PCT: Rock Creek to Crabtree Meadow and Mount Guyot

I have done the stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Rock Creek Trail to Crabtree Meadow, 7.3 total miles, on two different occasions: first on August 12, 1993 and then on July 30 and 31, 2008. The first trip was part of a larger backpacking trip where we did White Mountain, Mount Langley, Mount Muir and Mount Whitney. The second trip was part of a Redlands Stake Mount Whitney High Adventure Trip where we did Mount Langley, spent time in the Miter Basin, including a hike to Sky-Blue Lake, and then to Mount Whitney.

On both trips we spent the night at Soldier Lake after doing Mount Langley. On the 1993 trip, we went from Soldier Lake to Crabtree Meadow where we camped the next night for our hike to Mount Whitney. Rick DeLong and I also did a side trip to climb Mount Guyot, which is just off the PCT. On the 2008 trip, we went in the afternoon from Soldier Lake to Rock Creek, a short trip, to camp in preparation for our hike the next day to Guitar Lake, in preparation for Whitney. However, on the 2008 trip, I had altitude sickness and decided to hike out early. I woke up about 2:00 a.m. at Rock Creek and, with Andrew, backpacked all the way out to Whitney Portal that day, over Trail Crest, bypassing Mount Whitney.

I keep track of my mileage on the PCT and have aspirations of completing the entire trail. One issue that arises is whether you have to do every inch of the trail to say you have done it, or if slight detours are okay. The issue arises in two segments of the PCT here. First, I have not done the 4.9 miles of the PCT between the first Rock Creek turnoff (toward Soldier Lake) and the second Rock Creek turnoff (coming from Soldier Lake) because the side trip to Soldier Lake, although longer, is more scenic and offers better camping. Second, at Crabtree Meadow, there is a spot where the PCT goes left to meet up with the JMT, or goes right to meet up with the JMT again, as part of a Mount Whitney side trip. Most people doing the PCT take the Mount Whitney side-trip and skip the short section of the PCT that is cut-off by following the JMT back to the PCT (.6 or .7 tenths of a mile). I asked this question of my nephew, Rick DeLong, who is currently doing the entire PCT. He said his feeling, and that of most thru-hikers, is that excursions that skip portions of the route are okay, so long as you are still hiking through the same general area. I guess under that interpretation, I could be considered as having done the above two segments of the PCT even though I have not actually hiked those exact sections of the trail.

On the 2008 trip, not far past the junction of the Rock Creek Trail and the PCT, we stopped to camp at a beautiful spot near Rock Creek and a large waterfall. Most of the boys arrived before we did and found wonderful fishing, unlike what they had found at the Cottonwood Lakes and Soldier Lake. They made up for their prior frustrations, catching about 19 fish. Andrew had prepared ahead for this event, packing in olive oil and a mixture of spices, including a heavy amount of garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Using my frying pan, Andrew cooked fish for the entire camp. And it was wonderful. People who did not like fish tried it and liked it. I had altitude sickness, but tried it and liked it and was able to keep it down. It was probably the best trail meal I've ever had. Below, I hold the pan while Andrew stirs the ingredients around in the pan.

The same scene, seen from a little further back.

In 1993, we camped at Soldier Lake and our destination that night was Crabtree Meadow, with Mount Whitney the next day. Before reaching Mount Guyot, we crossed Rock Creek, at 9,480 feet, and began a long switchbacking, uphill climb out of the Rock Creek Drainage. In 1.5 miles we crossed Guyot Creek, at 10,350 feet, and then continued switchbacking up, until shortly before the pass, at 10,920 feet, about an additional 1 mile further, Rick DeLong and I headed toward Mount Guyot, following its ridge. Below, Mt. Guyot, viewed as we trudged up the switchbacks.
The picture of Mt. Guyot below, taken after we climbed it, was taken from Guyot Flat and shows the ridge, to the left, we used to climb to the summit.

