HST 2009 Part 1 Crescent Meadow to Big Arroyo

From August 20, 2009 to August 29, 2009 5 friends thought it would be a good idea to walk from west to east across the Sierras and climb the highest peak in the continental United States. What follows is a travel log from my perspective.

Day 1 August 20, 2009.

Today was the assembly day. Eric came from the central coast, Brent from Caruthers, Skot and Kelly from Fresno and I started the day in Merced at work and was very unfocused. The thought most present in my mind was not how I was to get the packages delivered for the day. Instead I had thoughts of mountains and trees, wide open vistas and the companionship of my friends. I dispatched the drivers, said my goodbyes to the center team and made my way to the Fresno building where I took a conference call. The call finished at noon and I changed into my hiking clothes and tore off to Skot's house in Fresno where the party was already assembled.

I arrived at Skots and went to the back yard where I found Brent packing his tent. Eric thought it was a good idea that Brent knew how to set up and tear down his tent before we got out on the trail. We packed our gear and I made my final call to my wife before we loaded the cars, Eric and Brent together and Skot, Kelly and myself in another. I had to make a few stops on the way up the hill, first at grocery store to get some dinner for the night since I left my foily dinner in the freezer at home. Second, I had to get fuel so that we could make it up and down the hill.

We had to be to the Lodgepole visitors center by 4:00 pm to pick up our trail permit for our journey. The plan was to camp in the Lodgepole campground and get an early start on the trail the next day. As we approached our destination we saw a sign stating that there was roadwork up ahead and we should expect delays. We traveled quite some distance after seeing that sign and I believed that we would somehow not be delayed and then as we rounded a corner we saw the line of cars. We stopped and got out to stretch our legs. Up ahead we saw Brent and Eric. We congregated in the road with our companions.

I looked around at the travelers gathered near us and had to laugh a moment. The one thing that I tell everyone that has never been to a national park is that the can expect to see three things. First, is obviously the beautiful scenery. Second, Germans. Third, Japenese. As we stood in the road getting excited about our trip and razzing Brent as he inhaled some cancer leaves I noticed a small group of Japanese tourists ahead of us and a group of German tourists behind us.
Our delay was soon over and we rushed back to our vehicles and resumed our trip. We arrived just as the ranger manning the permit desk was wrapping things up. We gathered our permit, went to the general store for our last taste of civilization in the form of Gatorade and prebundled wood and made our way to our campsite.

It was strange setting up camp at the Lodgepole campground as we were preparing for a journey into the backcountry and our goal in coming to these mountains was to escape civilization and all around us were people that seemed to only want to bring civilization with them. Our campsite was limited to the barest necessity of shelter, our backpacks set around the campsite and that was it. In looking at our surroundings as more and more people arrived it definitely had the feeling of an apartment complex without wooden walls. There were radios and TV's, electric light and unbelievable noise.

We cooked our steaks and dogs over a minimal fire and when it had fallen to nothing but ash we turned in. An early start for the next day was in my mind. I was eager to join the trail and leave this noise behind me. I slept peacefully that night in my hammock. I was a little sad that I would not be taking it with me on the trail.

Day 2, August 21, 2009. Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow.

Our little spartan camp began to stir around 6:00 am. I learned as we began breaking the camp down that my partners had been kept awake through the night by a couple of kids at a campsite above us. It was Eric's perception that they had waited until midnight to begin drinking and then proceeded to be drunk and noisy the majority of the night. Personally I heard nothing and slept soundly in my hammock.

By 7:00am we had broken camp and were loaded in the cars and making our way to Crescent Meadow. Our spirits were high. I was eager to get on the trail that I had been thinking about for a little less than a year. In 2008 I had done part of this trail and had been looking forward to completing the entire thing ever since.

After a short drive to Crescent Meadow we parked the cars and began a finaly gear check to ensure that we had everything that we would need for our journey. While we were getting ready I was approached by a family from Southern California who inquired as to where we were going. They were in the park to pick up their daughter who had been working in the visitors center for the summer.

