Western Terminus - Crescent Meadow, Sequoia National Park
Eastern Terminus - Whitney Portal, John Muir Wilderness
Length - 82 miles
Photos - 86
Disclaimer: Different maps and guide books give different elevations and different distances for peaks, passes and trails. Whenever I encounter a discrepancy in these figures I just choose the one that suits me. You know what that means- I always take the higher figure for elevations and the greater mileage for the trails.
Terminus. I like this word. My Merriam-Webster Children’s Dictionary defines it as: 1-final goal : end. 2-either end of a transportation line or travel route. And the derivation of this word is the Latin word, terminus, meaning- limit. So, there you have it- one trail with a beginning or an end at either end. Most backpackers hike from west to east to avoid starting at Whitney Portal and having to carry a full backpack up its endless switchbacks and some 5290 feet of elevation gain and 8.5 trail miles to Trail Crest at 13,650 ft. That’s a pretty hefty day of backpacking. Plus, there is the fact that ending your hike with an ascent of Mt. Whitney, at 14,494 ft., is a bit more dramatic than making that final surge into Crescent Meadow to be greeted by an asphalt parking lot and flush toilets.
Very Brief Trail Description: Start at Crescent Meadow in Sequoia National Park. Head east on a ribbon of trail clinging to the north wall high above the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River Canyon. Pause to chat with the rich folks admiring the view from the porch of Bearpaw Lodge High Sierra Trail Camp. Continue on the ever thinner ribbon of trail past Lone Pine Creek and up the canyon of Hamilton Creek. Take a dip in upper Hamilton Lake. Head up an astounding trail to Kaweah Gap and cross the Great Western Divide at 10,700 ft. Turn right and head south down the Big Arroyo. Take a left near the Little Five Lakes Trail Junction and head southeast to the Chagoopa Plateau.
Detour south to Moraine Lake (adds a whopping .8 miles to your trip) or continue on and switchback down about 2300 ft. to the Kern River Canyon. Turn left and head north up the Kern River Canyon To the Kern Hot Spring and soothe your tired stinky body in the small bathtubbed size Kern Hot Spring. Continue north then take a right turn and head east up Wallace Creek Canyon ‘til you hit a junction at 10,400 ft. with the John Muir Trail which is also the Pacific Crest Trail which is also the High Sierra Trail. Take a right turn and head south. At .9 miles from Crabtree Meadows turn left leaving the Pacific Crest Trail behind and head east on the John Muir/High Sierra Trail ‘til you reach the western backside of Mt. Whitney. Continue east up the switchbacks to the junction with the side trail, at 13,560 ft., to the summit of Mt. Whitney. Take a hard left and hike north 2.5 miles to the summit, 14,494 ft., jump up and down with joy, and then whip out your cellphone and call everybody you know because you’Ave earned it. Turn around and head south to Trail Crest at 13,650 ft. Take another hard left and switchback east down the Mt. Whitney Trail ‘til you hit Whitney Portal. End of trip.
Map courtesy of the National Park Service. This map contains an error. It shows the High Sierra Trail running through the Lynda Creek area. You may take that route if you so choose, however, the High Sierra Trail climbs up Wallace Creek Canyon which is directly east of Junction Meadow, some 4.9 miles south of the trail leading up to Lynda Creek. Going on up the Kern River to Tyndall Creek and looping back to the High Sierra Trail at Wallace Creek would add 13.6 miles to your trip. But, it would be a really magnificent 13.6 miles because it would put you on the Bighorn Plateau.
ACTUAL TRIP REPORT:
Twice have I traversed the Sierra Nevada via the High Sierra Trail. The first time was in August of 2002 with a Boy Scout Troop and the second time was in August 2005 with the same Boy Scout Troop and some of the same boys who are now adult scouters. This write-up focuses on the 2005 trip.