We climbed an additional 1,400 feet to the 12,300 foot summit, much of it boulder hopping. I took the picture below with a 300 mm lense. It shows Rick DeLong on one of the summit rocks with Mount Whitney in the background. The relatively horizontal line in the picture is Mt. Hitchcock, which is in between Mount Guyot and Mount Whitney.

Below, a more panoramic view of the same picture. Mount Whitney is the peak furthest to the left. Mount Muir is the pointed peak in the center of the picture.

Mount Guyot was great for getting a sense of the layout of the country. Mount Kaweah, below, was on the other side of the Kern River Drainage.

The Kern River Drainage is below.

Below is the Rock Creek Drainage. Following the drainage, at the top of the picture, the trail up to Army Pass would follow the canyon up to the left, as would the trail up to the Miter Basin.

After climbing Guyot, about a 3 mile round trip, Rick and I hiked back down to the pass, where we met Mark and Joe Richey, David Kenison, Brian Lehnhof and Peter Walker. We continued on down to Guyot Flat. Then with a little more ascent, we begin a descent with views of Crabtree Meadows and Mount Whitney. Below, Joe Richey, with Mount Whitney in the background.

3.5 miles from the pass near Mount Guyot, we crossed Whitney Creek near Crabtree Meadow. The PCT went left for .8 miles to a junction with the John Muir Trail. However, because we were doing Mount Whitney, we continued on the right fork for 1.1 miles to a different junction with the John Muir Trail at 10,640 feet and then another .1 miles or so, near the Crabtree Ranger Station where we camped for the night.

In 2008, when Andrew and I left Rock Creek after 2:00 a.m., we were hiking in the dark until just about the time we were descending with Crabtree Meadow and Mount Whitney in the background. I felt horrible going up the pass near Mount Guyot and eventually had Andrew lead so that I could follow him without having to think about it. I was grateful to have Andrew with me. I'm not sure I had enough juice to make it out on my own. I think I might have just layed down. As we got to the campsites, right before the ford of Whitney Creek, we took a break and then passed Pete Nelson and Craig Wright. They were with a different group and had summited Whitney the day before. It was extremely cold and I was shivering badly. They registered their concerns about my being able to continue on, but we thanked them and continued for what turned out for me to be a very long and hard hike the rest of the way up the backside of Mount Whitney.

Mount Langley

Mount Langley, at 14,027 feet, is the ninth highest peak in California. It is the first fourteener (peak 14,000 feet or taller) I climbed. I have been to the top of it three time, using three different routes. I will give a summary of each of the three different trips.

Via New Army Pass (August 11, 1993):

Monday, August 9, 1993, I slept at Horeshoe Meadow with my brother, Matt, my brother-in-law, David Kenison, and my nephew, Rick DeLong. This was my first experience in the Sierras. I was awoken Tuesday morning about 5:00 a.m. by a bear going through the garbage cans. Dave and I left about 6:30 a.m. to drive my car, a Subaru station wagon, to Whitney Portal, about 33 miles away. From Whitney Portal, we hitchhiked 10 miles down to the Horeshoe Meadow Road where we were picked up by Mark Richey on his way to Horeshoe Meadow in his van.

Mark was scoutmaster of Troop 331 in Redlands and had some scouts, as well as a number of his family members. This was the beginning of one of my favorite outdoor outings ever. Below, our group starting out Tuesday morning from Horseshoe Meadow on the Cottonwood Lakes Trail. Joe Richey (Mark's father), Rick DeLong, Dave (a friend of Joe), Mark Richey, Dave Kenison, Brad Martinsen, James Richey and Dave Richey (Mark's brothers), me, Peter Walker, Brian Lehnhof, Kirk Thompson, Jeremiah Brice and Matt Cannon.

I recall Jeremiah Brice lying down on the trail, about a hundred yards in, saying he couldn't go any further. The shock of the initial weight of the pack. He got back up and was ultimately one of the strongest hikers. Rick DeLong entering the John Muir Wilderness. This year, 16 years later, Rick is doing a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. As I write this, Rick has just finished the entire State of California and is in to Oregon.

