May 27, 2016

Rock Creek (mile 760.5) to Guitar Lake

Miles: 10 (5.8 PCT miles + 4.2 miles to Guitar Lake)

We woke up a little after 6. We were in no hurry knowing that we only had to walk 10 miles today. The sun kissed our tent as we stuffed our sleeping bags and rolled up our sleeping pads.

Both of us slept well. Andy was toasty in Big Red (the new nickname of the zero degree bag) and Laurie with her silk liner inside her bag. Initially both of our toes were cold but they eventually warmed up as we slept.

We shared a luxurious Talenti filled with hot water to warm our fingers and were walking by 7:45 am. (We eat our dinners in pint size Talenti screw top ice cream containers.)

We crossed Rock Creek on 2 logs 200 ft upstream from the trail. Eventually we will have to ford a river but not yet.

The trail switchbacked up 1400 ft and then dropped into Guyot Flat. It was beautiful!! Snow covered parts of the trail but it was easy to follow the dirty footprints. We dropped down into Guyot Flat and took in the view – a sandy meadow at the base of pine trees and Mt Guyot.

We spotted the trail across the sandy meadow and walked towards it. It felt like we sank half an inch with every step over the snow.

The weather was beautiful this morning and we are hoping for the same tomorrow. We plan to summit Mt. Whitney and want a clear weather window.

We hiked uphill for 15 minutes only to drop back down moments later. This ridge was north facing and very snowy. Instead of walking the traverse we sat down and glissaded 50 feet to the rocks below. Andy went first and was surprised by how much speed he picked up immediately.

We took an early lunch to dry out our socks and pants.We watched two other hikers approach the traverse and hoped they would slide down too but they didn’t.

Shortly after lunch we crossed Whitney Creek and took the side trail to Mt. Whitney via Crabtree Meadow. Snow adds another dimension to the beauty of the Sierras, and the views heading up toward Timberline and Guitar Lakes didn’t disappoint. In any direction we looked we had stunning views.

Andy stubbed his toes and tripped over rocks more today than on the whole hike thus far, probably because he was looking around rather than looking at the trail.

Past Timberline Lake there were a few tricky snow patches to navigate – mostly because the snow was mushy and the steps were steep – but with teamwork we got past them safely.

On one occasion Andy poked Laurie in her butt with his hiking pole to help her up a steep step and in return Laurie took Andy’s hand and pulled him up. Except that when she turned around to continue she hit Andy with her backpack and almost knocked him over, back over the ledge we had come up.

We enjoyed a good laugh and kept going. Timberline Lake was still mostly frozen and so was Guitar Lake.

There were a few people already set up when we got to Guitar Lake around 3pm, with more parties going the opposite direction after summitting Mt. Whitney earlier in the day.

We can see the snowy switchbacks high above us and feel confident about our chances of summitting tomorrow. We just hope for good weather.

Ruben and Sue are also here tonight, along with Josh and Tom. We’re not sure of everyone’s plans for tomorrow as we are camped far from one another and we are too cozy in our tent to walk to them and find out. We trust we will see them on the summit.

By 6pm and we had eaten dinner and sorted out food for tomorrow. Laurie took a nap as the sun warmed the tent.

At 7 pm it was snowing. The clouds moved in very fast but the snow was wet and didn’t stick.

We hope to be asleep by 8pm to wake up around 3am, and be on the trail by 3:30am. We don’t think we’ll make it by sunrise but we want to give ourselves plenty of time to go up, relax and come down safely. We also hope to hike the 4.2 miles to rejoin the PCT and maybe even get to Wallace Creek. We’ll see.

For now, we have to get mentally prepared for the challenge that awaits us on Mt. Whitney.

Goodnight.

Tonight we are grateful for heart pounding challenges and snow free tentsites.

May 26, 2016

Horseshoe meadows (mile 750.2) to Rock Creek (mile 760.5)

Miles: 14 (10.3 PCT miles + 3.7 miles to PCT)

Our alarms went off at 6 am. Andy had pulled the curtains shut so the room was dark. It is much easier waking up with natural light. We stirred and eventually started moving around 6:30am. We had scheduled a ride for 8:30am.

We both took showers, ate our last 4 hard boiled eggs, checked the weather for the umpteenth time and packed our backpacks.

We were excited to be getting back to the trail. Our time in Lone Pine and the rest it afforded us was nice but 4 nights in town felt excessive.

Although the weather called for 50% chance of snow showers, the mountains looked clearer than they had in 3 days. We were happy to see blue skies and hoped they’d stay around for the day.

Sue and Rueben, the couple from Korea we have seen frequently since the Wrightwood area, shared the ride up to Horseshoe Meadows.

The air at 10,000 ft today felt warmer than when we had left 4 days prior. Rather than retracing our steps back up to Trail Pass we choose to take the trail to Cottonwood Pass. We would meet the PCT at mile 750 meaning we would skip 5 miles.

