Mile 704 to 745

A view east from the ridge line looking at the desert floor.

Section G
Horseshoe Meadow to Kennedy Meadows Campground – Sobo

Miles: 41 (43 including 2 miles to get the PCT from Horseshoe Meadows)
Hiking with: Solo

Lodging:  Comfort Inn, Lone Pine, CA.  I was shocked that the city of Lone Pine was pretty much sold out on a Thursday night at the end of September -- I paid about $110 for a mediocre room.

Shuttle: A Dual Sport Bike (Kawasaki 250) that I put on the back of my Excursion & shuttle myself!!!

Dining: I got a hot dog from the gas station up the street in Lone Pine before I went to bed.  I haven't found any good restaurants in Lone Pine (although I haven't searched very hard).

Start:  Horseshoe Meadows.  I took Trail Pass Trail (2 miles) to the PCT.

End:  Kennedy Meadows Campground.  The PCT enters the campground at the north end next to a couple of out houses and a small paved parking lot.

People along the trail: Absolutely no one.

Description: I left Phoenix at 6 am Thursday morning and got to the Kennedy Meadows Campground by 3 pm.  I was surprised how steep and long the road was from the desert floor just outside of Crestview, CA up to Kennedy Meadows.  I was also surprised how few peoplevehicles I saw.  There was no one at the campground -- I thought I would at least see 1 or 2 RVs.  I found where the PCT enters the campground on the north side and parked my Excursion in a parking lot right next to it.  There were signs about paying fees for camping and I just ignored them.  I figured it was so late in the year that they wouldn't check.  I unloaded my motor bike, put on my backpack and rode back down to the desert floor and then  up to Lone Pine (1.5 hours).  My motorbike and OK for 20-30 minute rides but for 1.5 hrs. its was loud and vibrated a lot.  I went 60-65 mph but still had semis passing me on a regular basis.  I got to the Ranger Station in Lone Pine just as they were closing -- I was the last one they let in -- and I got my wilderness permit (free).  The ranger warned my that most of the water sources were dry because it was a very light snow year and it was so late in the season.  At the time I thought he was being too cautious -- hmmmm.  I spent that night at the Comfort Inn in Lone Pine.

The next morning I was up at 6 am (it got light at 6:30am), ate breakfast at the hotel and was on my bike headed up to Horseshoe meadows by 6:30 am.  It wasn't too cold in Lone Pine by by the time I got to Horseshoe Meadows (9,500' elevation) I was freezing.  The cars in the parking lot were covered in frost.  I parked by motor bike and chained the wheels and frame and headed up the Trail Pass Trail to the PCT at 7:30 am.

The trail was typical PCT as it followed the ridge line with great views of the Sierra Mountains to the west.  A couple of times it popped out on the east side of the ridge with spectacular views of the desert floor 10,000' in elevation below.  I first stopped to get water at Diaz Creek.  Although I thought I had enough to make it another 6 miles to what I though was a dependable spring I remembered what the ranger told me and decided to be safe and get some more water.  Diaz Creek is about 200 yds off the PCT (I'm a lazy hiker -- I never like to add additional mileage to get water or camp far from the trail).  It is a small creek about 2 feet wide and 4" deep.  There were cattle tracks in the sand up and down the creek.  I decided to filter some just in case -- I could always throw it out and replace it with better water later.  This was the best water I saw for the next 24 hours!!!

I hiked on to where I though I was going to camp at mile 736 but when I got there I decided to continue on to what I thought would be better water at a lower elevation (hence warmer too).  5 miles later I came upon the spring/campsite at mile 731 -- it was a small stagnant pond covered with orange algae.  Yuck!!!!  I was low on water but scooped out a liter of algae filled water as a back up and hiked on to the next water source.

3 miles later I arrived at what I had read from another hiker as "always good water" at mile 728.  It had the same orange algae as the previous water source but there was a trickle of flowing clear water.  Beggars cannot be choosy.  This was good enough for me.  I filtered the water and it still had a slight orange hue to it with a slight taste but not too bad.  Tired after a long 20 mile day I set up camp, ate dinner and was asleep by 8 pm.

The next morning I rose slightly before sun up and started breaking camp and fixing breakfast.  It was a very quiet night -- no animals (probably because water was so scarce).  I was on the trail by 7:30 am.  I started out with a climb and then thought there would be another water source in a couple hours so I only carried 2 liters.

All the water sources on the maps were dry.  When I got to the "dependable" water source in Bear Trap Meadow it was also dry.  Fortunately there was a spring about 1 mile south of miles 722 that was right next to the trail.  I filtered and was ready to go.

