We're baaaaack! What a great trip Ellen and I had! Just one day of rain and hail, then the rest was sunny and dry.
Avid, that was so cool getting to meet you and your wife on the way to Muir Pass! It always amazes me how many people, that I know in one way or another, that I run into on a mountain.
I've spent the afternoon sorting through dirty and smelly equipment. I'll try to get a TR together tomorrow.
Mt. San Jacinto Outdoor Recreation
Hiking, Climbing, Camping, Trail Running, Snowshoeing...
Follow Ellen and Sally on the South to North Lake Hike
23 posts
• Page 2 of 3 • 1, 2, 3
by Sally » Wed Aug 29, 2012 3:47 pm
Here's my long TR:
Day 1: Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Ellen and I got on the road to Bishop at 3:10 AM. We stopped in Lone Pine for Egg McMuffins and were amazed to see lightning and raindrops on the 395. We got to the ranger station in Bishop about 15 minutes before they opened (8:00) and conversed with a bearded guy who looked like John Muir. The fellow had been with SAR and told us a tale of retrieving bodies from the hut on Whitney. According to him, they perished from a lightning strike because they were wearing metal frame glasses.
While we were obtaining our permit, one of the rangers repaired Ellen’s trekking poles which had been damaged during her previous spill into Mill Creek. Permit in hand we headed to the South Lake trailhead. We were on the Bishop Pass Trail by 10:00.
Eventually it was time for lunch, so we chose a spot on the narrow trail. We were off the trail enough for hikers to pass by, but little did we know that a pack train was bearing down on us. Needless to say, it was a very short lunch break. Soon after, we were making our way up the switchbacks of Bishop Pass. The skies opened up and we were pummeled with rain and hail. There was thunder and lightning. When we reached the pass we encountered a girl with huge hoop earrings, and the story of the people with metal frame glasses came to mind.
We found a nice spot on which to pitch our tents in Dusy Basin, and we were pleased that the rain had stopped while we did so. Sadly, as soon as we began to eat our dinner the rain set in again. We retired to our tents before 7:00 and I slept well, having been sleep deprived the night before.
Day 2: Thursday, August 23
The clouds had cleared out during the night. I pointed out to Ellen that there was a huge boulder precariously perched on a rock next to her tent that appeared to be ready to roll down and flatten her at any moment. Time to go!
We got off to a nice start only to be stopped by forest service workers that had planted some dynamite to widen the trail for pack trains. There was to be a wait of 15 minutes, which turned into more than ½ hour. Then, after hearing “fire in the hole!’ on their walkie-talkies there was a very impressive ka-boom that reverberated throughout the canyon.
Our itinerary, which I had gotten out of the book “Sierra South,” was to camp at Big Pete Meadow, but we wanted to be nearer to Muir Pass. We pressed on through LeConte Canyon and up towards the pass. Along the way we ran into fellow board member “avid” and his wife. Just as we were wondering if we were going to be able to find a suitable place to set up camp we came upon a lovely site amongst the rocks and a stream.
Day 3: Friday, August 24
We made it to Muir Pass early in the day and began the long descent into Evolution Basin and Valley. The trail took us through the stark moonscape of the Basin, and then into the more hospitable country of the Valley. We passed a trio of hikers that we had met at the trailhead that were doing the same hike but were starting at North Lake and coming through Lamarck Col. Taking the cross country route through Darwin Bench, Darwin Lakes, and Lamarck Col was something we had considered, but we felt the main trail was plenty enough of an adventure for us.
When we got to the outlet end of Evolution Lake we had a much needed dip. Refreshed, we continued on to Colby Meadow where we found a most idyllic campsite.
Day 4: Saturday, August 25
At this point we were a full day ahead of our itinerary. We continued on down Evolution Creek and ran into Heather (Deb from the San G board’s friend) and her party. While chatting with them a trail runner came out of nowhere and bellowed at us to get out of the trail. Sheesh, sorry, dude!
We crossed the creek and were soon trodding down the Golden Staircase. Near the bottom another pack train was heading for us. Fortunately we were at a place where we could cut the switchback they were rounding and we didn’t have to deal with them.
After turning right at the junction of Goddard Canyon we went northwest along the South Fork San Joaquin River. It was fairly level, but hot and dry, and we were glad to reach the junction to the Piute Trail where we were able to get wet, fill up with water, and rest a bit.