We are ok with this. When there is snow in the forecast we want to do our miles and get to camp before the weather rolls in.

The trail started off flat, meandering through pine trees on sandy gravel for about a mile to a stream crossing. From there we started to switchback up to Cottonwood Pass.

The marmots murmured as we walked by. Although sometimes covered by snow, the trail was easy to follow. The air was crisp but the sun was shining. It was beautiful and it felt great to be hiking again.

The trail was gently graded but the Sierra steps definitely let us know we were back in our favorite playground. They are sizeable steps that can take a toll on your knees going down or give your quads a heck of a workout going up.

About two hours after we started hiking we reached Cottonwood Pass and the PCT. The views were jaw dropping. The mountains staggeringly beautiful.

We continued climbing once back on the PCT toward the still frozen Chicken Spring Lake. There were more patches of snow but all very manageable.

After a short snack break near the top of the climb, we got back on trail and entered Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park (SEKI for short).

It really felt good to be here. We’ve missed the Sierras. And we get to experience them in a different dimension than we’re used to – because of the snow and the lack of crowds.

At 2pm we stopped for lunch near the junction to Siberian Pass. Much to our surprise two familiar faces made their way towards us. They were Josh and Tom (aka Etch a Sketch and Quite Nice).

We thought they were way ahead of us since they got a ride up to Horseshoe Meadows last night. They are great guys and we enjoy bumping into them.

After lunch we continued descending 2,000 ft to Rock Creek. We’ve all planned to camp here tonight. Andy was looking forward to being more social and getting to know everyone a bit more.

Around 4:40pm we rolled into camp. It’s really hard stopping this early but it worked in our favor today because it started to snow lightly just as we put up the tent.

Ruben made a fire and Josh and Tom carried in firewood as they arrived. They were here a few days ago and knew that the place had been picked clean of wood and were very proactive.

Andy doesn’t like to make fires because he’s too lazy to put them out and Laurie doesn’t like smelling like campfire for days on end. But tonight it was worth it.

All 6 of us ate dinner around the fire sharing stories. The temperature started to drop around 7pm so we crawled into our sleeping bags a half hour later.

We are camped next to a very strong flowing creek. We’ve missed the white noise of rivers. What we don’t miss are the mosquitoes. It must still be too early for them here as there were none out this evening.

We might have company when we attempt to hike to Mt. Whitney and Forester Pass. We’ll see how everyone’s plans shape up. As for now, it’s time for bed.

Tonight we are grateful for warm glove liners and cozy sleeping bags.

May 25, 2016

Miles: 0

Today, we didn’t do much.

We woke up at 8am, ate leftovers in bed, channel surfed uncussessfully and we’re informed that our FedEx package wouldn’t be here until tomorrow.

Rats.

We devised a new plan to buy a synthetic liner that claims to add 25 degrees of warmth. It would be 2 pounds lighter than the heavier sleeping bag so we liked that plan.

We then went to the gear store to look for liners for Laurie’s gloves. Still upset with FedEx we didn’t buy anything and went back to the hotel for lunch.

At least we ate a lot today.

Around 2pm there was a knock on our door.

To our surprise it was our package! And there were gloves in it too. Thanks Kathy and Eric. You rock.

Andy crawled in the bag and almost immediately started sweating.

This’ll keep him warm!

After a few packing trial runs we decided to keep the heavier sleeping bag. We know that it will keep Andy warm and that reassurance is worth the extra few pounds.

The bag fit better in Laurie’s pack so we swapped gear and sleeping bags to make our packs equal weight. This is one of the many benefits of hiking as a couple.

Once our decision was made we packed up our trail runners, lightweight gloves, Andy’s sleeping bag and lightweight socks in a box and shipped them to Laurie’s godmother to hold until Sonora Pass or whenever we grow tired of clunky boots.

On the way to the post office we ran into more familiar faces. Seems like Lone Pine is the place to be!

We chatted with fellow hikers, gave recommendations for restaurants and places to stay (since after being here for 3 days we feel like we know the town well) and caught up on other hikers’ plans and experiences.

We made a few calls and organized a ride back to the trail tomorrow morning at 8:30am. The weather has not improved as much as we would have liked but we are restless and ready to hike again.

The cold front has passed, winds are more calm, we have plenty of food and if Forester Pass doesn’t seem doable or conditions are unfavorable, we can always turn around.

We feel good about our new gear and are more confident heading into snowy conditions with warm sleeping bags and waterproof boots.

Around 5pm we ate oatmeal (extra packets we didn’t want to take with us on the trail) for dinner and watched Finding Nemo.

It was a very relaxing day. We are ready to be back on the trail.

Tonight we are grateful for helpful friends and sweet comments from our readers.