After the trail junction with Olancha Pass the trail follows a cattle trail.  At about mile 720 I followed the cattle trail with left the PCT for about 200 yards but fortunately I was checking my phone/GPS regularly around trail junctions and saw that I was off the trail.  I traversed 1/2 way down a hillside and looked for the trail and didn't see it so I hike back up to the cattle trail assuming my GPS was wrong.  Looking at my GPS I  could tell I was definitely off the trail and after hiking about 600 miles of the PCT following HalfMile's GPS track he has never been off so I hiked back down the trail -- this time all the way to the bottom where I found the PCT again!

Once again I soon was running low on water when I finally saw the Kern River at mile 716 in an open field.  On the map it looked "significant" but after all the dry water sources I was shocked how big it was (20' wide and 2' deep).  There is a bridge over the river which always looks impressive in the middle of the wilderness.  Once again I filtered some water but only a couple of liters as there were now water sources more frequently -- so I thought.

Once again the water sources were dry -- I figured I had only 1 liter left and I had about 6 miles to go.  I was going to camp at mile 710 but I thought that I would just consume my remaining liter during the night and would have to hike the rest of the way without any water.  I decided to just forge ahead and finish the hike that day and ration the last of my water over the last 6 miles.

My some miracle even though all the springs in the area were dry I came upon an unmarked spring about miles 708 and was able to re-hydrate.  At this point I had hiked about 20 miles and could have spent the night but this area had been scorched by a forest fire and was very barren so I hiked on to Kennedy Meadows.   

At mile 707 there is another bridge over the Kern River in a canyon.  Campers hike up here from Kennedy Meadows campground to swim in the pools created by large granite boulders in the Kern River....It's pretty spectacular.  I still haven't seen any one since I left Horseshoe Meadows and I expected the campground to be empty but to my surprise it was just about full!!!  I arrived about 6 pm and my Excursion was still there, I hopped in and drove to a water spigot and took a sponge bath and drove out of the campground.

Section hiking the PCT there are things that I do that through hikers don't and vice versa.  Everyone always talked about the store at Kennedy Meadows so I decided to take a slight detour stop in and grab something to munch on.  There were about 12 cars in the parking lot with people in their camping chairs visiting with each other, eating and basically having a good time.  The store was closed but it looked like one of the groups of people were selling food so I went over and asked if I could have some -- they said it was cold but I they still had some.  I grabbed a paper plate and they served me meat loaf and beans from 2 dutch ovens.  I asked if they had any soda -- they pointed to a cooler, I grabbed one and asked what do I owe them.  They said nothing -- the whole gathering was just the residents of Kennedy Meadows and they were happy to share.  I was rather shocked, kindly thanked them and headed on my way.

I drove 2 hours to Horseshoe Meadows where I slept in the parking lot in the back of my Excursion.  The next morning I loaded up my motor bike and headed down to Lone Pine and ate breakfast at the Mount Whitney Restaurant -- excellent biscuits and gravy!!!

Horseshoe Meadows at the trail head.
Shadow (me), my pack  and my motor bike.  It was cold!!!

A sign at the trail junction of Mulkey Pass and the PCT.

Rocks along the PCT.

There were a lot of dead trees (from wind and snow),
but they were very colorful.

Typical few of the first 10 miles -- Pine trees with very little ground vegetation.

A view to the west of the Sierras.

A sign along the trail at mile 736 indicating a spring off trail.
I should have gotten some.

The PCT along the ridge line went between this rock formation.

A view to the west of the desert floor.
This was much more spectacular in person than what the photo shows.

Water taken from the stagnant pond with orange algae at mile 731. 

The PCT crossing a meadow at about mile 729.

The good stream I got water to filter from at my campsite.

My campsite at mile 728.

Oh rip!!!  I never saw anyone on the hike so who cares?

Cattle trail after Olancha Pass Junction.

PCT Sign along the trail.

A view of the Kern River.
(technically the south fork of the Kern River)

The bridge over the Kern River looking east.

A burnt forest about mile 710.

The bridge crossing the Kern River at mile 707.

A view looking down at the Kern River from the bridge.

Sunset as I was driving out of Kennedy Meadows.

Sunrise after picking up my Motorbike at
Horseshoe Meadows and heading back to Phoenix.

Driving down from the Sierras from is the shadow
of my Excursion and motorbike.

This is a painted rock (Godzilla) on the
Whitney Portal Road just out of Lone Pine, CA.