We started on the trail shortly before 8:00am and began a swift trek through the trees. Not far into the trail is Eagles View. It was interesting seeing Kelly and Brents reaction. The Eagles view I think gives the first taste of what we will be seeing throughout the rest of the journey. At that point reality began to set in and we were happily rolling down the trail.

The first few miles flew by, the trail rising to meet our feet, optimism and excitement were overflowing. We were passed by two trailrunners who came and went so fast I wasn't entirely sure if they were real. Throughout the day we passed and were passed by two women throughout the day. We took a moment to talk to one of them. She said that she had done the trail before with her husband but he was now disabled. She said that this trip to the High Sierra Camp at Bearpaw was to prove something to herself. I almost got the impression that she was facing something scary down the road and that she needed to prove to herself that she could do something by herself. There was something sad about it and at the same time there was something inspiring. I've often thought that if there were something to happen to my family I would want to cope with it by walking. I would want to escape the world and walk. I would like to make my way across the US either from West to East or South to North.

We made good progress and by the time we reached Mehrton creek I was ready for a break. We stopped and took our boots off and refilled on water. Mehrton creek was a busy place. We meet up witht Jewish family that we had passed earlier. There was a father and his daughter and he was escorting his parents to Bearpaw. He talked to us as he had completed the HST in past years. He said that the hardest thing we would ever do was the Kaiser Pass which we would be going through two days from now. There were groups coming down the trail and returning to the trail head. When the traffic had died down we made our way down the trail. Our next stopping point was Nine Mile Creek where we would relax under the bridge before our final push to Bearpaw.

We pushed on and I found that my strength was beginning to fell. I was falling behind and as we got closer to Nine Mile Creek I felt myself failing. My lack of dedication in conditioning and preparing myself for the journey was being felt in every muscle of my body. I told Brent that if I had a similar experience the next day I would turn around and go home.

It was a relief to see nine mile creek with Eric, Skot and Kelly already relaxing at the creek under the bridge and I was eager to join them. We spent an hour or more at the bridge resting and preparing for the final upward climb to our resting place for the day. While we relaxed a mule team came down the trail and watered at the creek having just resupplied the high sierra camp we would not be staying at.

It was with some reluctance that I put my pack and boots back on and we began our final leg of our journey to Bearpaw Meadow. As we made our assent the clouds became darker and thunder could be heard in the distance. Eric pushed well ahead of the rest of us and while Brent, Kelly and Skot began taking breaks the thought of hiking through the rain spurred me to maintain a slow but steady pace and not rest. I made the cutoff to the Bearpaw campground and met Eric along the way. He had set camp already and was coming back to check on the group. My partners weren't far behind me and we soon had camp set for the night. I went to get water and struggled to return to the campsite just as the wind and thunder began to pick up. I was utterly drained and I turned in for the night before 7:00 pm.

Day 3, August 22, 2009. Bearpaw Meadow to Hamilton Lake.

The night did not turn out as stormy as it appeared it would be the previous day. I woke early and feeling much better about myself than I had when I went to sleep the night before. The only downside about facing the new day for me was that the the immediate beginning of the trail from our campsite was steep and not what I wanted to do. We did it anyway and I felt good about the day ahead of us. We stopped briefly at the Bearpaw high sierra camp and saw the woman we had passed the previous day. We chatted briefly and then continued down the trail. I was relieved that the pain and doubt I had felt the previous day had dissipated and I knew that the remainder of the trip, while difficult, would be good.

We had done this same stretch of trail and year before and knew that it would be a frustrating trail as it climbs up and down. We crossed the bridge at Lone Pine creek and looked up to what Eric, Skot and I had named the Victory Tree. At a high point of what looks like an unclimbable granite face is a lone tree sticking out against the horizon. This was our goal from the bridge crossing and we climbed until we hit the tree. Skot and Eric raced ahead, I fell to the middle position and Kelly and Brent brought up the rear. While resting here we once again met the woman from the previous day. It was humorous talking to her this time because the spectacular vistas were scaring the hell out of her. She was resolutely facing the mountain and did not wish to see the cliff faces and vistas that we as a group were enjoying so much.

