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| | | John Muir Trail - North Lake to Onion Valley, CA | | | |
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John Muir Trail - North Lake to Onion Valley, CA
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| Backpack | 100.95 Miles |
19,920 AEG |
| | Backpack | 100.95 Miles | 6 Days | | |
| 19,920 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | The time came for another trip into the Sierras. My plan was to continue the John Muir Trail from my point of exit last year, Piute Pass. I had an extra permit and Karl was down. I made all the arrangements and the days leading up to the trip flew by. I strained my ankle a year ago and I was hoping to finish the trail this time. I was up front with Karl letting him know we might have to bail early. We would take it day by day and exit if we had to. Things were going well on the trail until our sixth and final day. On the way down from Glenn Pass, I felt the back of my right foot tighten up. The strain of the trip finally caught up to me & I knew this was the end. We were near Kearsage Pass that leads to Onion Valley. This is a short exit only 7.5 miles. We spent the afternoon slowly hiking out. Along the way I met a backpacker named Dale and he agreed to drive us to Lone Pine and have dinner together. We wholeheartedly agreed. After dinner we made the return to Phoenix and that was that. I’m disappointed but this is what I expected. I’ll return next year to finish the final stretch.
The following is a day by day trip report.
7/18/2014 - 16.69 miles, 2,471 AEG - North Lake to Piute Bridge
Our trip started from North Lake which is west of Bishop, CA. We hired a shuttle run by Paul Fretheim and left Karl’s vehicle in Lone Pine in the baseball field lot. We started hiking around 11am and made our way towards Piute Pass. I exited this way last year under heavy smoke. This time the air was clear and sunny. The views along this section are magnificent! This area is called the Humphreys Basin and you could easily spend a long weekend exploring. The drainage feeds into Piute Creek and that flows toward the JMT into the South Fork of the San Joaquin River. We covered the 17 miles ending around 7:30pm and we selected a campsite on the east side of Piute Bridge. We turned in around 9:30pm.
7/19/2014 - 17.03 miles, 2,992 AEG - Piute Bridge to Evolution Creek
The day started with a six mile roundtrip hike to Muir Trail Ranch to obtain our resupply. It was a smooth and quick process. We returned to camp and reorganized and then started the hike into Evolution Valley. This has been the top section on my looking forward to list and it didn’t disappoint. The canyon you head up is beautiful and surreal. The going is relatively easy as you slowly gain elevation. After a few miles we reached a set of steep switchbacks and we started the hike up into Evolution Valley. Within a mile of reaching the top we came to wet Evolution Creek crossing. I removed my trail runners and put on flip flops and crossed. The water came up to my knees. It was a smooth crossing. Karl crossed barefoot and had a little of difficulty but made it across just fine. Soon after a light rain started falling but didn’t last long. We pushed on and camped at the bottom of the switchbacks below Evolution Lake. We found a sweet site down and away from the trail nestled in an open lodgepole forest. The elevation was 9,960 and fires were permitted below 10K ft in Kings Canyon so we had a fire this night. We turned in around 9pm when some rain started falling. Karl said it rained to 1am.
7/20/2014 - 17.26 miles, 2,493 AEG - Evolution Creek to Le Conte Canyon
We initially woke to clear skies as we dried out our gear. Within an hour some dark clouds moved in and we quickly packed up camp. We started hiking at roughly 8:30am as the skies darkened. Our goal is to cross Muir Pass at just under 12K ft elevation. We made our way up the switchbacks as rain started fall. That rain soon turned to hail followed by thunder and lightning. We were approaching tree line so I stopped to wait for Karl hoping the lightning would pass. The temps dropped and I was soaked. Karl caught up soon after and we hung out. A group of three girls from the Bay area came by while we waited out the storm. We chatted with them for a bit and they continued. We followed soon after as I felt better the lightning passed. It had but the rain and cold continued. We hiked with the girls for a bit but the weather was too wet and soggy to make things enjoyable. After several miles the rain tapered out as we made the climb towards Muir Pass. You could see the shelter from a couple of miles away. Those last two miles were every man for himself as we left the girls behind. I arrived at the shelter and took a long break inside. Karl and an older woman also joined me. This is a great shelter from the elements. Fortunately the sun was shining now.
After our break Karl and I continued to the northeast as we dropped into Le Conte Canyon. The downhill really takes its toll. My knees and ankles hurt at the constant step downs. We stopped at Shark Rock for some fun picks. We continued down and it wore us out. We selected a campsite near the bottom of the valley. We had a big day ahead of us. The plan was to climb over 4k ft over Mather Pass.