Mile 745 to 788

Mountains on the south side of Kearsage Lakes.

Section G & H
Horseshoe Meadows to Kearsage Pass (Onion Valley) – Nobo

Trip Topo Map (10 Mb pdf)

Miles: 43 PCT miles + Mt. Whitney & back + Trail Pass + Onion Valley = 70 
Hiking with: Bill

Lodging:  Best Western Crestview, CA – This hotel is was 90 minutes away from Lone Pine where we got our permit.  convenient to the end of section D and the first half of section E and I got a killer deal.


Shuttle: We used High Sierra Shuttle which worked out OK (see Description below for details).

Dining: We stopped at my favorite Crazy Coyote Taco Stand in Cabazon, CA on the way.

Start:  Horseshoe Meadows, Trail Pass.  Trail Pass trail is a short hike (1.7 miles) with a moderate up to join the PCT.  At the trail junction there is a sign with a very faint PCT logo.  This wasn't the most efficient way to get to Whitney as Trail Pass goes SW and to the PCT and the loops to the east where as Cottonwood Lakes trail from Horseshoe Meadows heads straight north to join the PCT.  However, I was thinking of an efficient on/off the PCT as I would be coming back this way in the future.  Another factor was the availability of permits.  Most trails heading in to the Sierras have a limited number of permits issued each day -- Cottonwood Lakes was sold out and Trail Pass doesn't have a quota.

End:  We exited the PCT at Kearsage Pass to Onion Valley.  On the map this looked like a great out & it was.  The down side was the 7.5 miles to Onion Valley but the scenery was worth it.

People along the trail:  From Trail Pass to Chicken Spring Lake where the Cottonwood Lakes trail joins the PCT we saw almost no one.  From Chicken Spring Lake north to Whitney we saw 10+ hikers.  From Whitney north we were on the John Muir Super Highway and saw people at least every hour.  Even though you see a lot of other hikers you still know your in the wilderness and its sort of nice to see other hikers.

Day 1 Description: We stopped by the Inyo National Forest Permit office in Lone Pine where they had a drawing to get served.  We got our permit for Trail Pass with a 'visit' to Mt. Whitney and drove up to Horseshoe Meadows to start our hike.  The trail ran along soft ridges and after about 12 miles we set up camp.  We ate dinner along the trail and then hiked another mile to a campsite so cooking odor wouldn't attract bears.  We set up camp and put our bear canisters 200 yards from our campsite just like we were told to.  Later on we realized other campers were eating next to their tents and placing the bear canisters about 20 feet from their tents....a practice we easily/lazily adapted to.

A view of the Sierra from the Lone Pine NFS office.

Bill at the Lone Pine NFS permit office.

Me at the Trail Pass & PCT junction.

A view west in Sequoia Ntl Park.

Bill along the PCT.

Chicken Spring Lake -- our first water!!!

The Trail...very sandy.

The meadow we camped above.

One of the few PCT signs we saw over the 6 days.

Sign.

Day 2 Description: We got up early and continued hiking north towards Mt. Whitney.  We were carrying a lot of water as there was about an 8 mile dry stretch of trail.  Our packs were heavy so we came up with a plan to store one of our two bear canisters with all the "heavy food" in a bear box at the Whitney turnoff so we didn't have to lug the extra weight around.  This worked really well.  We hiked to Guitar Lake at the base of Mount Whitney so we would get a quick start the next day.

Moss on Rocks.

The trail going down to Crabtree Meadows...very steep.

Crabtree Meadows.

A bear box.

Timberline Lake just before Guitar Lake at the base of Mt. Whitney.

Day 3 Description: We left our tent set up with our gear inside while we hiked up Mt. Whitney.  Our backpacks just had water bottles so they were very light.  We left camp about 6:30 and reached the summit about 9.  The trail has a lot of switch backs up to a saddle where the trails from the front and back (the one we took) meet.  At this point everyone drops their packs along side the trail and hikes the last 2 miles and 1,000 vertical feet to the top.  I was told of the mass of hikers doing Whitney every day but I didn't think it was that bad -- I'm willing to share.  We came back down, took down our tent, hiked onto the Whitney Ranger Station, and then camped.

Guitar Lake early in the morning as we started to ascend Mt. Whitney.

Other "Peakers" and the hut on top of Mt. Whitney.

The hiking duo at the summit.

Summit Monument.

A view down the east side of Mt. Whitney.

The very rare blue sky pilot flower that only grows above 12,000'

Bill pointing out Mt. Whitney.

The packs dropped at the trail junction.

