John Muir Trail, September 2009 - Trip Report, part 4 of 4

For a little history, read part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the Trip Report first.

On the morning of Day 7, we were on the trail by 6:15 am with two big passes on the agenda for the day. From Twin Lakes we had about 5 miles of downhill until we came to the suspension bridge over Woods Creek. Signs are posted to take the bridge one at a time, so you really couldn’t bounce your friends too much, but it was still quite entertaining. I am always amazed at the human effort to build these bridges in a back country setting.
After the crossing we start our first long gradual climb to Glen Pass. This section of trail that traverses through Kings Canyon Wilderness is very popular, and we would see many more people today than we did during the first part of the trip.

We stopped along Rae Lakes for lunch and a little more fishing for our friend Steve. With the crystal clear waters and rock outcroppings providing a vantage point, we could see fish swimming all over. A fisherman’s dream!
After lunch, the climb steepened on the way up Glen Pass. Invariably as the terrain steepens, and the trail builders run out of real estate to work with, you start to see more switchbacks. Luckily, you can’t always see them from below, but from above they always made me smile.
We didn’t stop for long at the top, as it was already midday and we had another 16 miles and Forester Pass to go over. Luckily the down hills tend to go fast, as we were now in the direct sun, and it was hot. I was also running low on water, so was eager to get to the next water crossing.

After passing the turnoff to Charlotte Lake, one of countless places I would love to come back and explore, we reached Vidette Meadow. A spectacular spot surrounded by granite peaks and ridges in all directions. Some of these massive landmarks would appear so far away, yet with a couple hours of steady hiking we would gradually make our way around or past them.
Once again, we had a beautiful sunset from atop a high pass. At the top of Forester Pass, we donned more clothes and began our descent for the evening. From here to the summit of Mt. Whitney, is a wild and somewhat different landscape. The trail never goes below 10,400 feet, so it is the highest sustained section of trail.
We camped near the junction of the Lake South America Trail and bundled up for what would be our coldest night of the trip. With my 30 degree bag, I slept in wool long underwear top and bottoms and my lightweight down jacket and managed a good night of sleep. I did awake to a frozen hose on my water bladder, and hard frost all over my pack.
This was also our last night on the trail, and with the great weather we had, I never used the lightweight tarp I brought. The tarp and the athletic tape were the only things in my pack that were never used on this trip.
Today was our last day on the trail, and we were well versed in what had to be done. A steady and enjoyable pace, with a lot of time for conversation and taking in the incredible Wilderness all around us. The miles seemed to float by as we began the long approach to the Mt. Whitney climb.

We stopped briefly at the trail junction to the Crabtree Ranger Station where we picked up our required Wag Bags. Due to the heavy use in the Mt. Whitney zone, these are required. Thankfully for those heading southbound like us, they are provided on the trail.
Our friend Steve also took a wrong turn at the prior junction. We realized that he would quickly figure it out and self correct, so 3 of us got a little extra break. We joked that he really wanted the extra mile so he could say he hiked more than us. After 20 or so minutes he was back with us. I think this was the only wrong turn during our trek, which is pretty amazing.

After a last water fill up at Guitar Lake, we began the climb to the Whitney Trail junction. Looking back from far above, Guitar Lake really does look like a guitar. At the Trail Junction we dropped our packs, and continued on to the summit of Mt. Whitney a little after 1:00 in the afternoon. So much for the common sense approach of being off the summit by noon. We knew with our aggressive schedule we would be climbing passes and topping out on Mt. Whitney late in the day, and accepted that if afternoon thunderstorms were to develop, we would have to modify our agenda. Thankfully this never turned out to be the case.
From the summit of Mt. Whitney, it is approximately 11 downhill miles to the finish at Whitney Portal. This gave ample time to reflect on our journey, the highs and the lows. We also talked about our gear choices, favorites and least favorites. In the end, I think all of us were very happy with the choices we had made. It would be hard to summarize the sense of individual and group accomplishment, but as individuals and friends we had some serious “miles” under our belts.

And personally, I can’t wait for the next time I get to play for a week in the High Sierras. When I returned home, my wife asked if I would do it again. My answer was “of course”. When our kids are older, I would love to go back with the same light pack and spend four weeks exploring The John Muir Trail. I would also like to take the kids up and explore segments of the trail at a leisurely kid friendly pace. And as ridiculous as it may seem, a little part of me would enjoy going back and going even faster.

Happy Trails!!