We had the option of making camp there, but it was a bit early to quit. We headed up Piute Canyon with West Pinnacles Creek as our intended destination, as it was the first water source along the way. The trail was very steep and rocky and Ellen went into “slow twitch” mode. Oddly, this was one of my favorite stretches of our journey. Piute Creek was far below us most of the time, tumbling in a most beautiful manner down the canyon, and the trail was studded with magnificent cedars and firs.
We finally came upon a spring and were wondering if this was the “creek” we were hoping to stop at. There really weren’t any suitable tent sites so we kept going. Then we came to a more substantial stream and not far from it was a perfectly level rock bench with a great view. This is where we pitched, and we spent the evening ooh-ing and ah-ing at the moon and stars, and were entertained by a few flying bats.
Day 5: Sunday, August 26
We packed up and headed toward Hutchinson Meadow. Had we been following our original itinerary this would have been day 6’s destination. It was difficult to tell where the meadow began, but we did have to cross a few creeks. It’s too bad we didn’t fill up with water here because we came to a long waterless stretch. Right when we had about sipped our last gulp we finally came to a weak stream where we had lunch. From here we had a nice view of the snow fields along the Glacier Divide.
Less than 2 miles later we were passing Summit Lake. It was rather dreary with several unsightly signs on very tall posts. We would have had to walk down to the lake to read them. I’m curious what those signs were all about.
Finally the trail reached a high point. “Is this it?” Ellen and I asked each other in astonishment. It was indeed Piute Pass, with no sign or fanfare to it. It was pretty anticlimactic. There was a lot of mule and horse dung, so we renamed it “Poopy Pass.”
A little disappointed, we started back down. Fortunately, Piute Lake was quite beautiful, and we decided to call it a day and pitch there. We had the lake to ourselves. Just as the book said, it was very windy, so we had to put our tents up with great care so as to not have them go airborne. Starting our stoves was challenging too. However, the wind did die down in the evening and we had a pleasant night talking and enjoying the heavens again.
Day 6: Monday, August 27
Taking our time, Ellen and I broke camp. With only 4 miles left to our adventure we said goodbye to Piute Lake. A bit down the trail we were approached by yet another pack train. The driver asked if we'd ever seen so much TNT. Yep, the mules were loaded with explosives! Losing elevation quickly we hot-footed it down to North Lake Trailhead.
Happily, our adventure doesn’t end here. There was still the not-so-minor detail of getting back to my car at the South Lake Trailhead, almost 15 miles away. We confronted a couple that had just exited the trail and asked if they could give us a hitch. They said “sure,” but they were driving a VW Bug. I figured there was no way that this was going to work out, but we threw our packs in the back and sat under the tailgate, our legs hanging out the back. Ellen and I looked like a couple of teenagers out for a joyride. When I voiced my concern that he could get a ticket for doing this he exclaimed that he would tell the cops that we held them at gunpoint! The couple took us to the junction of the road to South Lake and let us out. We still had 7 miles to go.
No sooner had we stepped onto the road when a big van pulled up. “Sure, we’ll give you a ride, but we have a couple of dogs and kids back there!” they said. “No problem!” we said. So we crammed into the van with a French bulldog and a huge boxer (or was it a French boxer and huge bulldog?) and 2 young boys and the man and woman. They took us up to South Lake with a stop at a store where Ellen got out and picked up celebratory beverages for both of us.
When we got to the trailhead my car was still intact, yay! We drank our beverages and started the drive down. Along the way we picked up a hiker, Dan, who needed a hitch to Bishop. We all killed time at Schott’s and had turkey club sandwiches while we waited for check-in time at our motels.
Ellen had a bath, and I had a shower. We went out for Mexican. The clean bed was nice, but I missed the night sky.
Ellen, thank you, thank you, thank you for joining me on this adventure. You are the best, friend!
Day 1: Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Ellen and I got on the road to Bishop at 3:10 AM. We stopped in Lone Pine for Egg McMuffins and were amazed to see lightning and raindrops on the 395. We got to the ranger station in Bishop about 15 minutes before they opened (8:00) and conversed with a bearded guy who looked like John Muir. The fellow had been with SAR and told us a tale of retrieving bodies from the hut on Whitney. According to him, they perished from a lightning strike because they were wearing metal frame glasses.
