When we awoke at our ersatz campsite, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were in truly one of the most beautiful places on the entire trip. The wide, wide basin was surrounded by jagged peaks of every imaginable color, and the rising morning sun illuminated the mountains to the west with a soft, warm glow. Our camp was at the junction of two small creeks, which flowed through a meadow covered with mosses and wildflowers. As I turned circles on top of a rock to take it all in, I reflected how these emergency campsites - like the ones at Palisades Creek and Evolution Basin - had turned out to be among the best on the trip. Dare to be different - camp off piste.
It had been very cold last night, and the tent was covered with ice. It was 20' when we awoke, and our morning ritual of waiting for the sun to hit us took longer than usual. We were on the trail at 8:15, and Julian's pack weighed at least three pounds more due to the weight of the soaked tent.
It was a testament to the value of our pre-trip conditioning that we were able to get up and go that day without any pain. The 13 miles of the day before (and 16 the day before that) would typically have caused me to wake up feeling extremely stiff and sore. As it was, we both hit the trail with nary a tingle. Julian's feet were also beginning to adapt to those boots (or the other way around), and he was feeling much better. My back pain had completely subsided.
The night before, we had not made it quite as far down the valley as we would have liked, so our first task was to descend to the bottom of the basin, then cross the growing Middle Fork of the Kings and head up the canyon leading to Pinchot Pass (12,130'). It was an easy morning hike, with the gold grasses and smallish trees of the Basin being nicely illuminated by the morning light.
We crossed the river, had a quick climb of about 600' though the woods, and emerged into a beautiful hanging meadow, which was surrounded by pretty alpine lakes. En route we met the father and son team (we had seen a lot of parent-child combos hiking the trail) of Ken and Mike, who were on a pace very similar to ours. We would leapfrog each other on the trail often during the final days of the trip..
The hike from our camp to the pass was only six miles, and, after an enjoyable hike up some gentle switchbacks, we were on top by noon. It was a great spot for lunch, which we enjoyed with Ken and Mike under very still, sunny conditions. It was rare to not have wind at a pass like this, and we were grateful for the opportunity to be able to spend a long time enjoying the scenery.
I hate to use this word again, but the seven-mile hike down the other side was interminable. I generally enjoy downhills, but the many thousands of feet we had descended over the past few days was taking its toll. My feet were sore, and feeling almost bruised, and my knees were complaining again. To make matters worse, the trail down along Woods Creek really wasn't that pretty, and there was a lot of flood and avalanche debris along the lower part of the valley.
Because of our "bankers lunch" on top of the pass, we didn't arrive at our goal, the crossing of Woods Creek, until almost dinnertime. This camp is best known for the nearby bridge that crosses the creek, which is commonly referred to as the "Golden Gate of the Sierras." The bridge itself is an incredibly long suspension bridge, similar in ways to that in the classic "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." It is at least forty feet long, and was built in 1988 after an exasperated Park Service grew tired of replacing its predecessors. After seeing the mangled creekbed in the valley above (see photo), I could appreciate just how serious the flooding in this area could be.
This bridge brings out the kid in everyone, and we both enjoyed a few swings on it on the way across.
The camp at the Woods Creek Crossing is a regular stop on the near-famous Rae's Lake Loop, one of the more popular week-long backpack circuits on the west side of the range. Because of this, the campsite is quite overused, and the local backcountry ranger has found it necessary to post instructional signs about bears, sensitive plants and camping restrictions to keep the natives at bay. We were back in a tourist zone after a long time away, and I was saddened to be back so near to civilization. Both of us also felt a tinge of regret, as we had previously hiked the trail from this point on, meaning that the surprises were over.
Photos: Upper Basin - Morning Light; Upper Woods Creek
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