There are two ways to access the High Sierra Trail. The first and logical choice is the High Sierra Trail head in Crescent Meadow. The second choice is the Wolverton Trail head at Long Meadow near Lodgepole which is where you will go to pick up your permit. This past year we started out at the Wolverton Trail head because the Crescent Meadow Trail head had a full quota on our start day. From the Wolverton Trail head you go south to Panther Pass then on to Mehrten Meadow and pick up the High Sierra Trail just beyond Mehrten Creek, 6.9 miles from your start point. This is mile 7.2 from the trail head at Crescent Meadow, so, you have actually saved yourself .3 trail miles. But wait, there is a catch, for you now have to walk west .25 miles towards Crescent Meadow to reach your campsite alongside Mehrten Creek. So, the next morning you will have to retrace those .25 miles for a net gain of .2 trail miles more than had you started out at Crescent Meadow. All this compliments of the National Park Service and a trail quota system with more holes in it than my granddaddy’s long underwear.
General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park- from the 2002 hike. A “must see” before you head on down the trail.
Crescent Meadow Trail head, 2002. This was a 10 day hike because that was the number of nights required to spend “under the stars” to qualify for the patch. And we are all very proud of our patch. It is a multicolored scene of mountains and lakes with- Trans Sierra Trail Award stitched across a log in the foreground.
After taking this picture the scout mom drove away and was raced along the road by a bear. We searched in vain for 10 days without spotting one bear!
Wolverton Trail head 2005. Can you spot the repeat offenders? There are four in this shot and one more behind the camera.
A word about this group of knuckleheads. There are ten boys in this group, ages 14 to 19. Eight of the ten are flexing their muscles. They were not told to flex their muscles. They were told to say cheese. Yet, they instinctively chose to flex their muscles. Notice their packs. They were told to pack light. They know how to do this. Yet, their packs weighed up to 55 lbs. They said they wanted to carry stuff that would make them comfortable. Yet, they instinctively chose to flex their muscles. They are, after all, teenagers.
The focus is somewhat wanting in this shot but nonetheless it gives you an idea of what the trail from Wolverton looks like. I rather enjoyed this trail. A light rain was falling as we set out and that kept the dust down. At Panther Pass and on down to the junction with the High Sierra Trail we were afforded grand views to the south across the canyon of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River.
Two adult knuckleheads on the High Sierra Trail. The mountains in the background are a part of the sweeping chain of peaks which taken together comprise the Great Western Divide. The dome just behind the knuckleheads is Little Blue Dome. And if you look straight behind the two of them you’ll see Eagle Scout Peak and the notch to the left of it is Kaweah Gap. Eagle Scout Peak is recognizable by it’s long sloping south side and it’s more acute, precipitous northern face, which is actually a straight drop into Precipice Lake.
Butterflies on the High Sierra Trail. This sun dappled spot next to a small stream was home to the rare amber sierrus butterflyus.
Hey, look, the sun dappled stream!
Campsite at Bearpaw Meadow. We had intended on making camp at Hamilton Lakes that night but settled on Bearpaw when the ranger at the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp informed us that Hamilton Lakes had 45 campers already tucked in for the evening. So, we backtracked to the meadow and set up there for the evening. As sunset approached we went over to the High Sierra Camp...
and waited for the sun to set. Which it did.
Sunset on the Great Western Divide. It wasn’t the most dramatic of sunsets but it was the only one happening that particular day so we enjoyed it the best we could and then made our way back to our campground as the folks on the porch were served yet another round of wine and beer.
Bridge over Lone Pine Creek. The remains of the old metal bridge lie twisted and torn down below. To the right side of the photo lies the Canyon of Hamilton Creek. The trail leads north from the bridge away from the canyon before switch-backing east up to the high wall of the north face of the canyon to which it clings precariously. Like much of the High Sierra Trail leading out of Crescent Meadow the trail here is but a thin ribbon clinging to a high wall with nothing but sparkling sierra air and majestic granite to greet that last fatal misstep. Ah, but I am being a bit dramatic. The rangers told me of a blind woman making this trek as a member of a Sierra Club group. And to the best of their knowledge they had never heard of anyone falling off the trail.
