Bear Lake Basin Featuring White Bear and Feather Passes

[@LodiLeoandLuke]

Great video thank you for sharing... I can't wait to check this out next year

[@traveladventure7745]

Greetings. Lovely hike in beautiful scenery. Thanks.

[@KhurshidsChannel]

Wow!! Amazing views. Great video. Thanks for sharing. 👍21

[@Johnjds]

Nice traverse, love those views. Can’t get over that bear so high above treeline. Heard of that but never seen anything like it!

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Yeah, you can see how shocked I was to see him. At first I thought I was seeing things. Honestly, still can't believe it.....

[@AR-ev9qm]

Great video production Gary. 👏👏👏

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Well, I'm still learning but really appreciate the encouragement! Big THANKS!!!

[@montezinsurance6393]

Great video Gary! I’ve been wanting to launch off this trailhead and head back to Bear Creek Spire on a few days backpacking. So hard out of Little Lakes Valley for the permit. Thanks for the great beta!

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Absolutely. Which route you planning on? When we did this (50 years ago now) we climbed from the west - from Lake Italy. I don't remember pulling out the ropes but like I said, it was a long time ago.

[@montezinsurance6393]

@@wellseasonedhiker I think the East Buttress. Looks like it’s class 4, but doable without rope. There is a walk off through the couloir or the scree field next to it.

[@wellseasonedhiker]

@@montezinsurance6393 Hmm, I looked it up on summit post and there it's a long (20+ pitch) 5.8 but there are probably variations. I've never been up BCS from the east. I made an attempt once but got pushed off the mountain due to weather.

[@davidjolles4927]

Thanks for doing all the hard work --- I didn't even break a sweat watching this :)

[@wellseasonedhiker]

It was epic... you would have hated me. LOL!

[@stevep7785]

Another great video! Stunning!

[@saucefest88]

excellent - thank you 🙏

[@mattmctour]

Thanks so much foir this great video. I've been researching a trip using Secor and Roper for the various passes into/out of Bear Lakes Basin for a week long trip in/out of Pine Creek TH...and it's hard to get a good read on the subtleties of class 2+/-. My partner Heather will not be doing class 3. Which could get us into a jam deep in the basin. Anyway...you gave us great visual and descriptive intel for a few of the passes we're looking at. Much appreciated...and also, just a pure joy to watch....you did such a nice job of filming and editing.

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Wow... thx for the nice comment. Truly appreciated. Enjoy your trip... you're gonna love it in there!!!

[@sallybattista2726]

A bear that high? That would have given me pause too! Now that's a story. Love your content.

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Thanks for the "content love" - truly appreciated. But yeah, a bear at 13K? In all my years in the backcountry I've never seen it before. I keep thinking it was a hallucination....but it wasn't. 🙂

[@saucefest88]

@@sallybattista2726 I also have never seen a bear that high. Must be really hungry.

[@saucefest88]

Amazing video! Can you give the full route? I'm seriously considering it for next summer.

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Sure thing. Here you go. caltopo.com/m/RERAFTP. Let me know if that does't work.

[@taylorbrady1424]

I think we must have missed each other by a week or so. In late July I did a clockwise version of a very similar loop, adding the Royce Lakes but skipping the section you did between Italy Pass and White Bear Pass by doing the boulder-hopping traverse from Dancing Bear to Italy. First time in Bear Lakes Basin for me, and I'm already planning how to get back. It's hard to describe just how deeply that place affected me -- I'm glad to hear you had a similar experience of it. Thanks for the beautiful footage!

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Yes, Dancing Bear is the fast way in/out. I chose the long way around intentionally because I wanted to check out White Bear Pass and because I wanted to see Lake Italy again. Bear Lake Basin has always been a magical place for me. I had a number of fond visits there in my teen years. Glad you appreciated the video and that you feel the same about the basin. Hopefully the video brought back memories for you. 🙂

[@taylorbrady1424]

@@wellseasonedhiker I managed to make Dancing Bear longer and much more difficult than it needed to be -- probably would have done just as well going via White Bear and not letting the minor infamy of that one scare me off. Somehow in the course of repeating to myself on the way up "as you approach White Bear Lake, turn north and ascend a grassy ramp", I managed to turn it into "when you REACH White Bear Lake, turn north." The problem is that, by the time you've gone through that rock-walled chute down to the lakeshore, the only ascending route is up a very steep, very crumbly scree-and-sand slope with a lot of exposure and not much solid rock -- at the top of which, you look to your right and immediately see the 100% walkable ramp you could have ascended had you turned a hundred yards earlier. Lesson learned...

[@wellseasonedhiker]

@@taylorbrady1424 Yeah, I'm with you. I can't tell you how many times I've turned a trivial x-country route into a massive undertaking. It happens....but then it gives us all something to talk about 🙂

[@fortytogo9080]

So nice up there !! Thanks for sharing. Maybe next year in July, on the Steve Roper High Route.

[@wellseasonedhiker]

Maybe I'll see you out there. I'm going to try to get the SHR into my calendar as well. Good hiking!

[@fortytogo9080]

@@wellseasonedhiker Hi. First it depends if I find a partner to hike mostly off trail. Second, if the snow cover remains average, I plan to leave out of Roads End, at the end of June.