Below, Rick crossing Cottonwood Creek. The large group eventually settled into sub-groups of hikers walking at a similar pace. Rick was my hiking companion for much of the trip in to New Army Pass. My brother, Matt, at Cottonwood Lake #1 with Mount Langley behind him.

The only difference between the New Army Pass route to Langley and the Army Pass route is a few miles, each going up a separate pass very close to each other. New Army Pass, at about 12,160 feet, is about 300 feet higher than Army Pass. However, the trail over it is maintained and it tends to be free of snow earlier in the year than Army Pass. It is also a little bit longer. Below, Long Lake with New Army Pass visible to the upper left. High Lake, not visible, is located in the depression in the upper center. Mark Richey and his group camped at Long Lake Tuesday night. They did not intend to do Langley, but were focusing on Mount Whitney.

My group, including Dave, Matt and Rick, camped at the top of New Army Pass. Below, Dave sitting at New Army Pass, with High Lake, Long Lake and a couple of Cottonwood Lakes visible behind him.

Rick and Matt at the top of New Army Pass with Mount Langley visible behind them. Our route the next day followed the bottom of the top ridge

We settled in for a cold sleep Tuesday night as the wind was howling.

From New Army Pass, you go down 300 feet to the saddle where Army Pass is, then follow an obvious trail to the Langley summit block. From there, tracks go all over the place. There is a small ridge of rocks that has to be climbed to get to the summit. The route with the least exposure is to address the ridge by hitting it straight on, staying to the left as you get to the summit block. On this trip, we stayed under the ridge, hiking up the loose rock and sand. As you get higher, the ridge gets higher and steeper until you reach a canyon on the other side. From there, we went up the summit blocks, an easy class 3 climb, with some exposure, but less than the ridge leading up to that point.

From there, you walk until you find the high point. The view is spectacular. Mount Whitney is visible as the high point in the center of the picture below.

Dave, Matt and Rick at the summit.

The beautiful treeless Miter Basin is visible as well. Following my third trip to Langley, last year, we visited Sky-Blue Lake which is left of center in the picture below.

On our way back down the mountain, headed toward Soldier Lake, we followed a different route, aiming for the easiest ridge rock at the bottom of the summit block. We got a beautiful view of the Cottonwood Lakes below.

Dave and Rick, barely visible in the center of the picture, among the jumble of rocks on the way down.

Via Cottonwood Pass and the Pacific Crest Trail (August 3, 2007):

Permits over Cottonwood Pass are generally easier to obtain than permits into the Cottonwood Lakes (for New Army or Army Passes). Cottonwood Pass is also easier than New Army and Army Passes. Below, Steve Mapes, Craig Wright, Brent Wright, Ryan Richey, Mark Richey and myself at the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead in August 2007. The trailheads are only about a mile apart.

Below, the Horeshoe Meadows are visible as we get close to Cottonwood Pass.

At the top of Cottonwood Pass (11,160 feet), 2.9 miles from the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead in Horseshoe Meadow, you connect with the Pacific Crest Trail. In .6 miles, at 11,225 feet, you come to the short side-trail for Chicken Spring Lake. Here we took a rest break. This is the only sure water until the stream down the other side of Army Pass, just east of Soldier Lake.

I had been to Chicken Spring Lake one time before, in August 1997, with Sam and Andrew. We had just climbed Mount Whitney from Whitney Portal and were going to do Mount Langley via this route. When we arrived at Chicken Spring Lake and were setting up camp, I realized I had forgotten my contact lense case and solution. So we had to re-pack and get back out to the trailhead that evening, in the dark, and decided to go home. See Chicken Spring Lake, below.

The route from Chicken Spring Lake on is quite sandy and can be tiring. However, it is also relatively level. On this trip, we caught a significant afternoon thundershower which cooled things off and the moisture firmed up the loose sand and actually made it easier for us to hike. Steve Mapes, below, in his rain gear.