Lone Pine Creek as seen from the bridge.
Looking back towards the Canyon of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River from Hamilton Creek Canyon. Can you spot the trail running across the open space between the trees halfway up the wall of granite. Hint- it’s the white gash about 12 inches wide. Look at the wooded area in the lower right hand corner- can you see the switchbacks and the bridge over Lone Pine Creek? Bearpaw High Sierra Camp is back around the curve of the canyon.
Hamilton Creek Canyon with Hamilton Waterfall in the middle of the picture and continuing on down to the lower right of the frame.
Hamilton Creek Falls. Lunch with a view. You think these kids aren’t having the time of their life. Imagine the first day back in school and the teacher says, “ Well, Johnny tell the class what you did this summer.” And Johnny just shrugs, looks a little bored and says,”Oh, not much, you know, just hiked across the Sierra Nevada and climbed Mt Whitney. You know, just stuff.”
The view west from somewhere above Hamilton Creek Falls. Those with a keen eye can spot the ribbon of trail running midway across the far wall of granite. Can you also spot the trail on the canyon wall to the immediate right of the picture? And how about where it runs through the trees?
A picture for rock lovers. Above Hamilton Creek Falls.
Hamilton Creek in the right hand corner of the frame- high above the falls. Angel Wings section of the granite wall known as Valhalla- depending upon which guide book or map you read.
Western shore of Upper Hamilton Lake. Granite slabbed beach and granite lake bottom.
Oh, to be 15 and not a worry in the world.
Trail heading up and out of the granite basin of Upper Hamilton Lake. From the lake’s edge at 8,250 ft. the trail switchbacks east up and across the northern wall of the basin then heads south through a tunnel and section of trail blasted from a sheer cliff wall before turning east again at Precipice Lake and crossing Kaweah Gap at 10,700 ft. for a gain of 2,450 ft. Eagle Scout Peak at 12,040 ft. towers above the south side of the basin.
The backpacker in the white shirt is a woman. She was hiking with her husband and son and quickly left them behind. I could not rest until we got to Precipice Lake because every time I looked back this woman was gaining on me. Had she passed me I would never have heard the end of it from the boys.
The Hamilton Gorge Bridge was destroyed by an avalanche in 1937. The current trail skirts the gorge along a ledge blasted by the Civilian Conservation Corps the following summer. This is the section of trail I referred to in the above text.
Unfortunately I do not have my own picture of the tunnel or that section of trail. However this one from the good folks at http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/ will give an idea of the trail. This web site will not allow me to pilfer its pictures. The photo of Hamilton Gorge Bridge comes from a National Park Service web site and is pilferable because items published by the United States government are not copyrighted, they are a part of the public domain.
High above Upper Hamilton Lake with Eagle Scout Peak in the distance. This is one of many waterfalls that feed the lake below.
The view west from the north wall above Upper Hamilton Lake.
A beautiful look back at Angel Wings and the majestic granite surrounding The Hamilton Lakes Basin. According to my Tom Harrison map this ridge of granite on the right side of the photo is named Valhalla. Various guidebooks also refer to it as Angel Wings and one refers to Valhalla as a canyon. Take your pick. I like Angel Wings. Height of whatever-you-wanta-call-it-wall is some 2,000 ft. And check out the trail, it’s zigging and zagging all over the place.
Still more granite high above Upper Hamilton Lake. This view is looking at the north wall near the top of the trail just before it turns southward to Precipice Lake.
Precipice Lake, August 2005, elevation 10,200 ft. Okay, you are 14, 15, 16 years old. You are a boy. You are a knuckle-headed boy. You come upon a lake half filled with ice. All the other boys with you are knuckleheads too. What do you think you are going to do? It is a no brainer! You have no choice!
As I said, it is a no brainer!
Ambient air temperature? Probably in the 80’s or 90’s. Water temperature? I do not know, although I can report that it was cold enough to elicit howls and expletives which I cannot include here.
