John Muir Trail Day 2 Pt 2: Gentle Hiking, Baby Wildfires and THE Mount Whitney Question

My chest heaved as I stood at the top of New Army Pass. I looked out over the valley below, trying to breathe, and thought about our campsite we’d just packed up that same morning. It was reduced to a speck in the vast landscape; that’s how far and high we’d already hiked. I glowed with a sheen of sweat mixed with trail dirt, the beginning of my hiker trash makeover. I was thrilled into smiling at the thought.

(Want to see the people, places and all-around mayhem mentioned in this post? Here’s the Instagram Reel I might regret posting…)

My breathing finally evened out and I turned towards the hike ahead and my husband waiting for me by a sign. I hurried over to see that it marked the top of New Army Pass and the dividing line between Inyo National Forest and Sequoia National Park. 

Celebrating the Small Wins

We celebrated with a high five and excitedly took our first steps from one park to another and the real progress we’d made so far. We are doing this damn thing, I thought, giddiness making me whoop loudly, accidentally sending marmots scrambling to signal a crazy lady was coming their way.

A Changing Landscape 

Gentle switchbacks led from the top of the pass, down the high alpine, rock-strewn slope and past glimpses of pikas rushing to gather bouquets for their winter stores. We hiked at a fast pace, motivated to get out of the cold wind whipping at our faces and into the sheltered lower elevation of the forested valley below. We passed a few hikers and I was happy to see a group of women pass us on the way up.

As our descent leveled off, the trail moved away from a landscape layered with crumbling geologic history into sparse evergreens lining our way. We stopped quickly to filter water from a crystal clear stream, marveling at how clean it looked. We filtered, nonetheless, taking no chances at the possibility of acquiring a hike-ending, water-borne illness. We moved on, agreeing to get a few more miles in before stopping for lunch.

Lunch with a View and a Loss of Appetite

New Army Pass Trail hit a dead end at Upper Rock Creek Trail and we turned west to follow the new trail as it wound under the much appreciated shade of towering trees all around us. Upper Rock Creek Trail led us to a shallow water crossing and a beautiful place to stop for lunch. We both climbed on top of a nearby boulder, large enough for our snack spread and subsequent feast. 

My appetite had dropped off predictably since we’d started our thru-hike and I picked through the choices, wanting none of it. I intended to successfully complete the John Muir Trail and reminded myself that I needed the fuel to do so. I choked down some jerky, a bar and drained my bottle of water. The Sierra Nevada climate coupled with continuous movement all day meant dehydration would be a real threat. I added an electrolyte tab to my water bottle as we packed up lunch and moved out.

A Baby Wildfire is Born

Our goal was to camp at the Rock Creek Campgrounds, reaching it by way of a gently rolling path that led us past bottomland lakes and green grasslands. We hiked on as the terrain opened up, giving us a generous view of the sky and forest we would be walking into. I glanced towards the sky skimming the treetops and saw a plume of smoke so faint that I actually doubted what I was seeing. There it was, though, drifting above the nearing treeline. 

Together, my husband Cliff and I watched the smoke subtly thicken as we followed the trail. We hiked into the forest and picked up on the scent of smoke, hazing faintly in the air. Maybe it was just a large campfire, we thought, since they were legal at lower elevations (at that time) in Sequoia National Park. I made a mental note that the river was located parallel to the trail, planning ahead of time should the situation become catastrophic. 

We both fell silent as we walked, constantly scanning the landscape, ever alert for sounds of wildfire and any sign that would lead us to the source of smoke. As the trail entered the campgrounds, we hiked past empty campsites but the last hints of smoke seemed to just…disappear. We hesitantly attributed the smoke to a large campfire as we neared the trail intersecting the river and the end of our hike. We watched a few other hikers set up camp and noted that no one seemed alarmed or even concerned. 

We chose a campsite and dropped our backpacks, staggering as our bodies comically struggled to rebalance with the sudden loss of 30-ish lbs of weight. Ambling towards the river, I decided cold soaking my feet sounded like a perfect plan and set about finding a rock to sit upon. 

