Sierra backpacking 7 days on/off trail loop over Taboose, Cartridge, Dumbbell, Cataract Creek passes

Eastern Sierra - Seven days on/off trail backpacking trip from the Taboose Pass Trailhead: Taboose Pass, Cardinal Mountain, Muro Blanco Trail, Cartridge Pass, Lake Basin, Cartridge Creek, Marion Lake, Dumbbell Pass, Dumbbell Lakes, Cataract Creek Pass, Amphitheater Lake. Cataract Creek, JMT Golden Staircase, Palisade Lakes, Mather Pass, Upper Basin, Bench Lake John Muir Wilderness - Inyo National Forest Kings Canyon National Park Bishop, California. Trailhead: Taboose Pass Trailhead August 2024 Itinerary: About 40% of the 68 miles of this backpacking trip was off-trail. General navigation of the off-trail section was not particularly difficult, but the terrain presented some challenges such as extensive and steep tallus areas, steep slopes with exposure, traverse of avalanche-scarred areas, bushwhacking, areas with steep drops and cliff-outs. This was certainly not an itinerary for everyone: solid backpacking experience, great conditioning and good navigation and route finding skills are a must to complete it without difficulty. The hike up to Cardinal Mountain was cross-country and steep but overall easy in regards to terrain and navigation. Day 1: Taboose Pass Trailhead to Taboose Pass. Camp at tarn near Taboose Pass. Day 2: Out and back hike up to Cardinal Mountain. Taboose Pass trail to JMT/PCT and the Muro Blanco Trail junction. Muro Blanco Trail to Cartridge Pass trail to camp at Unnamed Lake near Cartridge Pass. Day 3: Cartridge Pass trail to Cartridge Pass and descent to Cartridge Creek (Lake Basin). Hike along Cartridge Creek to Marion Lake. Day 4: Marion Lake to Dumbbell Pass, descent to Dumbbell Lakes. Camp at Dumbbell Lakes. Afternoon hike across the Dumbbell Lakes basin up to Cataract Creek Pass and back. Day 5: Dumbbell Lake, Dumbbell Lakes basin, Cataract Creek Pass, Amphitheater Lake, Cataract Creek, JMT/PCT Trail, Golden Staircase, Lower Palisade Lake. Day 6: JMT/PCT Trail to Upper Palisade Lake and Mather Pass. Descent into the Upper Basin and to the South Fork of the Kings River. JMT/PCT Trail up to the Bench Lake Trail to Bench Lake. Camp at Bench Lake. Day 7: Bench Lake Trail to junction with the JMTPCT Trail to the junction with the Taboose Pass Trail. Taboose Pass Trail to Tabosee Pass and descent to the Taboose Pass Trailhead in the Owen Valley. 68 mi, 18,547 ft elevation gain. https://www.alltrails.com/explore/rec... Notes about the map: the map is indicative of the trip itinerary although mileage and moving time cannot be considered as reference as I often deviated from the route for filming and photography; also the moving time on the map includes all stops and breaks during the day as I stop recording only once camp was setup for each day. Hike Notes: A spectacular route in the Eastern Sierra that started with a 6000 ft elevation gain hike to Taboose pass, followed by a day two hike to Cardinal Mountain. Both are amazing Sierra destinations. After descending to the JMT/PCT junction to the unmaintained Muro Blanco trail the itinerary featured the superb 3-day off trail section through Cartridge Pass, Lake Basin, Cartridge Creek, Marion Lake, Dumbbell Pass, Dumbbell Lakes, Cataract Creek Pass, Amphitheater Lake and the final descent of Cataract Creek to meet the JMT/PCT. Scenery was absolutely amazing throughout this central part of the trip: pure Sierra magic! Amazing solitary camps. The following section included some iconic JMT landmarks like the Golden Staircase, the Palisade Lakes Basin, Mather Pass and the Upper Basin. The final night I camped at Bench Lake. My last camp of the year in the Sierra was absolutely memorable. The Sierra Nevada is truly a backpacking paradise with very high "beauty per mile" ratio. Music: All music by Francis Well Licensed by Epidemic Sound. #sierranevada #hiking #backpacking #kingscanyonnationalpark #johnmuirwilderness #inyonationalforest CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Trip Highlights 02:40 - Taboose Pass trail to Taboose Pass 03:57 - Camp at Taboose Pass 05:00 - Out and back hike to Cardinal Mountain 06:41 - Taboose Pass Trail to JMT, Muro Blanco Trail and Cartridge Pass Trail 07:35 - Camp at unnamed Lake near Cartridge Pass 08:38 - Hike over Cartridge Pass 09:51 - Lake Basin 11:01 - Cartridge Creek drainage to Marion Lake 12:23 - Marion Lake - Marion Lake Camp 14:26 - Marion Lake to Dumbbell Pass 16:00 - Dumbbell Pass descent to Dumbbell Lakes 17:16 - Dumbbell Lake Camp 17:41 - Out and back Hike to Cataract Creek Pass 18:39 - Dumbbell Lake Camp 19:22 - Cataract Creek Pass and Amphitheater Lake 20:53 - Descent of Cataract Creek to JMT 21:42 - JMT Golden Staircase to Lower Palisade Lake 22:30 - Lower Palisade Lake Camp 23:38 - Palisade Lakes basin to Mather Pass 25:00 - Descent to Upper Basin 26:02 - Bench Lake Trail 26:39 - Bench Lake Camp 28:23 - Exit route to Taboose Pass trail