In 2002 when there was no ice, just that snow field covering the talus on the far side of the lake, the boys were jumping off that boulder you see halfway across the lake on the right shoreline. I dove from the area where the boys are standing in this photo. The shock of the cold water was breathtaking. It was so numbing that I felt like I was swimming in slow motion. Mind you, I couldn’t have gone more than two or three feet underwater and no more than ten feet from shore. Yet, the kids that jumped off that boulder went much, much deeper where the water was much, much colder. And what about the boys in these pictures- I can only refer you to what I said earlier- it’s a no brainer
The summit of Eagle Scout Peak is that slab of rock sticking out 1,840 ft. above Precipice Lake.
Heading east through the Kaweah Gap with the Black Kaweah and Red Kaweah Peaks of the Kaweah Peaks Range in the distance. This is the western entrance to the gap, just beyond Precipice Lake.
About midway through Kaweah Gap. heading East.
View from the eastern entrance to Kaweah Gap. At the top of the photo is the northern headwall of the Big Arroyo. Across the Big Arroyo on the other side of the peaks of the Kaweah Range lies the remote Nine Lake Basin. It ain’t got no trails!
This photo overlaps the previous one. If I knew how to use Photoshop I suppose I could stitch them together. In the center of the photo you’ll notice there is a line of green coming down the ridge. That is the path of a waterfall which is also visible on the next ridge up. The Kaweahs are very colorful here at the entrance to Nine Lake Basin. This shot was taken standing at the eastern entrance to the Kaweah Gap and looking straight across the Big Arroyo to the waterfall on the opposite canyon wall.
This image was taken from the same spot as the previous two but now we are looking south down the Big Arroyo as it curves to the east to eventually meet up with the Kern River Canyon. To the left are the peaks of the Kaweah Range, to the right the peaks of the Great Western Divide curve southeastwardly, and down the Big Arroyo itself runs Big Arroyo Creek. A lovely, wide stream that alternately races and meanders in big looping curves as it works its way down the Big Arroyo.
At the Little Five Lakes Trail Junction the High Sierra Trail turns eastward climbing up the north wall of the Big Arroyo to enter Chagoopa Plateau. This is the first meadow you come to on the Chagoopa Plateau. Looking north to Mt. Kaweah. A 13,802 ft. walk-up.
Thunderstorm heading up the Kern River Canyon. This picture was taken looking south down the Kern Trench just as a monster thunderstorm unleashed its wrath upon Troop 8 near the top of the switchbacks that lead from Chagoopa Plateau down to Upper Funston Meadow on the Kern River some 2300 ft. below. We caught the full fury of the storm as we raced down the switchbacks to get off the exposed canyon wall. Yellow streaks of lightening flashed across the trail followed all too closely by booming, pounding thunder claps. Hailstones of such size and velocity that they were painful hammered us as the switchbacks turned into churning gullies of muddy water.
Pretty dramatic stuff, huh. Actually, it was very exciting. And noteworthy because this was the first time Troop 8 had been rained on in seven years! For seven years I’ve been carrying around my rain gear and complaining about it being useless dead weight.
So, where was it when the moment finally arrived? Why, in my pack, of course, where it stayed nice and dry!
Well, it’s good to see that somebody used their rain gear. Here the boys are waiting to cross the wooden Kern River bridge. A lovely sight, aren’t they.
Crossing a rain swollen stream on the eastern side of the Kern River. Destination- Kern Hot Spring.
Ahh, the life of the selfless scoutmaster. But, the real point of the photo is the boys gathered around the outdoor loo in the background. No doubt they’re having a grand time discussing their perennially favorite subject- poop and anything remotely related to it. You know, you haven’t really experienced backpacking until you’ve spent at least ten days isolated in the wilderness with a bunch of these delightful young fellows. I can’t tell you how heartwarming it is the first time a young scout comes running up to you to proudly show you his clear plastic baggie bulging with his freshly soiled toilet paper. His face beaming with pride as he proudly proclaims- leave no trace. And, god help you if the little varmint has diarrhea.
