We were much warmer last night than we expected, but we still didn’t sleep very well since the tent was flapping in the wind all night long. We slept in a little before packing up and heading for Crabtree Meadows. The day started with a short but steep climb that we took very slowly. We rounded one of the ridges above the lake and could see the entire bowl down below us.
From there we started a long, mostly level section across open slopes dotted with pines and enormous granite boulders. We walked alternately on sand – which was tough – and pine duff. Around us rose tall, rocky ridges and every so often we passed green meadows. One of these meadows was our lunch destination 10 miles out at Rock Creek. Along the way we crossed the border into Sequoia National Park. This marks the start of a stretch where bear canisters are required – hanging food from a tree isn’t protection enough. The park also provides bearproof boxes at popular backcountry sites but they aren’t common enough for thruhikers to rely on alone.
As we entered the Rock Creek site I saw some animal running through the woods away from us. I think it was a pine marten – weasel-like and reddish, but too large to be just a weasel. I know it wasn’t a fox or a coyote. I’ll have to ask the ranger if they have them in this area. This was a really nice lunch spot. We put our backs against a tree and listened to the creek while we ate. Afterwards we were so beat that we took a short nap. The altitude is still tough on us and we’re constantly tired. After filtering some water and doing our laundry we set off for another 6 miles to the Crabtree ranger station.
The first order of business was crossing Guyot Creek. This was a larger stream of water than we’re used to seeing and it required some careful rock-hopping to get across dry. Apparently I wasn’t careful enough because I slipped at the far end and plunged into water up to my shins. For a second I though I was going all the way in but I managed to recover ungracefully. It’s good practice for down the road when we’ll have to ford even larger creeks – there’s no getting around wet feet in the Sierra.
From there we climbed up and over a steep saddle near Mt. Guyot and hiked a few miles more to Lower Crabtree Meadow. It was an idyllic scene – a huge open expanse of green, backed by towering pale cliffs. A herd of deer was grazing in the dusk, unconcerned about us. We crossed Whitney Creek without me going in this time and then left the PCT to start up the final mile to the upper meadow and the campsites there. We had thought about going further up the trail to set ourselves up for a shorter climb, but we were tired all day and had made poor time. It might work out in our favor since we plan to dump most of our gear at the bear box in the meadow and hike up with minimal weight. It’ll be an early morning – we’ll probably be up before the sun.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:Pct mile 766