High Sierra Trail Day 6: Kern Canyon to Guitar Lake

Mount Whitney from Timberline Lake
Mount Whitney from Timberline Lake

Today started with a 6 am wake up call. Technically it looked like we had a big day in front of us – 10+ miles with almost 4000 feet of gain – but having done most of it before I knew that a lot of it was a pretty gentle and shaded climb. I was looking forward to climbing the rest of the way out of the Canyon and getting back into the high country.

The climb out of the canyon along Wallace Creek was really nice and enjoyable with views of the Kaweahs and sunrise over the Kern Canyon. I was really glad to be doing it in the morning though – it was another stretch that would have been hot and miserable in the midday sun. After a few miles we joined the John Muir Trail. From here on out it’s the same trail I hiked back in 2007.

Tarptent and Mt Whitney
Tarptent and Mt Whitney

We continued our trek to Guitar Lake with a brief stop at Crabtree to pick up the required Wag Bags and refill our water. From here, it was only a couple of miles and about 1000 feet of gain until Guitar Lake but I ended up taking it quite slowly. 11k is kind of a wall for me. I can cruise along below 11k barely noticing the altitude, but above that and suddenly it hits me. Although I don’t usually get any AMS symptoms (headache, nausea), I tend to slow down and suck air a lot harder.

So I took my time between Crabtree and Guitar, and that’s just fine. It’s a great stretch to stop and take in the views in all directions – Kaweahs to the west, Whitney to the east, and meadows and lakes surrounding you. You quickly climb above treeline and get incredible views of the Whitney ridge and surrounding peaks. It is so amazing to approach Whitney in this direction. I still don’t know why anyone would choose to do the horrible climb from the Portal to bag the summit when this is so much nicer.

Guitar Lake Sunset
Guitar Lake Sunset

I got to Guitar Lake around 1 pm and had a long afternoon of nothing in front of me. Again. I’m not complaining – I loved our afternoons of nothing! The only problem with Guitar Lake is the exposure. There is nowhere to escape from the sun, and since it was a hot afternoon, bailing to the oven that was my tent was not possible. So I lathered up with sunscreen, grabbed my camera, and went on a casual walk around the lake. Every once in a while a cool breeze would pick up, giving me a break from the hot sun.

After the long afternoon of recharging the batteries and acclimating, we waited for sunset with dinner and Paige’s birthday surprise from Greg – Snickers bars for all! Dinner timing was perfect – as soon as we were done the temperature dropped and we started adding layers. Sunset was late (around 7:15 pm, I think), so by the time the colors really popped it was freezing and we were bundled up. Quite a change from a few hours ago!

Backpacker Magazine named Guitar Lake as the best place to watch a sunset (and used one of Paige’s pictures in the article, natch), and I don’t know if it’s the *best* place I’ve ever watched one, but it has to be close. The peaks surrounding the lake all turn orange and the color reflects in the lake. It’s just beautiful, and a fitting way to enjoy our last night on the trail. As soon as it was done, however, we bailed to the warmth of our sleeping bags with our alarms set for a 4 am wake up. Tomorrow will be a big day with Mt Whitney and our return to civilization!

Video of our campsite at Guitar Lake:


Upper Kern Canyon to Guitar Lake at EveryTrail

High Sierra Trail Day 5: Kern Canyon

Kern Canyon
Kern Canyon

Day 5 was a quick and enjoyable day of hiking up the Kern Canyon. The canyon can be really hot and dry during the day, but in the morning it is protected from the sun and with the gentle uphill slope, it’s a nice stroll through the woods. Our hike took us about ten miles up canyon, and with the easy terrain, gradual slope, and relatively early start we were again able to spend an afternoon lounging around camp on the Kern River. The hardest part of the day was once we passed through Junction Meadow – a short 700 foot climb, which wouldn’t have been difficult under most situations, was a bit exposed for a midday climb and slowed me down a bit. In all, today’s hike was much more pleasant than I expected, based on my past hiking through Kern Canyon.

We found a beautiful campsite near an old cabin and moved right in. It was short scramble down to the river from camp and once there I found the most amazing lizard rock – a rock I could lay on all day and not need to move. It was flat and smooth and let me dangle my head and feet in the water. There was a similar rock down river that Paige found quite comfortable. Greg played waterslide between the two. The others fished for a while and pulled out some crazy looking trout – wish I had my camera with me at the time, I think they were some of the mixed breeds you can get in the Kern.

Waterslide!
Waterslide!

We had a great night around the campfire preparing for our final two days. While we tried to eat up and give away all of our extra food, we watched a cute little squirrel running up and down a nearby tree stocking his den for the winter. I wonder if he would have liked a Starburst. Oh well, too late to offer it to him.

Our plan was to get up earlier the next morning in prep for our early morning the next day, and also to get some of the climb out of the way before the mid-day heat. I spent some time with my journal and then enjoyed a great night of sleep accompanied by the white noise of the rushing Kern River.

Kern Hot Spring to Upper Kern at EveryTrail

High Sierra Trail Day 4: Moraine Lake to Kern Hot Spring

Morning on Moraine Lake
Morning on Moraine Lake

Today was a planned half-day of hiking, about seven miles down down down into Kern Canyon and the hot spring. The Kern river is a nice place to relax and fish, so we were looking forward to our afternoon off and started off the morning at a leisurely pace. I think we were the last ones to leave Moraine Lake. The one big concern about the day was rattlesnakes. It’s not common to find rattlers up high, but the trail would take us down to about 6500 feet while passing through a rattlesnake’s paradise. Several years ago the area burned, and now the trail is lined and overgrown with shady ferns that a rattlesnake would just love to nap under.

Kern Hot Spring
Kern Hot Spring

So we took off and hoped to make it through the rattlesnake gauntlet before the heat of the day. Last year both Paige and I encountered rattlesnakes on this stretch so I was extra alert this time. Of course, not a single rattlesnake was seen. When we reached our campsite slightly downriver of the spring, we also made sure it was rattlesnake free. The hike down wasn’t void of excitement, however. We had our first official Whitney sighting from a distance (it looked so far away!), and had a cute bird begging for food almost like a squirrel (no, we didn’t feed it).

We spent the afternoon relaxing along the river, fishing, and hanging out at the hot spring. At the spring we chatted with a friendly group from Mountain View and Sunnyvale (my town) and followed it up with a good night of sleep.

Moraine Lake to Kern Hot Spring at EveryTrail