The site of the above social hour is the campsite farthest above the river at Kern Hot Spring.
Alone at the loo. How very odd.
I can promise you that at the exact moment that I had the thought, “hmm, perhaps it’s time to visit the loo,” no less than five boys would suddenly race to the throne and each one in turn would see how long he could dawdle there just to aggravate the others and that, of course, becomes a contest in and of itself requiring considerable shouting and sophomoric proclamations each one intended to outdo the previous one. This would continue until one of three possibilities occurred: A- they would exhaust their reservoir of sophomoric proclamations (an impossibility), B- they would grow bored and seek another diversion (unlikely, they never grow bored when the subject involves this particular bodily function), or C- frogs rained down from the sky(more apt to happen than A or B). And, so, we pass our days, filled with the ineffable peace and sublime beauty of the mountains.
An extreme close-up of the Kern Hot Spring bathtub- about the size and shape of a 55 gallon drum cut in half. Water flows in from the pipe at the top of the tub. The wooden stopper resting on the deck is used to stop up the outflow pipe at the bottom of the tub. The Kern River is a couple of steps away to the right of the photo. Without the concrete tub it would be named, Kern Hot Spring Mudhole.
Heading north up the Kern River Trench towards Junction Meadow. This section of the High Sierra Trail is just north of Kern Hot Spring. A little further on and the trail opens up on a more sparsely wooded and sandy stretch- it’s like hiking on beach sand.
Willie Wonka mushroom. Kern River Canyon. High Sierra Trail. August 2005.
Crossing Wallace Creek and gettin’ mighty close to Junction Meadow. Here the boys are demonstrating three ways to- “git across the creek”.
Junction Meadow. A man and his pack mules, demonstrating another way to- “git across the mountains”.
A picturesque scene on the Kern River as it skirts the western boundary of Junction Meadow. Three boys in a Norman Rockwell painting, dreaming their Tom Sawyer dreams. Think so? Maybe. Seeing who can flick a bugger the farthest? Probably.
The Sierra Patrol’s rather slovenly campsite at Junction Meadow. I hesitated to include this picture because it doesn’t reflect well upon our superior outdoor skills. After all, as scoutmasters we are qualified to deliver the Camping Merit Badge. And these kids must all have attained, at a minimum, the rank of First Class Scout to qualify for this hike. However, I thought someone might be interested in seeing our homemade tarp. It’s that big red and blue contraption in the middle of the photo and it provided shelter for eight boy scouts. I don’t recall its exact weight but I believe it is under two pounds. Also, notice the purple homemade pot cozy. It works great. And, also, weighs under two pounds.
This is the view from Wallace Creek Canyon looking south down the Kern River Canyon. The colorful ridge rising above the western canyon wall is known as Red Spur. From Junction Meadow on the Kern River it’s about a 2,400 foot climb up Wallace Creek Canyon to the junction of the High Sierra Trail and the John Muir Trail/ Pacific Crest Trail.
Another view from Wallace Creek Canyon. This one looking west to Colby Pass and the Kern Kaweah River Valley.
And, yet another view from Wallace Creek Canyon. Again we are looking west but this time we are higher up and we can see the Kaweahs, the Great Western Divide, and the Kaweah Basin as well as the Kern Kaweah River Valley and Colby Pass over to the right. And look, right there in the middle of the picture is Wallace Creek, exactly where it’s supposed to be.
Sandy Meadow on the John Muir/Pacific Crest/High Sierra Trail. Just a hop, skip, and really long jump from Crabtree Meadow. This view is looking west to Red Spur and the Kaweah Basin.