After 4.5 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail, we came to a junction. To the left, the PCT continued on to Rock Creek. We took the right fork, which continued on to Soldier Lake and the Army Pass Trail (from the backside). While at the trail fork, we encountered two rangers assisting an injured hiker who was having a difficult time walking. They moved lower into a meadow below us where a helicopter flew in to pick up the hiker. Brent and Ryan followed them to the meadow to get a closer look at the helicopter. The ranger indicated that the helicopter is a $3,000 ride. About that same time, I heard what I thought was the bellowing of a bear. It turned out to be Steve, heaving up the contents of his stomach. We camped that night at Army Creek, just short of Soldier Lake.

The next morning, August 3, 2007, we set out on the trail to the backside of Army Pass. It follows a steady trail up a canyon, then switchbacks up a ridge. Below, looking back down the trail up toward Army Pass, near the beginning.

Because of his altitude sickness, Steve continued on over Army Pass to the Cottonwood Lakes below. At the saddle at the top of Army Pass, Craig, Brent, Mark, Ryan and I followed the trail up to Mount Langley. We followed the same route to the summit I took 14 years earlier. The Cottonwood Lakes are visible below. These pictures were taken by Mark. I didn't have a camera with me.

Ryan below the top ridge. You can see that the ridge at this point is much more difficult than if attempted earlier on or later.

The picture below was taken at the edge of the canyon where we went up the class 3 summit blocks. Mark has a real fear of heights. As I got on the final boulder climb, I recommended that he not attempt it. I had forgotten that there was some exposure there. Ryan stayed with him. They were rewarded by seeing a bighorn sheep nearby.

They took a picture of me at the top of the boulders, barely visible in the center. This is not the summit. The summit is still a further hike, but up easy rock.

A closer up picture of me on the boulders. I was very happy to see Craig and Brent emerge from the boulders and we summited. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of us there.

A picture Mark took on the way back down, near the edge of the mountain over the Cottonwood Lakes. The Owens Valley is visible in the distance.

Ryan at the top of Army Pass with a Cottonwood Lake below him.

We had talked to some hikers who came up Army Pass and they indicated it was very doable. The Army Pass Trail is not maintained. But most of the snow was gone and other than a short section of trail that has been wiped out by a rock slide (which we were easily able to negotiate around), it was a nice trail to the bottom, much easier than the New Army Pass Trail. Below, reflection in one of the Cottonwood Lakes.

That evening, we camped on the small strip of land between lakes 4 and 5 and then headed out to the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead the next morning. Ryan and Mark pose on a boulder with Langley behind them.

Ryan follows the trail through the trees.

This route is longer than both New Army and Army Passes, but is a nice alternative if permits are not available for the Cottonwood Lakes or if you want to do a round trip that is covering the same ground. I hiked from the Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead to the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead to get the car. It was not too bad of a hike.

Via Old Army Pass (July 29, 2008):

The next year I helped to plan a Redlands Stake High Adventure backpacking trip to Mount Whitney. We had five groups going to Mount Whitney from different directions. Mark Richey was assigned the group to go in over New Army Pass that would then go around the backside of Mount Whitney and out Whitney Portal. Then Mark had some medical problems and decided he could not do it and I took over the leadership of the New Army Pass group. At the last minute, Mark decided he could do it and accompanied us. So he was with me on each of my three Mount Langley trips, although he chose not to summit the mountain. His son Ryan was also with us and did summit on this trip.

We had 16 people, one too many for our permit. So I obtained a separate permit for myself. We decided to do Old Army Pass, instead of New Army Pass, as we'd found that the snow conditions were good and it was passable. It was a shorter and easier route to the saddle. Some of the group wanted to do Mount Langley, and some of the group decided to hike directly to Soldier Lake. I led the group up Langley and Mark and Dave Haimsen led the group over to Soldier Lake. Because of the separate permit, I camped at the top of Army Pass while the rest of the group camped at Cottonwood Lake #5. My yellow bivvy bag below.

