We crushed out the High Sierra Trail in four days, hopefully this trip report gives you some insight into this pleasant and relatively easy hike. Lone Pine seemed a classic quirky trail town with everything we would be looking for. Luckily no lightning despite some rumbling. 5 hours), Lodgepole Visitors Center to pick up permits. We started at Lodgepole visitor center in Kings Canyon and finished in the town of Lone Pine. * If you take the side trip to Moraine Lake, add .8 miles (1.3 km) to all subsequent distances. We experienced some snowfall and plenty of below-freezing nights and frost. If you are hiking back to Giant Forest, plan to return to Crabtree Meadow (round trip to the summit, 16.8 miles/26.8 km). I provide some background info on each of the routes/trails and insert appropriate links to further reading. Day 6 - to the summit of Mt. Whitney. I’m Paul “Pie” Ingram a British dude living in Finland who hikes all over the world. Then we contoured over easy trail for the whole afternoon and made it to camp. The High Sierra Trail leads from Crescent Meadow up the canyon of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River, crossing the Great Western Divide by the 10,700' (3261 meters) pass known as Kaweah Gap. Pacific Crest Trail Wonderland Trail High Sierra Trail ... August 16, 2019. The trail starts at Crescent Meadow, near Visalia, California, crosses over the Great Western Divide, goes up Kern Canyon, then joins up with the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail at Wallace Creek. The High Sierra Trail Posted on January 27, 2019 by Rachel Gearhart This past summer my dad and I laced up our trail runners, packed our backpacking packs, and took a plane out to California to hike the High Sierra Trail (HST). If you have camped at Kern Hot Springs, however, remember that cold air from the surrounding peaks flows down the canyon at night, and that the sun will not clear the 2000 to 5000' (610 to 1524 meter) high canyon walls until relatively late in the morning. The metal roof of this hut attracts lightning which can be conducted through the building to individuals inside. The High Sierra Trail is a moderate to strenuous 61.5-mile trail through Sequoia National Park. One, with record snowfall in the High Sierra the previous winter we wanted to give the snow as much time to melt as possible. March 2, 2019; I’d been wanting to do the High Sierra Trail for a number of years now and after hiking the Rae Lakes Loop last year, I decided that this year it was going to happen. If your schedule allows, you may wish to camp here, but you must stay in the designated camp sites, which are often heavily used. We secured permits departing from the Alta trailhead on Sept 1, 2019. This trip report covers my hike of the Sierra High Route. The trail starts at Crescent Meadow, near Visalia, California, crosses over the Great Western Divide, goes up Kern Canyon, then joins up with the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail at Wallace Creek. *** The climb to the summit includes a 2.4-mile (each way) spur trail. I ate cold soaked ramen noodles and Oreos instead. Whitney is home to hardy flocks of rosy finches. The hike depicted in the documentary, which involved taking a 2.5-mile spur at the end of the trail, would end at the top of Mt. The 6,000-foot descent from atop Mount Whitney to Whitney Portal is especially brutal. The trail continues a steady to moderate descent to the campsites at Big Arroyo Junction (22.5 miles/36 km). Beyond the lake, the route passes a series of shallow glacial ponds, to finally arrive at Kaweah Gap on the Great Western Divide (20 miles/32 km). Before (Saturday): Drive to Sequoia NP (approx. It was awesome to walk amongst giant Sequoia’s, they are majestic and a sight to behold. It’s designed to keep backcountry users safer, by highlighting problem spots and identifying wiser alternates. A rugged hike, similar to the other two off-trail routes we hiked in the summer of 2019. Day 10 - to Crescent Meadow via the High Sierra Trail (15.5 miles/25 km): Retrace your previous route. This canyon runs almost due north and south for about 25 miles (40 km) along the Kern Canyon fault. I took some time to soak in the Kern Hot Spring, legit and well worth it! East Lake. After running up the bottom of the Kern Canyon, it turns east, climbing parallel to Wallace Creek up to the junction with the John Muir Trail, 49 miles (79 km) from the starting point. It has groomed and switchbacked trails, established campsites and much more foot traffic. Day 9 - Explore Nine Lakes Basin and return via Kaweah Gap to Hamilton Lakes (4.8 miles/7.7 km plus side trip): An unmarked trail leaves the High Sierra Trail at the point where it turns west and begins the climb up the east side of Kaweah Gap. Buck Creek to Hamilton Lake: 5.3 miles. Snowpocalypse 2019: Expected “summer” conditions in the High Sierra & southern Rockies Early-season conditions , Planning , Popular / Andrew Skurka Extensive snow coverage on the north side of Mather Pass, looking towards Palisade Lakes, after a very wet winter. We set up, ate our ramen and passed the F out. We secured permits departing from the Alta trailhead on Sept 1, 2019. High Sierra Trail (Sept 2019) We got our permits! The hard work of hiking the Sierra High Route pays off and this is a classic American hike for a reason. These trip reports are taken from my daily journaling whilst hiking the High Sierra Trail and the other routes. Home Thru-Hiking. F or many, the 220-mile long John Muir Trail, which runs north to south across the Sierra Nevada, represents the quintessential backcountry hike. Altitude sickness is an illness that can occur when at high altitude (typically above 8,000 feet or 2,400 m). The windswept, barren summit of Mt. The hike depicted in the documentary, which involved taking a 2.5-mile spur at the end of the trail, would end at the top of Mt. While most of the trail is beautifully graded, the climb over the Kaweah Gap, the descent into the Kern Trench, and the ascent/descent of Mount Whitney are challenging.Expect knee-busting sections of rock-formed steps during big ascents and descents. Two, one of our hiking group Sonic had a serious injury skiing in the early spring. Join Chris as he drives his friend John to insanity over six days in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now. 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