I was too warm some of the night but the camp site was great and I ended up sleeping pretty well. By 7:40am we were on the trail hiking down the canyon. We passed by 2 nice meadows, in one meadow Peggy saw a fawn leaping in the tall grass after catching a drink from the meadow creek. All in all we saw 2 doe & 2 speckled fawn. The lower into the canyon we went the more trees and brush. We stopped for a snack beside the Kern River and a nice waterfall then followed it down hill for 5 miles. Our trail took a sharp left while the Kern kept on down the canyon. We entered a side valley following Palisade Creek and walked through large ponderosa trees and more brushy growth. There had been a fire here in the past and brush the first efforts at regrowth. After 3 miles and 1,100 elevation gain it was hot outside so we found a clearing under nice big trees to stop. Palisade Creek was very close and I found a great spot on a quiet bend to soak my feet, wash off the dust from my legs and relax. The solar power battery was in the sun powering up while Peggy filled 2 bottles with water & laid them out to warm. We washed our hair over the compact dirt and rinsed with warm water...it felt great after so many days to have clean hair (even if we would be hot and sweaty in an hour, for now it was wonderful!). After a nice rest we packed up and moved on, here's a look back at Peggy walking over a small trickle where Larkspur flowers were growing.
We were wondering where the trail would go to get us out of the end of this valley when it took a turn and began to switchback up and up, climbing right out of the end of the valley and up the base of the cliffs.
A waterfall was up above us, water running down just off trail at the switchbacks as we rose higher. 3 1/4 miles we wound up and up. I did manage to pass others struggling up the rock face by picking a pace I could continue if there weren't too many big stone water bars to step up onto. This was a process and at some point a line of us were walking up the face one after another. A Forest Service Trail Maintenance Crew was working on the trail as we hiked up, they were doing an outstanding job. Moving big rocks in canvas slings they relocated them to make steps or water bars. They were creating boxes to fill with crushed granite (crushed manually with a hammer) so the box became a step.
This was a hard climb for most everyone, plus being on the exposed cliff face was nerve wracking.
The lakes sat one above the other with the first lake below a sheer cliff wall, no walking space at the shore. Our trail left the first lake, where most people camped, and started climbing the wall above the lake on a small trail. Soon we were high above both lakes on the ledges and boulder fields mixed with small groupings of Bristlecone pines.
View from our camp.
We located a nice secluded camp nestled in the pines, a small nearby freshet of water trickling from the peaks above and we were set. Our tents are at 10,900' about 1/4 mile above the lakes, we can look out over the whole glacial valley! Dinner was eaten among the rocks enjoying the view, I made dehydrated Amy's spicy red lentil curry, green beans & carrots and instant rice. Really tasty. We stashed the bear cans, journaled, read our books and caught the sun setting in glorious pinks, reds and oranges, grey rain clouds threatened but dispersed and an almost full moon rose over the mountain peaks. A camp site to remember after one tough hike.
7/30/15 Thursday (day 9 of the hike. )
Today we have a 1,400' elevation gain in 3 miles up to Mather Pass. We started out at 7:45 am the trail curving around the end of the lake in deep shadow. I'm not drinking enough water so I filtered another 1/2 liter. The views were stunning and the trail a surprise where it went. The evidence of glaciers moving through these vast valleys is amazing. We took 2 snack breaks and many water breaks, it was quite a climb up through the rocks. I could look down the mountainside and see people on their way up and up through the rocks and switchbacks, they were tiny dots of color.
I could also see back to the general area where we'd camped last night by the Palisade Lake in the background. Left is my Mariposa pack by Gossamer Gear, right is Peggy's ULA pack.
Looking south into the next valley we could see for at least 6 miles. The southern trail had various unnamed lakes in it, the path zagging over the rubble and disappearing over the rise. The south fork of the King River gathered it's forces to begin it's way down the long valley.
The farther from the pass we got the more trees, grasses and flowers there were. It began to sprinkle a bit while we were filtering water so we put on our pack cover/poncho called a Packa and moved along. Even after 51/2 miles we could still look back and see the pass. The people who moved over Mather Pass today leap-frogged with us on the trail all day. We are headed to Marjorie Lake to camp hoping that that will get us close enough to Pinchot Pass that we can get up and over early. This mornings trail was a challenge for me with all the rock steps. This afternoons trail was better with hard dirt, steep in places, but not as many steps to climb over.
Making pretty good time we arrived at the lake by 3:30 pm which is early for us. Looking for a campsite we walked to the end of the lake just before another incline, we located a campsite under a small group of trees and close enough to the water to make it easy. As soon as we got almost set up it started raining, it kept on raining for quite a while. One time it let up and we ran out to get water filtered, the next time we got a bit more done then we had to decide to boil water just outside the tent & eat dinner inside.
It's a bit chilly at 11,200' and I have all my clothes on, I'm hoping after dinner I'll get warmer. My dinner was dehydrated noodles, Alfredo sauce and some veggies. It's 7:15 and still raining.