Relaxing / reading at Crabtree Meadows camp.

The best feature of the campsite -- an outhouse -- or maybe just an out.

Gear.

Day 4 Description: We rose early and wanted to hike to the base of Forester Pass.  It was a nice morning but we got some light rain after lunch.  We were about a mile from the Pass where there were no trees when it started raining harder then came the lightning strike...we estimate it hit about 1 mile away.  We shortly passed some hikers coming from the lighting strike area...they were shaken as they were about 1/4 mile away from it.  We huddled up next to some rocks for some cover for a while.  Then we continued on until we could see a wall of rain coming our way.  We found a flat area that was dry and next to some rocks which may give us some shelter and quickly set up our tent.  Then it started raining hard.... & then the hail came.  It must of hailed/rained for 2 hours.  It eventually stopped and we got out, filtered water and ate dinner.

The storm is moving in.  Forester Pass is the notch on the left side.

The storm it coming!!!

Bill was a little spooked after a lightning hit within a mile of us.

Hail!!!

We placed our hiking poles in some near by rocks to act as lightning rods -- right.

The stream where we camped.

The tent.

The vestibule.

The trail.

Day 5 Description: Bill woke up in the middle of the night and said he looked out the tent and saw a clear sky filled with stars.  It didn't last long as we woke up at 5 am to cloud cover -- it almost seemed like fog.  We quickly ate breakfast, packed up and hit the trail as we were anxious to get over Forester Pass.  Forester Pass was a very impress section of trail as it is cut into the side of an absolutely vertical cliff.  We ascended in fog but as soon as we reached the pass the other side was clear -- although you could see the clouds from the other side of the ridge starting to blow over.  The view down into Kearsarge Valley is pretty impressive and even better when you start hiking through it.  We continued on through Kearsarge Valley and out the north end and exited on the trail to Bullfrog Lake.  It started raining pretty hard again and we took cover a couple of times but continued onto Kearsarge Lakes.  Mountains just rose out of the lake -- very impressive.  We decided we could get to Onion Valley by 9 am so via my SPOT Connect I texted my wife and told her to contact High Sierra Shuttle to pick us up at 9 am rather than noon so we could start home earlier.  We had a great camp site overlooking the lake -- what a way to spend your last night!!!

Day 5 -- an early start to get over Forester Pass -- the highest point of the PCT!!!

Me at the lake at the base of Forester Pass.

Bill & I at Forester Pass.  World peace tour.

The clouds hoovering over the Kearsarge Mountains.

The clouds blowing into Kearsarge Valley from the Whitney area.

Glacial!!!  How cool.

Kearsarge Valley.

Kearsarge Valley.

A small creek flowing through Kearsarge Valley.

The main river/waterfall in Kearsarge Valley.

Stream crossing.

Add caption

The trail going up to Kearsarge Pass -- a lot of ferns.

Bill at Kearsarge Lake.

Me at Kearsarge Lake.

Victory at Kearsarge Lake.

Kearsarge Lake.

Kearsarge Lake.

Kearsarge Lake.

Kearsarge Lake.

Kearsarge Lake.

Campsite at  Kearsarge Lake.

Campsite at  Kearsarge Lake.

Campsite at  Kearsarge Lake.

Equipment we carried but never used.

Day 6 Description: We  packed up early and quickly hit the trail.  We spotted a deer on the trail as we rounded a switchback.  It was a very scenic trail passing 3 more lakes and following a mountain stream.  We got to the parking lot at 8:30 am and called High Sierra Shuttle and they said our shuttle just started up towards Onion Valley and we should see them in 20 minutes.  An hour later and no sign of the shuttle we called and discovered they went to pick us up at Horseshoe Meadows where we started!!!  They said they would come and get us but it would be a 1-1/2 hours.  We decided to hitch hike and quickly got a ride from someone leaving the trail head parking lot who was hiking Mt. Whitney the next day.  They gave us a ride all the way to Lone Pine (they were going there anyway) where we arranged via cell phone to meet our shuttle, changed cars and got delivered to our car at horseshoe meadows.  Yahoo!!!!  We then stopped back at the Best Western in Crestview, CA and showered and then we cruised back to Phoenix.

We start day 6 as the sun rises.

Kearsarge Pass.

As we came around a switchback we bravely confronted a deer.

Whaaa!!!!  Last Day.

Farewell John Muir Wilderness.

Onion Valley Trailhead -- exit point.

Our shadows on rocks about 100 yards away.

Onion Valley Parking Lot -- Where is our shuttle!!!!
Perhaps well just hitch hike.