Why it’s a regular country bear jamboree! You’ve heard the phrase, “couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.” Well, I say, if the backpack fits- wear it! Okay , maybe none of that made any sense. You’ll just have to cut me some slack- I spend a lot of time with these guys. What were they singing? Theme songs from their favorite childhood cartoon shows- Power Rangers and Mutant Ninja Turtles. And I remember those shows very well because I would stand outside the toy store at 6 A.M. to get my son the latest “must have” version of the Power Ranger that would morph into who knows what. So, here they are, all grown up and singing their little hearts out at Crabtree Meadow on the John Muir/High Sierra Trail.
The “Throne” at Crabtree Meadow. Located at the end of the meadow it offers no privacy. Look back through the trees just left of center in the picture above, see the two white rocks in a line that looks like a path between the trees. Follow that line all the way back until you see a swatch of red. That is a tent. People can approach you from all sides. And you are expected to use the darn thing. The people in charge of this neck of the woods don’t want you “pooping up the woods”. The best strategy if you’re modest like me is to visit in the evening and keep your head lamp burning.
When we were here in 2002 one of the younger scouts ventured out here in the darkness and quickly returned when his moment on the “Throne” was disrupted by a pair of glowing eyes. He raced back to our campsite and had his father escort him to a spot closer to camp and stand guard while he “pooped up the woods.”
Your first view of Guitar Lake as you come into the Whitney basin on the High Sierra/John Muir Trail from Crabtree Meadow. In the bottom left corner you can see two backpackers on the trail. Notice all the tents on the rocky area above the lake. This is the most popular camping spot and blue appears to be the most popular color for tents.
Mt. Hitchcock is on the right top corner. Trail Crest is that notch where the slope of the long eastern ridge dips then rises to begin its curve around to the right to hook up with Mt Hitchcock. The summit trail runs north along the top of this ridge for 2.5 miles to its dead end rendezvous with the summit of Mt. Whitney-14,494 ft. above sea level. The tallest mountain in the contiguous 48 states of the good old U.S. of A.
A closer view of the camping area above Guitar Lake. Two yellow tents are now visible.
Pow-wow taking place below the rugged, furrowed western slopes of Mt Whitney. It was getting very close to sunset and the meeting here, a couple of hundred feet above the north shore of Guitar Lake, was to discuss the merits of sleeping on the summit.
Looking west from the north shore of Guitar Lake. Spot in the foreground is a favorite “watering” spot. The tent above (pitched a bit too close to the water) is blue in keeping with the Guitar Lake color guidelines. At the far end of the lake is the neck of the guitar, another popular camping spot. And in the shadows in the foreground is some fellow”watering up”.
The Sierra Patrol, Troop 8 heading up the trail from Guitar Lake to Trail Crest. The group off the trail on the right is another Boy Scout Troop from our council and they too were completing their hike of the High Sierra Trail. And I just happened to know the adult leaders as we served on the council’s High Adventure Team together.
The trail goes over that big hump of rocks and then switchbacks up to Trail Crest at 13,650ft. for a gain of about 2,150 ft. from the shores of Guitar Lake. We passed several groups along this section of trail most of whom were of the opinion that we were not too bright to be hiking this trail so close to sunset. The next morning we watched their head lamps bobbing as they hiked up in the pre-dawn darkness.
Panorama of Whitney basin and a very good illustration of why you should use a tripod to take panoramic shots. On the far left is the backside of Mt Whitney, Guitar Lake is in the center foreground and on the far right is Mt Hancock.
The same panoramic shot as the previous one but this is the cropped version.
This aerial photo comes courtesy of the Whitney Portal Store web site via another web site where I found it. I've included it here because it does an excellent job of clarifying the topography and the route of the Mt. Whitney trail.
A view of the switchbacks bathed in the alpine glow of sunset on the High Sierra/John Muir Trail. The boys are in the left corner of the picture and above about mid picture you can see two other backpackers headed for the high ground.
The alpine glow a few minutes later and look at the change in color. We’re not gaining on those people in front of us.
A view of the sunset from the switchback trail up the ridge. On the left is Mt Hancock with the Kaweah Basin and Great Western Divide off in the distance. From this point on we switch-backed up in the darkness. The boys promptly turned on their headlamps and we just as promptly had them turn them off because it was easier to make out the trail without the boys throwing light every which way. Then there’s all those kids looking up at you shining their headlamp in your eyes and blinding you.
