Benson Loop

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July 8th, 2021 | Home to Twin Lakes

Arrived at Paha campground at 3:30 pm after a 5 hour drive. I love the last few miles through the outskirts of Bridgeport; lush green pastures filled with grazing cattle and huge mountains providing a dramatic backdrop, it always makes me feel like I’ve been transported to a wild west movie set.  We had a site alongside the river which was very pleasant. The campground host Susie arrived to introduce herself just as we were getting settled and proceeded to complain about our neighbors and the new generation of campers who have no etiquette, unlike folks like her who have been camping here for 50 years. Mid-rant the ground started rolling, I mean, really rolling, it was as if we were standing on a boat in rough seas. EARTHQUAKE!  It went on for what felt like a few minutes but was probably only 90 seconds, the car continued to rock long after the quake had passed – crazy!  It’s the biggest quake we’ve experienced in our 22 years in CA, turns out it was a 5.9  and the epicenter was about an hour from here and explains why we felt it so much. There was a 4.8 aftershock a couple of hours later which is not insignificant, we were left wondering if there have been any rockslides in the areas we will be hiking that may cause us problems, I hope not. 


Day 1 | July 9th, 2021
Twin Lakes Trail Head to Peeler Lake via Barney Lake
 9.5 miles / 6.5 hours / Ascent 2,644ft / Descent 522ft

A heatwave is forecast for the western states this weekend so we made sure we were on the trail early and by 8:30 am we were on our merry way from the Twin Lakes trailhead through the Robinson Creek area towards Barney Lake. As we found out last year, you don’t have to go too far on this trail to start seeing some magnificent scenery. 

Lunch stop at Barney Lake then the tough up and up in the heat of the day via rocky switchbacks. The enchanted forest offered some respite from the sun but came with swarms of mosquitoes. 


We got to Peeler Lake hot and tired but no tears or tantrums, thank goodness. Found a camp spot on the rocks at the far side of the lake with a great view and enough of a breeze to keep the insects at bay. Two lake swims before dinner and then straight to bed. 


Day 2 | July 10th, 2021
Peeler Lake to Benson Lake via Kerricker Meadow
11.6 miles / 7 hours / Ascent 673ft / Descent 2,372ft

Today our butts were kicked!  We knew we had 12 miles ahead of us but it was mainly down hill so we anticipated it would be a fairly easy 12 miles. Wrong. It started out easy with a glorious wander through Kerrick Meadow and Kerrick Canyon – just simply majestic and stunning.  We took lots of photos but not a single one can do it justice.

Kerrick Meadow

After lunch we started heading up and over Seavey Pass in the heat of the day and boy was it hot. We were now on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and very quickly encountered an army of long distance through hikers. The timing of our hike coincided with the majority of the PCTers passing through this part of the Sierras which generally just happens over a couple of weeks each summer. We spoke to many of them; some were chirpy and chatty some were mute zombies. Most were doing between 20-30 miles per day and had started hiking from the Mexican border in April anticipating they will complete the hike at the Canadian border in September. We thought we were hard core doing 12 miles today but that seems fairly insignificant by comparison.  

When we arrived at Benson Lake we were totally blown away to find a wide sandy beach and a warm lake to swim in.  Since it’s been so ridiculously hot today there was a warm breeze long after the sun slipped behind the peaks and we honestly felt like we were on a beach holiday. All that was missing was the beach bar – a beer would have gone down a treat!  We stayed up late (8:30 pm – it’s all relative) enjoying the gorgeous warm evening and unusual setting in the Sierra Riviera. 


Day 3 | July 11th, 2021
Benson Lake to Smedberg Lake
4.8 miles / 3.5hours / Ascent 1,906ft / Descent 433ft

Only 5 miles today but lots of elevation (there seems to be a recurring theme here!) so we got an early start knowing that we would beat the heat and get to camp by lunchtime and could enjoy a relaxing afternoon. The scenery was spectacular, Yosemite high Sierra at its very best. We were on switchbacks most of the way and the vistas wowed in all directions.

We met and chatted with a couple of Trail Maintenance Crew, two guys that looked like they’d just stepped out of a cowboy movie with their 3 horses and a chainsaw, their job to clear fallen trees on the trail, tough work but what a way to make a living!

We arrived at Smedberg Lake and promptly went for a swim before lunch. We found an excellent spot to camp and set up only to notice a bad smell shortly afterwards when the wind changed direction. A quick search of the area brought us to a dead and decomposing marmot with no upper body or head. Not wanting to move sites Mike relocated it using some downed tree branches. It absolutely stank and long after the smell had faded we were still wondering what had killed it and left half of it behind?  If we were in grizzly country we would almost certainly have relocated camp. We spent the afternoon swimming, reading and rinsing our hiking gear hoping it will feel a little fresher tomorrow.  A lovely and much needed relaxing afternoon and evening. 