While we were obtaining our permit, one of the rangers repaired Ellen’s trekking poles which had been damaged during her previous spill into Mill Creek. Permit in hand we headed to the South Lake trailhead. We were on the Bishop Pass Trail by 10:00.
Eventually it was time for lunch, so we chose a spot on the narrow trail. We were off the trail enough for hikers to pass by, but little did we know that a pack train was bearing down on us. Needless to say, it was a very short lunch break. Soon after, we were making our way up the switchbacks of Bishop Pass. The skies opened up and we were pummeled with rain and hail. There was thunder and lightning. When we reached the pass we encountered a girl with huge hoop earrings, and the story of the people with metal frame glasses came to mind.
We found a nice spot on which to pitch our tents in Dusy Basin, and we were pleased that the rain had stopped while we did so. Sadly, as soon as we began to eat our dinner the rain set in again. We retired to our tents before 7:00 and I slept well, having been sleep deprived the night before.
Day 2: Thursday, August 23
The clouds had cleared out during the night. I pointed out to Ellen that there was a huge boulder precariously perched on a rock next to her tent that appeared to be ready to roll down and flatten her at any moment. Time to go!
We got off to a nice start only to be stopped by forest service workers that had planted some dynamite to widen the trail for pack trains. There was to be a wait of 15 minutes, which turned into more than ½ hour. Then, after hearing “fire in the hole!’ on their walkie-talkies there was a very impressive ka-boom that reverberated throughout the canyon.
Our itinerary, which I had gotten out of the book “Sierra South,” was to camp at Big Pete Meadow, but we wanted to be nearer to Muir Pass. We pressed on through LeConte Canyon and up towards the pass. Along the way we ran into fellow board member “avid” and his wife. Just as we were wondering if we were going to be able to find a suitable place to set up camp we came upon a lovely site amongst the rocks and a stream.
Day 3: Friday, August 24
We made it to Muir Pass early in the day and began the long descent into Evolution Basin and Valley. The trail took us through the stark moonscape of the Basin, and then into the more hospitable country of the Valley. We passed a trio of hikers that we had met at the trailhead that were doing the same hike but were starting at North Lake and coming through Lamarck Col. Taking the cross country route through Darwin Bench, Darwin Lakes, and Lamarck Col was something we had considered, but we felt the main trail was plenty enough of an adventure for us.
When we got to the outlet end of Evolution Lake we had a much needed dip. Refreshed, we continued on to Colby Meadow where we found a most idyllic campsite.
Day 4: Saturday, August 25
At this point we were a full day ahead of our itinerary. We continued on down Evolution Creek and ran into Heather (Deb from the San G board’s friend) and her party. While chatting with them a trail runner came out of nowhere and bellowed at us to get out of the trail. Sheesh, sorry, dude!
We crossed the creek and were soon trodding down the Golden Staircase. Near the bottom another pack train was heading for us. Fortunately we were at a place where we could cut the switchback they were rounding and we didn’t have to deal with them.
After turning right at the junction of Goddard Canyon we went northwest along the South Fork San Joaquin River. It was fairly level, but hot and dry, and we were glad to reach the junction to the Piute Trail where we were able to get wet, fill up with water, and rest a bit.
We had the option of making camp there, but it was a bit early to quit. We headed up Piute Canyon with West Pinnacles Creek as our intended destination, as it was the first water source along the way. The trail was very steep and rocky and Ellen went into “slow twitch” mode. Oddly, this was one of my favorite stretches of our journey. Piute Creek was far below us most of the time, tumbling in a most beautiful manner down the canyon, and the trail was studded with magnificent cedars and firs.
We finally came upon a spring and were wondering if this was the “creek” we were hoping to stop at. There really weren’t any suitable tent sites so we kept going. Then we came to a more substantial stream and not far from it was a perfectly level rock bench with a great view. This is where we pitched, and we spent the evening ooh-ing and ah-ing at the moon and stars, and were entertained by a few flying bats.