I stripped off my shoes and socks and plunged them in the almost unbearably cold water, looking up to see a Park Ranger approach the other side of the river. He stopped to talk into a handheld radio. I dried my feet fast and stuck them in my dirty shoes, hustled up the bank of the river to our camp.

Cliff was making an appetizer of instant mashed potatoes with bacon bits and gravy, and I almost forgot to tell him the Park Ranger was incoming because… food.

We watched as the Ranger crossed the river , stepped onto the river bank on our side and approached us, calling out a greeting as he neared. We said hello and asked if he was investigating a possible fire in the area. He confirmed he was and inquired if we had used our Garmin InReach to report the fire. Eyebrows raised, we told him we were not the reportees and did not know a Garmin InReach had that capability since we didn’t own one. Kinda brilliant that they did that, I thought. The Ranger moved on to check the status of the fire which had reportedly been put out and left us to eat our mash potatoes in peaceful bliss.

We were just scraping the bottom of the bowl from dinner when the Ranger returned to cross the river. He stopped at our camp to update us that someone had failed to completely extinguish their campfire and it had reignited. The fire easily spread to cover the immediate area since it was built on the ground, as opposed to the numerous fire rings available for use throughout the campgrounds.  

The reporting party, having seen the smoke, sought out the source and found a newborn wildfire in the making. They ran back to their own camp, grabbed their bear can and dumped the contents onto the ground. Sprinting toward the river, they filled it with water and rushed back to dump it on the fire. Back and forth they ran, until the fire was finally out.

THE Mount Whitney Question 

Before leaving, the Ranger asked us where we were headed next. We mentioned our goal of camping at Crabtree Meadows the next night. Known as the basecamp for those aiming to summit Mount Whitney, the Ranger asked if we would be doing the same.

Instead of answering with a resounding NO, we asked questions about permits to Whitney Portal. We had the time and were hoping to come back to Lone Pine, California at the end of our hike to summit Mount Whitney as opposed to tackling the tallest peak in the lower 48 states on our fourth day on the trail. The Ranger shook his head apologetically. Chances were hopelessly low, he said, at nabbing Whitney Portal permits. The Ranger mentioned something though that had us paying close attention: we had a distinct advantage by summiting from this side of Mount Whitney instead.

I zoned out on the conversation between the Ranger and my husband, as I recalled all the hardcore details about the Whitney Portal hike to the top. I zoned back into the conversation in time to hear these words: “You’ve been knocking out the mileage and elevation gain, in a slow and steady way, since you left Cottonwood Lakes. By the time you get to Crabtree Meadows, you only have 9.6 miles left with 3,772 feet of elevation gain. If you snag a campsite at Guitar Lake, you’re even closer to the summit with around 5-ish miles left and 3,094 feet of elevation gain left…”

Wait. What?

Since our original plan did not include a Mount Whitney summit attempt, I had no real knowledge about the trail other than what I had heard in passing about the Whitney Portal route. I exchanged a look with my husband and then turned to the Ranger, thanking him for generously sharing his time and knowledge with us.  

We watched him cross the river before my husband turned to me and said, “So…Mount Whitney…?”

We had an extended conversation about all aspects of the trail leading up to the top until there was nothing left to discuss. Cliff looked at me and I looked back at him.

Holy shit. We were going to summit Mount Whitney.

 

Stats for us hiker nerds

Day 2 (Part 2) – August 18, 2024

Cottonwood Lake #1 to Rock Creek Campgrounds

Mountain Pass/Summit: New Army Pass elevation 12,400’ (according to the U.S. Forest Service)

Elevation Gain: 1,355’ (from Cottonwood Lake #1 to New Army Pass)

Mileage: 11.0

Want to see all the people, places and all-around mayhem mentioned in this post?  Head on over to my TikTok account at @a.wanderfull.life    

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