After a much needed rest we pressed on with the goal of Hamilton falls where we would be taking our lunch. When we got to the falls there was a group of hikers that had passed us and were staying at the Bearpaw camp. We had lunch and enjoyed the view. The clouds above us were starting to thicken and we decided to cut our lunch break short and do the final climb from the falls to Hamilton lake.

We arrived in early afternoon and looked at a sign describing where the campsites, pit toilets and bearboxes were for the lake. We took a site right of the main trail. There was still sun as we set up our tents and prepared for an afternoon of leasure. I took a quick swim in the lake to take the dark brown trail dust off my my body. I suppose that is one of the hazards of taking a highly traveled trail.

As we sat around the lake enjoying the beauty of the scenery around us we noticed what looked like trash floating in the lake. Upon further inspection of the sign we had read previously we learned that there was a group of students staying there and studying the nutrients of the lake to evaluate the feasability of it supporting fish.

It started raining late in the afternoon and we stayed outside as long as we could. Skot and Eric had a cup of coffee at the granite 'table' that was in our campsite. We stayed out as long as we could tolerate and when it became evident that the clouds would not relent and the rains would continue to fall we turned in.

It is only the second true day of our journey and I'm amazed at how much I miss my family. I brought my cell phone with me in hopes that I would get a signal at high elevation but to this point have had no luck. While this is not the first time I have been away from my wife and children, it is the first time I have not been able to have any contact with them whatsoever. The night before we left I tucked Grace in to bed and she went through a very long and detailed list of all the different kinds of animals that I should watch out for. That little voice warning me to watch out for dinosaurs would have been a welcome distracting from the sound of rain dancing on my tent.

Day 4, August 23, 2009. Hamilton Lake to Big Arroyo

We broke camp and were on the trail from Hamilton Lake to Big Arroyo by 9:00 am. We had spent some of our afternoon the previous staring up towards the pass trying to ascertain where and how we would find our way out of this granite bowl that was the home of Hamilton Lake. The trail was steep and I think that I had found my pace. I began pushing hard and when we took our first break Eric commented that it seemed that I had overcome the struggles of the past few days. I wish that I could keep the pace that I had been pushing but I knew that I could not. Eric moved ahead of me as we climbed out of the bowl. It was soon that we were looking down on Hamilton Lake and seeing it in it's entirety. The climb is steep but the views it offers are absolutely stunning. At one point you could see all the way to the smog and dust filled San Joaquin Valley. These would be the last views we would have of the valley as we pushed onward and upward to Kaiser Pass and the Big Arroyo Valley.

Eric had pulled ahead of me and I spent the majority of the climb alone. It was peaceful and enjoyable. As I skirted a scree field and made my way towards precipice lake and young woman in here twenties traveling alone came down the trail towards me. She looked as though she had woken in a hotel room and was freshly showered and making her way to the breakfast bar. We exchanged a good morning and I was later to learn from some other hikers that she had hiked the high sierra trail solo and went from Crescent Meadow to Mt Whitney and back in SEVEN DAYS. Insane as we were attempting a one way trip in nine days.

I met with Eric again at the lake just below Precipice lake. The clouds were rolling just over our heads and the sun was making infrequent appearances. While hiking my body was warm and sweaty. As soon as I stopped to rest with my friend the breeze hit me and I soon found myself shivering. I was about twenty minutes behind Eric and then Skot, Brent and Kelley arrived twenty minutes behind me. We rested and ate and then pushed on again. Eric took off like a rocket and I was behind. I met up with him again at the greatest dissapointment of our entire trip.