The morning of July 29, 2008, at the top of Army Pass, we met and decided who was going to go up Langley and who was going to continue on to Soldier Lake. Those doing Langley would do a cross-country trip down to upper Soldier Lake and then down to Lower Soldier Lake where we would reconnect late that afternoon.

Below, Josh Zollinger and Ryan Richey watch while I hike to catch up to them. These pictures were taken by my son, Andrew, who was able to join us for the trip.

Below, Big Whitney Meadow is seen in the distance. The Pacific Crest Trail from Cottonwood Pass follows a route around the mountain above Big Whitney Meadow. Later, after summiting Langley, we went down the canyon to the right to Upper Soldier Lake. This trip, we went directly up the ridge rather than following the trail below the ridge. This is a much better route for anyone afraid of heights as the exposure is much reduced. In some respects it is a more difficult hike, because there is much more boulder hopping, whereas the other route is just boulders at the very end.

Andrew Palmer at the summit of Langley, looking over the edge.

Andrew and I at the summit of Langley. It was wonderful to have him on the trip. Unfortunately, I can't access the cd of pictures taken by other people to show the rest of the group at the summit, which included Jeff Newton, Greg Newton, Ryan Richey, Josh Zollinger, Andrew Palmer and Brian Hartman.

I think the view from Mount Langley is as nice as that from Whitney. In some respects I like this hike more as there are many fewer people doing it, while Whitney can be a traffic jam. It also is a little less straight-forward, because the trail at the end is one you make yourself. It is a wonderful destination.

PCT/JMT: Thousand Island Lake to Tuolumne Meadows

On Monday, July 13, 2009, the sun is just starting to rise and cast some light on Banner Peak as it towers over Thousand Island Lake.

A buck mule deer wandered through camp, almost oblivious to us.

We hiked back to the outlet of Thousand Island Lake, then caught the trail, now the combined Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail, which began to switchback and gain elevation up the north side of Thousand Island Lake.

A view of the outlet of Thousand Island Lake, the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.

A view of some islands below, near our campsite.

A mother and baby marmot, near one of our resting spots.

Somewhere on the ridge above Thousand Island Lake, we went over Island Pass, 10,200 feet in elevation, about 1.8 miles from Thousand Island Lake. It was just past a couple of small, unnamed lakes. From Island Pass, we began to descend about 600 feet, over 1.4 miles to Rush Creek, where we stopped to rest and fill our water bottles. The mosquitoes were bad. Below, Nathan makes one of several stream crossings on a log.

A group photo in the Rush Creek vicinity.

From there, we began our slow ascent toward Donohue Pass, the high point of our trip and the entrance into Yosemite National Park. We had another river crossing, this one a little trickier as it was on a log high over a fast stream.

As we ascended, we had some beautiful views of large streams carrying water down from the surrounding mountains. Some of the spots, such as the one below, would have been great to stop and enjoy the view, but we were determined to get to the top of Donohue Pass and pushed on.

Below, a waterfall along one of the streams.

Another beautiful stream

that we eventually had to cross. Larry and Phil approach the log they would use to cross the stream.

As we got higher, the surroundings changed. The vegetation got more sparse and we started to get some nice views of the surrounding peaks. Below, a view of Banner & Ritter stand out over several intermediate ridges.

Another ridge to the north that we were happy we did not have to traverse.

We began to wind around to the west and the guessing game began, as to where the Donahue Pass was.

We ultimately stopped for a long rest in a tundra area of grass, rocks and occasional bushes. Donahue Pass is about where the tree obscures it to the right of the center of the picture below.

We were glad that the trail did not take us further to the left near the impressive triangular peak.

Below, Nathan takes full advantage of the rest, protected by his mosquito net.

Garrett gets something to eat.

