High Sierra Trail - July 11, 2014 - July 19, 2014

Trip Facts:

 72.2 miles
  Elevation Gain – 15,531 feet – who’s counting?
  8 Days – 7/11/14 – 7/19/14
  Pack Weight – 53 lbs – It was the camera gear
 Who: Nora, Lorraine, Jas
 Pictures

 Camping Spots:

 Bearpaw Ghetto (okay it’s really Meadow)
 Upper Hamilton Lake
  Big Arroyo
  Moraine Lake
  Junction Meadow
  Crabtree Meadow
  Guitar Lake

I will not write a detailed day-by-day account of the trip just some of the highlights and lowlights from the trip.  While it’s great to have a good idea of what your trip will and could be look like there should always be some surprises. 

Figuring out the logistics of this trip is of course a challenge.  In our case we had someone who volunteered or perhaps was voluntold to pick us up at Whitney.  We rented a min-van from the Bay Area and drove to Visalia to stay overnight.  From Visalia we were able to take the park shuttle into the park to Lodgepole.  I’d highly recommend this option of getting into the park and you even get a souvenir backpack, which came in handy later for some of our group.  During our quick overnight in the campground we got to see a mama bear and her cubs and listen to a great talk by a ranger about pikas…which I was desperately hoping to see on this trip.  Important notes – there is a small snack bar not great food but a nice way to avoid having to bring more food prior to the trip.  There is no longer an open post office but you can send a small package back if needed which I did for things I did not want to take on the trail.

The first day of hiking is what it is and it’s what you do to get into the high country.  This was my second time on this trail and doing this stretch the second time didn’t make it more enjoyable.  Sorry to be Debbie Downer but that’s just how I feel.  It was also extremely humid as we were in the midst of a monsoon summer.  I was on the trail though and I can’t really complain about that.  We stayed where most folks stay the first night at Bearpaw Ghetto…my advice try to stay close to a water spicket so you don’t have to carry water very far and make friends so you can enjoy the fire they build.

The hike to Hamilton Lakes is wonderful and you get several wonderful vistas a long the way to ease the soreness of the climb.  My favorite part of this day is really Valhalla, which is quite spectacular.  I’d highly recommend dipping your toes in the water when you cross the water that feeds out of Hamilton Lakes.  This spot provides a spectacular view to the west and a nice rest before the final push.  I’d also recommend hitting the trail really early to get a good campsite this is not a secluded location.  After my first time at the lake I knew I wanted to come back and camp it’s a really wonderful spot and thankfully we had our choice of campsites and picked a perfect one and enjoyed the better part of the day swimming, taking photos and of course chatting away.  We had a great time at this lake but I think everyone’s highlight was when a deer decided to get fresh with my drying clothes.  Thank goodness Jas spotted the deer with my sports bra in teeth and she chased it down…imagine if that article of clothing went lost for the trip.

I have to be honest this next hiking day was my favorite of the whole trip and that’s saying a lot given all of the beauty of this trip.   I was really looking forward to seeing Precipice Lake made famous by Ansel Adams and made a permanent fixture on my wall by the great Vern Clevenger.   It’s just too hard to describe how wonderful this hike is…yes there is the well-known tunnel in the rock, which is cool, and we had wonderful wildflowers and then you hit Precipice.  Had I been on my own I would have stayed here it’s a hard place to camp but a really really amazing lake.   Beyond the lake you have Kaweah Gap and this whole section is fantastic and the icing on the cake was a pika sighting….exactly where you’d expect to see a pika there it was in plain view…pretty fabulous.  Then you hit the pass and wow-wee you are looking at the Kaweahs…I mean really does it get much better? If the weather had been less foreboding we may have spent more time at the pass.   This whole area was so wonderful we danced….I am serious there was dancing and twirling caught on video…it was just one of those Sierra moments.

It did rain…finally….and we setup camp and it stopped…of course.  Lorraine and I had a case of the crazies and we went for a hike…not a stroll but a nice stiff hike…why not.  We headed up to Little Five Lakes and we hike about 1.5 miles to the first lake close to the trail…it was really pretty and no one was there…note to self to explore this area at some point.  We also had some wonderful wild green onions sautéed with sesame oil courtesy of Nora.

