The consequence of the storm the day before was that our well-planned schedule was now completely out of whack. We now had about 97 miles of hiking to do in eight days, and our strategy for climbing the fearsome Mather Pass would now have to be changed. As we didn't know what the weather would bring us, we thought it best to catch up with our itinerary as quickly as possible, recognizing that there would be a price to pay for the longer days.
When we awoke, the sky was clearer, though the clouds from the south still raced overhead. We packed up our damp things as quickly as possible and got on the trail by 7:20 - a record for us. Our goal for the day was to cross 11,955' Muir Pass, then hike all the way to the junction of LeConte Canyon and Palisades Creek - a total distance of sixteen miles and our longest day so far. We reasoned that this would not be that difficult, as it would be downhill from the other side of the pass, and we would be in position for an assault on Mather Pass the following day.
Though we still had six miles to go before the pass, the elevation gain was only about 1,000', and we enjoyed a gradual hike to the summit through the glacial beauty of Evolution Basin. There had been something of a logjam created on both sides of the pass because of the storm, and there were a lot of people hiking in both directions in the early part of the day.
As we walked along the shore of Sapphire Lake en route to the pass, we met a couple who had been coming up from the other side the previous afternoon and therefore had not been warned about the coming storm. They were actually on the pass when the force of the storm hit and described their utter terror of watching the lightning hit the ground all around them. Another group had hunkered down for the night in the very porous Muir Hut, a commemorative stone structure at the pass. Imagine passing a night in a medieval prison cell and you'll get a sense of what their night was like.
We crossed the pass at 10:00 - a very good start - then headed down the other side past Helen Lake into a basin that forms the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Kings River. The descent from the pass was a real treat. We were able to literally watch the development of a river - from its first trickle high up in the valley to the force it would reach by the end of our day. Also, because of the storm, every streambed in the valley before us was running at full force, with lots of waterfalls and the noise of rushing water all around us.
Many people we'd met had described this stretch of the Trail as their favorite, and I have to agree. The place has a wild, rugged feeling to it, with tall, reaching mountains on all sides and three major meadow systems. After getting a few miles beyond the pass, the trail quality became quite good, and we were able to really enjoy the afternoon's hike, albeit a long one. Julian's feet were beginning to improve somewhat, so he was not as bothered by the descent.
After sixteen miles, my goose was cooked, and I grabbed a flat spot in a meadow just before the trail junction leading up to Mather Pass. Most people in this area camp in the dark grove of trees at the junction proper, but I enjoyed the open feel of the canyon and didn't want to lose the view.
As we set about making camp, Rob, the LeConte backcountry ranger, came along. I always enjoy talking with the rangers in Kings Sequoia, as most of them have been doing their job each year for a very long time, and their knowledge of the mountains and range of stories is encyclopedic. Rob grew up in Berkeley, near my hometown, so we knew a few people in common and spent the next half hour catching up on things.
The sky had cleared by the time the sun went down, and the evening light was beautiful.
Photos: Wanda Lake and Lake McDermand from Muir Pass; Kent at Muir Hut
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