After a long slog, which seemed never to end, we eventually made it to Donahue Pass, 11,056 feet and 6.6 miles from Thousand Island Lake. There were several areas where the trail was obscured by snow. A beautiful view of the Sierras was below us.

My Verizon network was apparently on strike and I couldn't get phone service. However, Mark's Singular worked and I was able to talk to Judy from the pass. Below, we get a group shot from a hiker passing through on his way to do the entire John Muir Trail.

A view of Banner and Ritter from Donahue Pass. As you can tell, I really like those mountains.

From Donahue Pass, we descended into Yosemite National Park, down a large boulderfield, the trail partially obstructed by snow. About a mile below the pass, we found a small lake, perhaps a tarn, below Lyell Peak, the tallest mountain in Yosemite National Park. We stopped for water along a small stream nearby. Several of my pictures below were taken by Larry.

Lyell Peak and the largest glacier along the Pacific Crest Trail in the Sierras, loomed above us.

Another view of the small lake and Lyell Peak and glacier. The hiker who took our picture at the pass had climbed Lyell Peak three or four times (a class three or four climb).

The outlet of the lake dropped precipitously down a steep hill to form the headwaters of Lyell Canyon. We originally thought the trail went to the right, and had to backtrack through some soft, tricky snow, after finding a bigger drop than we wanted to negotiate.

After crossing to the other side of the small lake, the trail wound around, made another river crossing, and then started to switchback down the south side of Lyell Canyon, which lay below us.

Below, the headwaters of Lyell Canyon, with the canyon wall and Lyell Peak in the background.

Here, we had to cross the headwaters, at about 10,220 feet, without the benefit of rocks, a log or a bridge. Larry doing a wet crossing.

A closer view of Larry.

After some more steep descending, including a bridged crossing of the Lyell headwaters, we reached the Lyell Canyon floor, at about 9,000 feet. Just below Kuna Creek, which spilled into the canyon in a steep descent over the north rim, we made camp.

I was feeling a little green with altitude sickness, but was able to eat some Mountain House mashed potatoes and pudding, my only freeze-dried food of the trip. We covered a difficult 10.6 miles during the day. It seemed like much more. Lyell Canyon was stunningly beautiful.

The next morning, Tuesday, July 14, 2009, we headed out early for Tuolumne Meadows, concerned about getting a space in the backpackers camp before it filled up. There is a four mile prohibition on camping around Tuolumne Meadows and we didn't want to have to get there and then go another four miles beyond it to camp. Below, the Lyell Canyon River was, for the most part, lazy, slow moving and crystal clear.

Near the Vogelsang trail turnoff, about 2.8 miles from where we camped, we found a mother robin, feeding a worm to her brood in a nest right over the trail.

Below, one of the few spots where the river had some rapids.

We encountered a family of young marmots that was extremely cute.

We also found Lyell Canyon to be full of deer. If I were a mountain lion, this is where I would choose to live. One buck, on the other side of the river, seemed oblivious to us as we got closer for pictures.

It was very fun to get so close.

Just a few minutes later, we encountered another, larger buck, just off the trail.

This trip was making up for all of the wildlife I'd not seen on previous Sierra trips. I'm realizing it was probably because those trips tended to be at higher elevations where the animals are not as numerous.

A mile or two from Tuolumne Meadows, we passed over a bridged stream crossing. The setting was perfect. The meadows, the slow, clear river, the temperature. I would have loved to go swimming then and there. However, we had to push on.

We still spent some time resting and enjoying the cool shade.

Toulumne Meadows, as seen right near Hwy 120.

It was beautiful, but no match for the prettier Lyell Canyon high country we'd just been through.

What I did appreciate was the store, and particularly the Grill next-door to it. I spent the rest of the day, from noon on, reading a book and eating hamburgers. We did about 8.6 miles for the day and enjoyed the beautiful weather of Tuolumne Meadows at 8,650 feet.

Overall, from Thousand Island Lake to Tuolumne Meadows, it was about 19.2 miles.