We made the decision to veer off the main trail the next day to go over to Moraine Lake.  Curtis had gone to Moraine Lake on his HST trip and had great things to say and I was also hoping we’d shake some of the HST crowd if we went that way…and we did…..We got amazing views along the way of the Great Western Divide (my dream tattoo…side note).   There was much fun picture taking this day.  Once we veered off the HST the people did disappear and when we got the lake we had it to ourselves.  There was swimming, sunbathing and a late afternoon hike around the trip.   I have to say I have never ever seen so much bear poop in one location…never…I am serious…mounds and mounds but they were on the opposite side of the lake from our camp so we had that going for us.

Now for the most eerie event of the whole trip….I got up in the middle of the night to go to the facilities…okay that is not the eerie part.   I was getting into my tent when Lorraine called out to me and asked if I heard that…I was like what?  Noooooo and she said that there was some really weird noise…great I thought just what I want to hear in the middle of nowhere at 12:30 in the morning so on that note…I went right back to not sleeping and within 15 minutes I hear those most bloodcurdling scream that I have ever heard. It was otherworldly… I’ve done a lot of backpacking and never ever have I heard a sound like this.  Needless to say it was a wonderful night of not so much sleeping.  I talked to folks after this and best guess is this was a coyote…maybe after a kill….much more comforted now….uhhh not really.

The next day was ummmm….frustrating and rewarding….we got turned around a bit and had a lot of fun using a map and compass until we got ourselves into Sky Parlor Meadow…no doubt we were distracted by the beautiful views.  Note – spend time in Sky Parlor it is a wonderful place and one of the great meadows of the Sierra.  The hike down into the Kern….not so fabulous…sorry did I say spoiler alert?  There was a fire I believe the year before so we were in the beating sun and it was a humid day….what does a hot humid day call for???? Hot springs of course….the Kern Hot Springs.  I had heard much of this location from Curtis and we all partook in the spring…even Jas got to experience the tub…nuff said go now and see it.  We decided not to stay at this spot, which I think was a good choice given the number of people staying there and Curtis said this was the only place he saw a bear on his whole entire trip.  Instead we headed to a previously visited location – Junction Meadow  - but not before a long humid, rainy, Mosquito-ee slog….yah for setting up camp.

Onto Whitney…and the hike out of the Kern…..do this early since there is not a whole lot of cover.  I actually really enjoyed this hike…I like going uphill and it was nice grade and some beautiful views.  When you top out you stand at one of my favorite places – the junction of Wallace Lake.  Not that it’s a great location in and of itself but of where that junction can lead you to – Wallace and Wales Lakes…wonderful wonderful places. When we were here I think we saw 2 groups of women hiking the JMT…good times.  Today we were ultimately headed to Crabtree Meadow a place I had never been before and I think much overlooked by many.  This area may have been my second favorite place on the trip.  We spent the whole afternoon hanging out in the meadow with marmots and deer.  We also got to meet a couple that was out hiking the PCT…one person was hiking the PCT and her friend was joining for a section…needless to say we ditched our extra food on them.

I’ll admit we lingered a bit before heading to Guitar Lake it was a beautiful day and why leave and it’s such a short walk over to Guitar.  Another tip don’t head over to Guitar Lake base camp wander around and you’ll find wonderful solitary campsites…they do exist.  We took the early arrival as an opportunity to do a little off trail hike over to Hamilton Lakes, which I have never done before.  It was a great walk in a wonderful area….highly recommended if you can.

The last day was the big Whitney day…always a mixed emotion day for me….the accomplishment of the hike and topping out of Whitney but the sadness of coming off the trail.   We got an early start as the weather was a bit iffy and enjoyed our time on the top of Whitney.  I always appreciate being on the top of Whitney after being blocked once by weather.  The hike down was uneventful and the usual slog.  I was really shocked and taken aback by the amount of wag bag litter on this side…very very sad and inexcusable.   Down and down we went with a bit of sprinkles here and there and then the moment I always look forward to…the first sighting of the Whitney Store and what lies within…fries and beers…oh my.  After the traditional weighing of the back we ordered our fried food and began recounting adventures from our trip….a wonderful wonderful trip.