The 2008 PCT - JMT Hikes
© Peter Tremayne 2009
Our 2008 hiking activity in the Sierra Nevada was a departure from previous years. For the first time, we ventured north of Tuolumne Meadows into the most northern section of Yosemite National Park, and beyond, into the Hoover and Emigrant Wilderness areas. A pleasant surprise: Fewer people, pristine camping, deep canyons, cleaner lakes and bigger trout!
The first foray was a solo event. On 29 June I set off from Tuolumne Meadows, hiking north along the Pacific Crest Trail, threading through a gaggle of mule-train supported hiking dilettantes stumbling to and from the 'High Sierra Camp' at Glen Aulin. Although this first section of the PCT to Glen Aulin is spectacular with it's many Cascades and Falls, I was relieved to be past the Camp and heading north up Cold Canyon - mostly alone! I camped the first night one mile south of the McCabe Lakes Trail intersection, a delightful location near a small creek and with a clear view over the canyons to the west. The following morning I left the PCT at the Spiller Creek crossing, to hike off-trail up the Spiller Canyon towards my planned destination - Horse Creek Pass. Here I hoped to meet up with my nephew Bill, and his three companions who were climbing the North Arete of Matterhorn Peak that day.
Progress for the first mile up the canyon was slow and difficult ... no easy route finding on the eastern bank of Spiller Creek, in particular through a massive avalanche log-jam spanning the canyon floor. More easily passed high on the western bank as I would discover the next day. I camped for the night above the tree-line and a mile short of the Pass, but within easy view of Matterhorn Peak and the rock slabs across the Pass. Before daylight faded I hiked up to the rock slabs, sat awhile looking down the northern side of the Pass, half expecting to see the group of four climbers heading up my way, but it was a no show. Later, I was woken by what I thought were voices ... leapt out of the tent with head-lamp flashing and calling loudly, but nothing more heard, or seen. All rather spooky, because after leaving the PCT I'd not encountered any sign of others in the canyon, including a complete lack of footprints.
The next day I waited at the campsite until early afternoon and without signs of the group either on the summit ridge of Matterhorn Peak, or crossing Horse Creek Pass I packed up camp and headed back down the canyon to spend that night near the PCT crossing of Spiller Creek. In the event, Bill and John did make it over the Pass in mid afternoon, missing me by one or two hours. They returned north again, hiking down to Twin Lakes to meet up with their other two climbers and drive south to Tuolumne Meadows, where I would finally meet them the following evening.
My last day turned out to be a long one, hiking a total of 19 miles before reaching Tuolumne thanks to the ongoing problem of no cellphone communication, which Bill and I had thought would be available at Horse Creek Pass and other high points in Yosemite. We had a rough plan of a first rendezvous at Horse Creek Pass and two day's later at Young Lakes, the best access point for climbing Mount Conness. So, without communication, I made what turned out to be an unnecessary diversion up the Young Lakes trail after finally getting cellphone reception with Bill and his group ... comfortably settled at the Tuolumne public campground.
The second trip for 2008 was a 71 mile walk, southbound on the PCT from Sonora Pass to the Return Creek crossing and then exiting Yosemite NP via the Virginia Lakes trailhead. During this six day journey I was accompanied by Jim Slade and Jim Keogh. On 21 July Lucy drove us from Reno to Sonora Pass and collected us at Virginia Lakes on 26 July.
This section of the PCT is characterized by deep spectacular canyons, crossed one after another ... with the trail moving mostly against the grain of the landscape. Unlike the PCT/JMT sections south of Yosemite NP, the many mountain passes along the trail are below tree line, except within 15 miles of Sonora Pass, an area of volcanic sediments rather than the granitic domain of the south. So our first day of travel was dry and dusty, across a barren volcanic landscape, well above the tree line and any sources of water. After 9 miles of this alpine desert, we thankfully descended into the green environment of Kennedy Canyon where we made our first camp.
We'd calculated the trip would require an average travel rate of 13 miles per day ... a plan that was harder than expected because of the vertical lift involved to enter and exit the many canyons along the trail. Most of our overnight camps were on the canyon floors and therefore warmer than the Sierra average, but the pleasure was diminished by plagues of mosquitoes. One exception was on the shores of Smedberg Lake, a beautiful high elevation lake surrounded by granite slabs and with waters teaming with large trout. Apparently a popular destination for wilderness fisherman despite its remoteness from trailheads, the closest being at least two days hike.
After leaving Smedberg Lake and crossing Benson Pass, we descended the 1800' into Matterhorn Canyon, possibly the most impressive scenic feature of our journey. Of course, we then had to climb out of the canyon, 1000' up to Miller Lake (a hidden gem!), followed by an immediate 1000' descent to the Spiller Creek crossing. Then this longest day became easier after leaving the PCT at Return Creek, turning off on the Virginia Canyon Trail which we then followed northeast for two miles before making our last night's camp. The final day involved a relatively easy 8 mile hike out to the Virginia Lakes Resort.
The final Sierra hike for 2008 was another solo event and this time a return to that old faithful, the JMT. I put the plan together at rather short notice, with the knowledge that I'd be running close to the first winter snows by launching from Yosemite in late September and not expecting to finish on Whitney before mid October. This late start was further complicated by vehicle positioning at locations that could be closed (for the Winter!), with little warning, in the event of early snow. Also, the summer shuttle buses had stopped operating for the season and so the gamble was choosing the best location for my one vehicle prior to starting the southbound hike. I decided the safest compromise was to avoid Yosemite and begin hiking from Mammoth Lakes, leaving the vehicle parked downtown Mammoth and catching a cab ride to the Coldwater trailhead.
The trail from Coldwater campground crosses the 10,800' Duck Pass, then descends the western shore of Duck Lake to intercept the JMT, 2.3 miles northwest of Purple Lake, a favorite campsite from our previous trips. On this first day, September 19, with daylight still available I chose to continue past Purple Lake to camp on the northern shore of Lake Virginia at 10,300'. Not the best decision ... with a cold wind blowing across the open terrain that could have been avoided back at Purple Lake. It was here that I met with David H, another solo JMT hiker. We found the best shelter available for our respective tents and settled in for a cold night and morning. This was a harbinger of the nights to come and unpleasantly different from the relaxed travelling on the JMT in August.
At the end of the second day I parted company with David, 3 miles south of Silver Pass at an old campsite where I'd decided to spend the night. David wished to reach the VVR ferry by early the next morning. We made a tentative arrangement to meet again at the Le Conte Ranger Station in seven days time, the day I expected to be back on the JMT after resupplying over Bishop Pass. During my next two days travel: to Upper Bear Creek Meadow (13.4 miles) and then Piute Pass Trail intersection (13.3 miles) I suffered knee pain during the descents, cold nights sleeping in a summer-weight bag and respiratory distress upon waking in the mornings. I figured I could handle the knee pain by using Ibuprofen tablets prior to descents, but the cold sleeping and coughing could only get worse with the two 12,000' passes (Muir & Bishop) to cross before getting a break from the wilderness environment.
So I made a decision to climb out over Piute Pass from the JMT intersection ... a total of 2 days to civilization rather than the 4 that it would've taken to continue on the JMT. The final night's campsite before crossing Piute Pass to North Lake was a cold, exposed location at 11,000', one mile north of the Pass. On September 24, I limped down to North Lake from the Pass, pleased to be off the JMT/PCT until next summer, when once more I can hike with lightweight clothing and equipment ... and enjoy!
Reno, Nevada ... June 12, 2009
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Copyright 2011 Peter William Tremayne. All rights reserved. |