As we continued on up towards Trail Crest and the night grew colder and the kids became more tired and hungry (they’re always hungry) the urge to sleep on the summit lost its appeal and they agreed to camp at a spot off the trail- a narrow, flat and sandy bench amongst the boulders at 13,550 ft. We knew about this spot as we had camped here on our previous hike in 2002. Back then we had the place to ourselves. This time it was filled up and we were forced to crowd in the best we could. The kids stretched their sleeping bags out amongst the tents and we “adults” clambered up and around the boulders ‘til we found flat spots big enough for us. It was very late and we tried to be quiet because everybody else was already asleep. We got up around 5 a.m. and discovered the tents belonged to another Boy Scout Troop based only five miles from us back in the L.A. area. Two other tents belonged to “civilians”. One was a guy and his female friend. Why is it some guys get to sleep in tents with girls and I’m sprawled out in the dirt with stinky teenage boys?
Sunrise on the summit of Mt Whitney. It was windy and very, very cold. The trail up was even iced over in a few spots. We did come upon some hardy souls that had spent the night on the summit hunkered down in open spaces between the boulders- these were little holes in which you could spread out your sleeping bag and be out of the wind. They had the hoods on their bags drawn up to the size of a small blow hole. They weren’t moving and they appeared to be very, very cold. One had a fly fishing rod next to his bag although it is well known that there are no fish on the summit of Mt Whitney.
The summit hut, looking west. In the distance from left to right we have the Great Western Divide, the Big Arroyo, Chagoopa Plateau, Red Spur, the Kaweah Range, more of the Great Western Divide, the Kaweah Basin and the Kaweah Kern River Valley.
Inside the hut escaping the wind and cold we have what the BSA optimistically refers to as the future leaders of America. Take a good look.
The view west from the shadow of the hut. Same as the view from the other side of the hut without the hut.
A close up taken from the same spot as the last shot. A good view of Red Spur and the backside of the Kaweah Peaks and Kaweah Basin.
Don’t throw away that bag you got from the Apple Computer store. It makes a handy ultralight day pack.
Heading south on the summit trail with the morning sun shining through the windows.
The view east from one of the windows featured in the previous shot. Lone Pine, the Owens Valley and the White Mountains in silhouette.
View west taken near Trail Crest. In the foreground is one of the Hitchcock Lakes at the base of Mt Hitchcock. The splash of blue further down is Timberline Lake which is gorgeous with stunning views of the western slopes of Mt Whitney. Of which I have no pictures.
A good view of the northernmost stretch of the Great Western Divide in the top right of the photo. Closer up, the long ridge just north of Guitar Lake is Mt Young.
Follow the side trail on the upper part of the slope to where it connects back up with the trail leading to Trail Crest. That line of black objects is backpacks left by hikers headed for the summit. Look further down the slope and you’ll spot a swatch of orange and some people standing around. That’s where we spent the night.
Our campsite high above Guitar Lake at 13,550 ft. North in the right upper portion of the picture is a glimpse of the Bighorn Plateau in front of the Great Western Divide. The diamond shaped peak- the last one on the right- could that be Junction Peak and Forester Pass to the left.? If so then that would be Diamond Mesa below.
Eastern side of Mt. Whitney. Aerial image courtesy of the
Whitney Portal Store.
Lone Pine Lake. Very close to Whitney Portal and the end of the trail. This is my last shot. I know I should have one at the end of the trail. But I don’t. I was too worn out to bother organizing it. Parents were there. Kids were scattered all over. I just walked over to the stream beyond the parking lot and washed off. I changed my shirt, soaked my weary feet in the cold water until they turned red from the cold and then I left. As always I felt a tinge of sadness at leaving the mountains. And eagerness to get home and have a hamburger and french fries and drink too much Starbucks. And then plan the next trip to the mountains.