Backpacking Emigrant Wilderness
Leavitt Peak During Wintertime

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Trail Map

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East Flank of Leavitt Massif

This Image has a Story
A Fine Snow Plume blows off the Southeast Flank of Leavitt Massif. We're looking West after crossing over and along that part of the Sierra Crestline up there, Southbound from Sonora Pass during late Winter. We followed the buried route of Highway 108 West to Sonora Pass, then turned South to hike over Leavitt Massif as part of "climbing" Leavitt Peak during Winter. The fun part is finishing as a loop, rather than backtracking. Now, after crossing South over the Leavitt Massif we've dropped down and turned North, now hiking back to Highway 108 via the Tungsten Road, which is buried under about 15 feet of snow. At the end of Tungsten road we turn East down the equally buried route of Highway 108, to find the end of its plowed surface coming West from Highway 395, where we began the snowbound portion of this trip.
The State of California keeps Highway 108 open to a point just a short ways West of the Marine Base during Winter. Just past the end of the airfield, to be exact.

I believe it was 2005 or 6 when the Marines started running a snowcat dragging a grate West over the route of Highway 108 past the end of the plowed road, creating a "track" over and along the route of the buried highway. I have no idea if they are currently dragging anything out there (except troops) beyond the end of the plowed road during Winter.

We still have to get out, moving East, once we reach the end of the plowed portion of Highway 108, back to civilization itself.

One of the "cold weather Marines" (being qualified as a "cold weather Marine" is prestigious extra training & skills for "oh-rah" Marines. It is an extra diminsion of being a bad-ass.) will pick us up once we hike past the Marine Base. I've gotten rides from Colonels to E-Zeros out of there during my Wintertime bacpacking trips. And Corpsmen too. And the locals who work out there. I make the distinction between Marines and Corpsmen because Corpsmen are NOT Marines, they are Navy dudes assigned to the grunts. Most Marines like abuse, and most like being "in the field." Most Corpsmen are squids, and they are working extra-hard when they are in the field. They are actually "humanitarians." The Marines will hike over the hardest snow-covered mountains, all to blow your fucking head off. The Corpsmen will go with them, and try to plug up all the holes the Marines received along the way, and maybe even fix-up the folks they did not terminate. That's the distinction.

Whoever gives us a ride, be it a Marine officer, grunt, or Corpsman, they will be turning North on Highway 395 if we are lucky. If not we will be standing at the junction of Highways 395 and 108 looking for a ride North on our way towards the bottom of the Carson Valley. At the bottom of Carson Valley we can turn West towards the Tahoe Basin.
Most of the Marines are driving North on Hwy 395 to the family housing just North of Walker along Hwy 395. Unless they are going South to the bar in Bridgeport. Northbound drivers allow us to get dropped off at the store in Walker, where we can warm up, feed up, and stage-up for our next ride from there, setting us up for our move West over the Sierra or Carson Range, depending on which route West into the Tahoe Basin we end up taking.

Unless we are headed South towards Death Valley on Highway 395. Death Valley is amazing during Wintertime.

Winter is the time to visit Death Valley. Nonetheless, this page is set up to inform Winter and Summer backpacking trips into and out of the Highway 108 corridor across Sonora and Saint Marys Passes. I enter and exit from the East during Wintertime, as the image and story above attest.
By Foot.

Happy Trails!

Area Backpacking Information
EAST FLANK ACCESS
INfORMATIVE ARTICLE
East Fork of the Carson River to Leavitt Peak

Wintertime Backpacking Information
FORUM
Snow Backpacking in the High Sierra

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Sonora Pass Weather Page