PASS
MORE OF MARTHA LAKE AND MT GODDARD FROM REINSTEIN PASS
ANOTHER VIEW OF MARTHA LAKE AND GODDARD CANYON RUNNING NORTH
THE ONLY BLEMISH ON A REALLY GOOD DAY IS THE NEED TO GET THRU THIS
PICKING UP THE OLD TRAIL TO MARTHA LAKE AS I HEAD NORTH TO THE JCT WITH THE HELL FOR SURE PASS TRAIL
LAST BIT OF MEADOW AS I AM ABOUT TO ENTER THE FOREST IN GODDARD CANYON
VIEW NORTH DOWN THE SOUTH FORK OF THE SAN JOAQUIN RIVER FROM THE 'HELL FOR SURE PASS' TRAIL
LATE AFTERNOON VIEW FROM THE HELL FOR SURE PASS TRAIL
CAMPSITE AT THE END OF DAY 5
SUNSET VIEW OF GODDARD AND DRAINAGE FROM DAVIS LAKES
EARLY MORNING SUN ON DAY 6
LOOKING BACK AT THE LITTLE BIT OF FOREST WHERE I STAYED THE NIGHT BEFORE
FIRST GOOD LOOK AT THE PASS AS FOREST GIVES WAY TO MEADOW
GETTING CLOSE TO THE TOP OF HELL FOR SURE PASS
LOOKING DOWN INTO GODDARD CANYON FROM NEAR THE TOP OF HELL FOR SURE PASS
LOOKING BACK INTO GODDARD CANYON FROM THE TOP OF 'HELL FOR SURE PASS'