Day 4 | July 12th, 2021
Smedberg Lake to Matterhorn Canyon
10.6 miles / 6.5 hours / Ascent 1,611ft / Descent 1,736ft

Up at 6 and on the trail by 7:45 am – we’re getting a little earlier every day. Hiked up Benson Pass before it got too hot and then took the trail north to Matterhorn Canyon leaving the PCT crowds behind. Initially it had been nice chatting to some of them and seeing them on the trail but the novelty soon wore off as it became like an army marching by. It was interesting to see that they all had the same gear, it really was like a uniform. They’ve clearly figured out what works for a long through hike which is great but equally they all looked like clones, the only difference being that some smelled a lot worse than others. 

The hike through Matterhorn Canyon initially wasn’t very pretty; hot and dusty and lots of dying, dead and downed trees – victims of the drought. We weren’t feeling great about our camping options but we continued on a little further and a truly spectacular site presented itself. Views across a meadow with far reaching views of magnificent peaks (that we’ll be climbing tomorrow!) surrounded by high granite walls and a river running through it, just gorgeous!

Matterhorn Canyon – primo camp spot

We really wanted to freshen up so we walked a short distance from the site and found a magical section of meandering river with a little waterfall and pools to dip in, it was a wilderness jacuzzi, a cold wilderness jacuzzi. The Matterhorn Canyon Spa!  A five star experience money can’t buy!

After a long day of hiking, I like to relax at the Matterhorn Canyon Spa!

Day 5 | July 13th, 2021
Matterhorn Canyon to Crown Lake via Burro Pass and Mule Pass
10.5 miles / 7.5 hours / Ascent 2,713ft / Descent 2,405ft

Today’s word is BIG. Big climb up Burro Pass as soon as we left camp this morning.  Big big views non stop, just magnificent with Matterhorn Peak coming into view as we got further along the trail. It was a little cooler thank goodness which made the climb a little easier, even so we had to stop frequently to catch our breath. The views from the top were BIG and we could even make out Half Dome way off in Yosemite Valley, miles away. Looking back down to the valley we had just climbed up from and jeez, we’d come a long way up in just a couple of hours!  

Although the views from the top of Burro Pass were fantastic, there was even better to come. We had planned to camp along Piute Creek beyond Burro Pass but we made such good progress we decided to press on over Mule Pass to Crown Lake which meant 2 passes in 1 day – a bit hardcore for us. The scenery from Mule Pass was even better than Burro Pass and at the summit we sat on top of a rock for a good half hour just mesmerized by it but also enjoying the break. In our view this rivaled the world class and crowded Dolomites in Italy yet here we were enjoying it all to ourselves.

Top of Mule Pass

The hike down Mule Pass to Crown Lake was rocky and rough and it took a lot of concentration to watch where to step which was tough at the end of an already long day. Once at Crown Lake someone had a mini meltdown (not me) which fortunately was soon resolved by a cooling dip in the lake. The heatwave seems to have passed and the temperature now was more as we would expect, even had to put on a beanie and jacket for dinner for the first time this trip. 

Crown Lake

Day 6 | July 14th, 2021
Crown Lake to Peeler Lake via Rock Island Pass
6.7 miles / 4 hours / Ascent 1128ft / Descent 1161ft

Another deep 9 hours sleep, we were both spark out as soon as our heads hit the pillow but then up like a lark at 6 am reenergized and ready to go again. On leaving camp we spotted fresh mountain lion prints which almost certainly weren’t there last night. Glad we didn’t have an encounter, I love wildlife but I have no interest in seeing a wild cat out here.  Surprise surprise, as soon as we left camp we were heading uphill again, this time up Rock Island Pass towards beautiful Snow Lake which we had to ourselves – paradise and guess what else? A spectacular view of course!

Within a couple of hours we were back on the trail through Kerrick Meadow and retracing our steps from last Saturday back towards Peeler Lake.  We spotted a marmot on a rock and even better, she had 4 tiny babies with her, quite a special thing to see.  After hiking 50 miles without incident I managed to face plant on an unsteady rock just as we arrived at Peeler. Fortunately no major injuries, just some scuffed knees and hands. Spent the afternoon relaxing at the lake, swimming, drinking coffee and swatting flies. A group of 4 older guys came round the lake looking for a place to camp and we got chatting to them, turns out one of them was co-author of the hiking books we’ve been using for the last 20+ years, Mike White, hopefully he was chuffed to hear that they have been our go to’s for backpacking trip planning. 


Day 7 | July 15th, 2021
Peeler Lake to Twin Lakes Trail Head
8.6 miles / 4 hours / Ascent 492ft / Descent 2,672ft

Downhill almost all of the way today as we retraced our steps back to the trailhead.  How can it have been a week since we huffed and puffed our way up this trail at the beginning of our trip?  Time flies when you’re having fun!  Back at the car we changed into semi clean clothes and had the luxury of washing our hands with soap and warm water before enjoying a BLT and milkshake at Annette’s Mono Village which set us up nicely for the 5 hour drive home.

Leaving Peeler Lake

Post Trip Thoughts
Feeling very positive after this 6 night / 7 day trip, the longest we have done to date. We have more challenging multi day trips coming up and are now confident in our gear, provisioning and mindset.  Bring on the adventures!

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