Precipice lake is said by many to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the entire Sierras. Should doubt please follow this link (http://www.flickr.com/photos/paigefalk/1403585447/). Our view was somewhat obscured. What I know of Precipice Lake is a few rocks, some five to ten feet of water and clouds that reminded me of our dreaded fog. Heartbreak is the only way I can describe my emotions at this moment. All that climbing and fighting and pushing to be rewarded with this sad vision. Eric and I shrugged our shoulders and pushed on. We still had the pass to clear and the Arroyo valley to descend through.

We proceeded up past Precipice Lake and began to make our way through the pass. Even with the cloud cover the high alpine meadows we passed through were beautiful. We continued up and up and thought we had reached the pass a few times only to find that we had farther to go. Finally we caught a glimpse of blue sky and Mt Stewart. Eric let out a yell and slapped my backpack around. Our pass quickened and we pushed forward. We were excited to see the light and blue sky and our pace quickened. Overcoming the gap and looking down the Big Arroyo valley was a high point for me. It was finally real to me at this point. To our left was the way to Nine Lakes Basin, ahead of us the Kaweah Range and to our right the Arroyo valley extended away from us. After our upward climb for the last few days it was relieving to see the downward slope. Eric and I found a place to rest out of the wind while we waited for Skot, Brent and Kelly. they arrived and we shared a moment of accomplishment before pressing on to where we would be camping for the night.

We pressed on down into the valley, Skot Eric and Kelly pressed ahead with Brent and I bringing up the rear. I was wearing down a bit and was relieved to be going downhill and at a slower pace. I could tell Brent was struggling. He had twisted his ankle slightly and it was causing him some difficulty. We kept a mellow pace down the valley until we hit the Big Arroyo crossing. I had pulled ahead of Brent at this point and made my way across the river to where the rest of our group was resting.

I found a good place to rest and removed my pack and got out my water filter. As I pumped water I noticed that it was getting more and more difficult to pump water. I couldn't believe it. My new replacement cartridge was clogged after three days. Fortunately I had brought my Steripen and my partners where kind enough to share their equipment.

We rested by the edge of the river. As we did so I noticed a man emerging from the trees farther down the trail from where we had stopped. He was a little over 6 feet tall and was wearing grey pants with red suspenders, a dirty white BYU T-shirt (go cougars) and an Elmer Fudd hat with the ear flaps down. He walked up to me and smiled.

"How ya' doing eh?" he said. If this were a phone conversation I would swear that I was talking to either Bob or Doug MacKenzie.

"Good," I replied, slightly weary.

"Where ya' guys comin' from?"

"Hamilton Lake and Kaiser Pass"

"Oh ya thats nice. I'm on the trail crew up at nine lakes."

"Cool"

"Where ya stayin' tonight"

"Big Arroyo"

"Oh ya?"

"Yep"

"Ya know the mules are down at the river. Good times. Been hangin' out with 'em."

"Cool"

"Oh ya' they're great. Just hangin' out ya know. They got great personalities ya know."

"Yeah."

"You guys should go down and hang out with 'em. They're great."

At this point the wilderness man trailed off in his mumblings and walked away from the river and back up the trail. For the record, when first he suggested that I hang out with the mules I believed that he meant that we should hang out with the people running the mule team what this stranger meant was that he was hanging out with the actual mules. It was at this point that I decided that if ever I would spend a long period of time in the backcountry I should make sure that I'm not doing it alone.

Having been slightly disturbed by the man from the woods we decided to push on and make it to camp. Brent and Kelly stayed behind for a little longer rest. We covered the short walk quickly and made it to camp. As we entered the campsites and found the bear box we also found the mountain mans friends firmly planted in our campsite. The were tame and friendly and very curious about what we were doing as set up camp.

It was nice to set up camp and not have to worry about it raining. The sky was a little cloudy but there was enough blue showing through to make us comfortable and little hopeful that we might see a few stars that night. The bitterness of the cloud encased Precipice Lake still sat in my mouth but the beauty of our camp, it's proximity to the water and the excitement of not getting rained on was pushing that feeling away.