Day 5: Sunday, August 26
We packed up and headed toward Hutchinson Meadow. Had we been following our original itinerary this would have been day 6’s destination. It was difficult to tell where the meadow began, but we did have to cross a few creeks. It’s too bad we didn’t fill up with water here because we came to a long waterless stretch. Right when we had about sipped our last gulp we finally came to a weak stream where we had lunch. From here we had a nice view of the snow fields along the Glacier Divide.
Less than 2 miles later we were passing Summit Lake. It was rather dreary with several unsightly signs on very tall posts. We would have had to walk down to the lake to read them. I’m curious what those signs were all about.
Finally the trail reached a high point. “Is this it?” Ellen and I asked each other in astonishment. It was indeed Piute Pass, with no sign or fanfare to it. It was pretty anticlimactic. There was a lot of mule and horse dung, so we renamed it “Poopy Pass.”
A little disappointed, we started back down. Fortunately, Piute Lake was quite beautiful, and we decided to call it a day and pitch there. We had the lake to ourselves. Just as the book said, it was very windy, so we had to put our tents up with great care so as to not have them go airborne. Starting our stoves was challenging too. However, the wind did die down in the evening and we had a pleasant night talking and enjoying the heavens again.
Day 6: Monday, August 27
Taking our time, Ellen and I broke camp. With only 4 miles left to our adventure we said goodbye to Piute Lake. A bit down the trail we were approached by yet another pack train. The driver asked if we'd ever seen so much TNT. Yep, the mules were loaded with explosives! Losing elevation quickly we hot-footed it down to North Lake Trailhead.
Happily, our adventure doesn’t end here. There was still the not-so-minor detail of getting back to my car at the South Lake Trailhead, almost 15 miles away. We confronted a couple that had just exited the trail and asked if they could give us a hitch. They said “sure,” but they were driving a VW Bug. I figured there was no way that this was going to work out, but we threw our packs in the back and sat under the tailgate, our legs hanging out the back. Ellen and I looked like a couple of teenagers out for a joyride. When I voiced my concern that he could get a ticket for doing this he exclaimed that he would tell the cops that we held them at gunpoint! The couple took us to the junction of the road to South Lake and let us out. We still had 7 miles to go.
No sooner had we stepped onto the road when a big van pulled up. “Sure, we’ll give you a ride, but we have a couple of dogs and kids back there!” they said. “No problem!” we said. So we crammed into the van with a French bulldog and a huge boxer (or was it a French boxer and huge bulldog?) and 2 young boys and the man and woman. They took us up to South Lake with a stop at a store where Ellen got out and picked up celebratory beverages for both of us.
When we got to the trailhead my car was still intact, yay! We drank our beverages and started the drive down. Along the way we picked up a hiker, Dan, who needed a hitch to Bishop. We all killed time at Schott’s and had turkey club sandwiches while we waited for check-in time at our motels.
Ellen had a bath, and I had a shower. We went out for Mexican. The clean bed was nice, but I missed the night sky.
Ellen, thank you, thank you, thank you for joining me on this adventure. You are the best, friend!
-
Sally - Posts: 1125
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:27 pm
- Location: Temecula
by calicokat » Wed Aug 29, 2012 4:14 pm
Great report, enjoyed reading it. Someday we will all have to backpack together, we seem to be on the same trails at different times 
JMT/HST 2012: http://calicokat-hstjmt2012.blogspot.com/
John Muir Trail 2011: http://calicokat-johnmuirtrail2011.blogspot.com/
Hiking Blog: http://calicokat-hiking.blogspot.com/
view hiking galleries:
http://calicokat.smugmug.com/Hiking
John Muir Trail 2011: http://calicokat-johnmuirtrail2011.blogspot.com/
Hiking Blog: http://calicokat-hiking.blogspot.com/
view hiking galleries:
http://calicokat.smugmug.com/Hiking
-
calicokat - Posts: 91
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 6:45 am
- Location: Ventura County
Sally and Ellen's most excellent adventure
by Heather » Thu Aug 30, 2012 3:13 pm
Nice TR Sally, and you answered my question about getting back to your car. We did N. Lake to S. Lake last year, but we had 2 cars. You missed our campsite on Piute Trail near Hutchinson Meadow where we left a horse (mule) skull watching over the fire ring. It was a very excellent spot for those of our group who got in the water too.