7/21/2014 - 18.56 miles, 4,385 AEG - Le Conte Canyon to South Fork of Kings River
We woke to a beautiful and sunny day. This time it would last all day and for the remainder of our trip. Although nice out, our tents were soaked in dew. I had coffee and oatmeal and then packed up my wet tent and started the long hike towards Mather Pass.
The first few miles are easy going as you head through forest. Soon you come to some switchbacks and lots and lots of work! We much effort we reached the Pallasade Lakes. We took a long break there and took out our gear so it could dry off in the warm sun. After our break we started the grind up to the pass. The hiking was slow and difficult. The pass looked so close but was a tease. I rested numerous times as I neared. Finally I arrived and instantly sat down. While I waited for Karl I sent off a Spot Check In message. A handful of people were watching. I checked in at each pass and each camp we made.
Karl joined me soon after and the two of us made our way down the south side of Mather Pass. We headed for bottom of the South Fork of the Kings River and sent up camp near the river. Once again the mosquitos were a pest. They were fine during the day but annoying each night. Our camp was at a bit over 10k ft elevation.
7/22/2014 - 16.41 miles, 4,047 AEG - South Fork of Kings River to Arrowhead Lake
We woke to another beautiful day. I generally woke each morning and 6:45am and immediately started breaking down camp. Karl and I both had a system for tearing down camp that worked for us. I woke and broke down my sleep system… Sleeping Bag, liner, pillow and air pad. After that I ate breakfast and took care of personal hygiene like brushing teeth and inserting my contacts. I then finished packing up camp and was ready to hike at roughly 8am.
We had a solid climb ahead of us as we headed towards Pinchot Pass. The climb took a lot of work but was much easier than Muir and Mather Passes. I arrived at Pinchot Pass to a young ranger and a couple from Germany. We had small talk as I set off another Spot Check In. He didn’t ask for my permit. Karl soon joined me and we started the descent towards Woods Creek. The initial drop is smooth with breathtaking scenery. After a few miles the terrain worsens and the descent steepens. With much effort we arrived at the bottom of the canyon. Here is the suspension bridge that only one hiker at a time can cross. I went first and noticed two planks split in half. Several other planks are completely missing. I carefully crossed. Karl went second and the bridge twisted as he crossed over. Good fun.
From there we started our hike up towards Glenn Pass. We wanted to climb 2k ft and camp at one of the lakes. We slowly made our way up and initially arrived at Dollar Lake. All the sites were taken so we continued the half mile to Arrowhead Lake. We got lucky and got a prime site overlooking the lake and it included a bear box. Arrowhead Lake sits at roughly 10,300 ft elevation. Mosquitos were bad again.
7/23/2014 - 15.10 miles, 3,519 AEG - Arrowhead Lake to Onion Valley
This will be our last day in the Sierras. I have been hyper aware of how my body was responding this entire hike. I had good health to this point but knew it could change at any moment. We had another routine morning in camp. I left a bit ahead of Karl and started the hike up towards Glenn Pass. I soon passed Fin Dome and Rae Lakes. This is another breathtaking lake in the high Sierra. It sits at over 10,500 ft. I continued on and slowly made my way towards the Pass. Glenn Pass sits at just under 12k ft. Once again I set off a Spot Message. Karl and I then started the hike down and towards Forester Pass. We talked about crossing it today if we had the energy.
Along the way down we passed a 12 year boy with his mom. He was suffering altitude sickness and was still climbing toward the Pass. He didn’t look well. Karl told them they need to descend but she would not have it. They continued up and we headed down. We soon reached the upper Kearsarge Pass trail. There was also a lower trail about a half mile ahead. I knew this was our last exit. I did a quick mental check on my body’s health. I felt okay. Ankles and knees were achy but okay. We continued on and right as we reached the lower junction I felt the back of my right foot tighten up. I knew it was grim. We continued another half mile downhill and each step hurt more than the previous. I know my body and knew I couldn’t continue. We had another 40 hard miles ahead of us. The decision was easy. I told Karl and we took a break to assess the situation. There was no doubt I was done.
We returned to the lower Kearsage Pass trail and started the hike out. Each step hurt and I counted the minutes to the Pass. It looked far but I covered the distance within an hour or so. Once at Kearsage Pass I took another break and talked to a few other hikers. There was a guy named Dale on his way out. I told him our situation and he offered us a ride to Independence. He was initially going northbound from there. We hiked down together and chatted about craft beer and books and the Grand Canyon. He then said he would take us to Lone Pine if we would join him for dinner. We gladly accepted. An hour later we reached his vehicle and that ended our trip. We had dinner in Lone Pine and said our goodbyes to Dale. From there Karl and I made the return to Phoenix and were home around 2:30am. |
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