High Sierra Trail - Day Four

I woke up feeling surprisingly great on our fourth day in the Sierras! Good timing too, the rest of our hike would be uphill until the summit of Mt. Whitney.

The trail continued a mile further up the Kern Canyon before veering off to the east along Wallace Creek. As we gained elevation we had sweeping views to the south looking back to our hike the day before. After 3 miles along the Creek we reached the end of the High Sierra Trail where it joins the John Muir Trail (JMT). Near the junction we ran into some thru hikers just beginning their northbound journey on the JMT. Similar to the time I first heard of thru hiking the HST, I thought that sounded absurd to be in the wilderness for such a long time. They described upcoming sights in Onion Valley, Yosemite, and re-supplies along lakes…

>> Click here to read about the JMT trip this encounter inspired!

We hiked another 3.5 miles past Sandy Meadow, a wide open field surrounded by forests and peaks. Then we came to a couple quick junctions with the Pacific Crest Trail and finally to Crabtree Ranger Station where things got a little interesting. We didn’t see a ranger but there was a box full of “wag bags” sitting in the middle of the trail. A sign informed us that we were crossing into wag bag territory and any poop would need to be packed out. We each spent some time in the woods at that spot, and to my horror I found that all of my spots were already used! We collected our wag bags and started on the trail again. We hiked alongside lakes and meadows before passing the tree line into what looked like an alien planet.

We crested our final hill and found Guitar Lake, surrounded by campers! This was by far the busiest campsite of the trip with hikers doing all sorts of thru hikes and summits. It finally felt like I could make it to the end of this journey!

We set up one final campsite near the shore of the lake, tried to take a dip in the frigid water, and enjoyed a nice sunset. One item of note: there are no bear boxes at Guitar Lake so make sure your last day of food can fit in your bear canister.