- Heather
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:59 pm
by Ellen » Sun Sep 02, 2012 9:17 am
Howdy All
Thanks to Sister Sally for a wonderful time in Sierras. I didn't feel that great for most of the trip, so Sally's unflappable nature and comaraderie were greatly appreciated. It was also a blast to run into friends (Avid and Heather) on the trail
Thanks also to the great folks who gave us rides back to Sally's car 
Yo Calico
Would love to join you on a backpacking trip but you'll have to drop the pace and mileage to that of a mere mortal
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
Thanks to Sister Sally for a wonderful time in Sierras. I didn't feel that great for most of the trip, so Sally's unflappable nature and comaraderie were greatly appreciated. It was also a blast to run into friends (Avid and Heather) on the trail
Thanks also to the great folks who gave us rides back to Sally's car
Yo Calico
Would love to join you on a backpacking trip but you'll have to drop the pace and mileage to that of a mere mortal
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
- Ellen
- Posts: 2578
- Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:38 am
- Location: Riverside, CA
by Sally » Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:37 pm
Here are my pics. If you go all the way to the end there are some panoramas and a video. (In slideshow mode, you may need to click on the forward arrow to advance through the panoramas.)
https://picasaweb.google.com/1009477359 ... directlink
https://picasaweb.google.com/1009477359 ... directlink
-
Sally - Posts: 1125
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:27 pm
- Location: Temecula
by KathyW » Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:45 pm
That is a beautiful area - congrats on a great trip.
It is a real shame how much mule crap is on the trail from North Lake to Piute Pass this time of year.
It's also a shame that the Forest Service and the National Parks in the Sierra and other places cater to stock more than they do the folks who hike the trails - those huge steps, endless switchbacks, and rubble filled trails are not done for the sake of humans or to limit the impact of humans in the wilderness. Building trails made for stock only increases the impact of human feet because they encourage people to hike outside the steps/rubble and skip the unnecessary switchbacks.
Maybe those contracts the government agencies have with the pack companies bring in a lot of money?
It is a real shame how much mule crap is on the trail from North Lake to Piute Pass this time of year.
It's also a shame that the Forest Service and the National Parks in the Sierra and other places cater to stock more than they do the folks who hike the trails - those huge steps, endless switchbacks, and rubble filled trails are not done for the sake of humans or to limit the impact of humans in the wilderness. Building trails made for stock only increases the impact of human feet because they encourage people to hike outside the steps/rubble and skip the unnecessary switchbacks.
Maybe those contracts the government agencies have with the pack companies bring in a lot of money?
- KathyW
- Posts: 1138
- Joined: Wed Dec 27, 2006 6:17 pm
by cynthia23 » Mon Sep 03, 2012 8:57 pm
Delightful and detailed TR and lovely photos. You guys inspire me!
Q: How many therapists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A: Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change ...
- cynthia23
- Posts: 1289
- Joined: Tue Nov 07, 2006 3:33 pm
- Location: Rancho Mirage
by Sally » Wed Sep 05, 2012 8:06 pm
Thank you, calicokat, Lermo, Heather, Kathy, and Cynthia!
Hi Heather - welcome to the board! Yep, we missed your animal scull, but we did see some sort of jaw bones on a post overlooking the San Juaquin river ford.
Kathy - don't get me started on my opinion of pack animals! Last year after Ellen and I did the HST I was "chosen" to take a lengthy survey on my backcountry experience. I was surprised that there weren't more questions about stock. At the end there was an opportunity to voice your overall experience, and I wrote that my trip was nearly perfect in every way, EXCEPT for the pack trains and the way they force you to nearly fall off the trail while moving out of their way, and the way they tear up the trail and leave a bunch of filthy dust and crap and flies.
Hi Heather - welcome to the board! Yep, we missed your animal scull, but we did see some sort of jaw bones on a post overlooking the San Juaquin river ford.
Kathy - don't get me started on my opinion of pack animals! Last year after Ellen and I did the HST I was "chosen" to take a lengthy survey on my backcountry experience. I was surprised that there weren't more questions about stock. At the end there was an opportunity to voice your overall experience, and I wrote that my trip was nearly perfect in every way, EXCEPT for the pack trains and the way they force you to nearly fall off the trail while moving out of their way, and the way they tear up the trail and leave a bunch of filthy dust and crap and flies.
-
Sally - Posts: 1125
- Joined: Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:27 pm
- Location: Temecula
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