HST Day 5
August 19, 2019
Junction Meadow to Guitar Lake: 11.7 miles
We woke up at 5 this morning in order to begin hiking by 6. We had a super big climb first thing, gaining about 2,500 ft in 4.5 miles, and because it’s been so hot, we wanted to get it done in the cooler morning air and while we’d be in the shade. We watched the sunrise as we climbed, and it was so pretty! This was one of the first times we had any sort of clouds, and they were so pretty in the sun. The climb was pretty uneventful, it just took a long time. The views were nice as we kept climbing, we got to see the Kaweahs again from a different angle, the hike up to Colby Pass, and the view of Kern Canyon, this time from the northern end. We also had to cross Wright Creek, which was probably the worst water crossing we had, in terms of slippery rocks/ branches and trying to keep your feet dry. Wright Creek feeds into Wallace Creek basically right after the trail crossing, so the water is pretty strong.
Once we reached the top of the climb, we joined the PCT/JMT! We took a break at the Wallace Lake camp area and saw so many JMTers pass by while we were sitting there! I also realized I could use Guthooks now instead of Gaia, which was blissful. I love Guthooks so much. The middle of the day was punctuated by PUDs (pointless ups and downs) that I do not remember from last year. They were pretty annoying. We saw lots of people on this stretch: JMTers, section hikers, people doing random loops, etc. but the BEST person I saw was someone I met on the PCT last year: Download! We didn’t hang out much on the trail, but he is very recognizable, and I remember meeting him because I was freaking out with happiness at being able to see the snow-capped Sierra mountains when we were ~a half day away from Kennedy Meadows! And he didn’t think I was crazy to be so excited haha. He is a nice guy, and I can’t believe I ran into him! He’s doing a little section hike from Cottonwood Pass to Kearsarge Pass with his housemates! So cool and such a nice coincidence to run into him.
After our run-in with Download, we walked another mile and had lunch at a small stream. We chatted with another section hiker who attempted the PCT in 2017, but eventually got off the trail because of the snow in the Sierra and other weather conditions like fires. So he’s out doing Kennedy Meadows to Ashland (hopefully). After lunch was another short climb before a descent to Crabtree Meadow. We didn’t need to go to the meadow, so we just continued on to Guitar Lake! Man, the hike between Crabtree and Guitar Lake was much harder than I remember it being. Probably because I don’t have 800 hiking miles on my legs this time. Also, we did the hike mostly in the dark last year, which definitely makes things feel different. The portion of trail from Crabtree to Timberline Lake had so much avalanche debris! The trail was clear, but it looks like a bomb went off in the meadows. I definitely didn’t remember that from last year, even during my descent in the daylight.
We finally arrived at Guitar Lake around 4 pm. When I was scoping out a spot, another hiker came up and started chatting. His name is Bruce, aka Chocoholic, and he is also doing the HST- leading some younger people and friends! We talked to him for a while, talking about all kinds of hiking things, before setting up camp. It’s a little windy, but the Tiger Wall is doing great! After setting up, we did some chores and got ready for bed, talked to Bruce some more, talked with our Slovenian friends who we met this morning, made dinner, and climbed into our sleeping bags! It is definitely cold. I got my balaclava and fleece gloves out! You know it’s cold when I’m wearing gloves.
We discussed the trail tomorrow before bed. Mom is nervous about being able to make it to the summit, but I think she’ll be ok. We are going to aim to start hiking at 5:30 am. No summit sunrise for us!
Some iPhone pics:
