High Sierra Trail: Day 5

7/14/2021

Junction Meadow - Wallace Creek - Crabtree Meadow

Miles hiked: 8.8 miles

Elevation gained: 1,539 ft (8,068 - 10,400 - 10,987 - 10,646)

Animals seen: leinie geckos, fatass marmots

Worst night sleep on trail to date. Racking coughing fits all night long. When I was finally able to sleep in the wee early morning hours, the guys let me sleep in. Jake said he had very lucid dreams that would be interrupted by my coughing fits that would resume once he fell back asleep. I had no voice again this morning and had a breakfast of champions (tea, instant coffee, raspberry vanilla oatmeal, carnation instant brek mix, alka seltzer and throat drops).

The guys had figured we would hike the long 4 mile, 2,000ft elevation gain climb to Wallace Creek where we would have a long break for lunch and laundry. After it should be a reasonably flat, maybe even a little down additional 4 miles to Crabtree Meadow to camp tonight. To show how patient the guys were with me and my sickliness, they let me sleep till almost 10 am. Most people begin this very exposed, hot climb in the very early morning. We were the last to leave camp and had plenty of people come through while I was still asleep.

Leaving Junction Meadow, good riddance valley of horrors.

I dragged the first quarter to half mile of the slog. I was attempting to carry a full Yoda, but I still had a difficult time catching my breath and struggling with coughing fits. The guys waited for me to catch up and Jake took my bear can again, despite my pride putting up a good fight. Yes, my ego was thoroughly bruised and I was grumbling as we continued.

Target took lead and bounded up the ridgeline climb with plans to meet us at Wallace Creek. Jake hiked behind me while I continued at my turtle pace with a noticeably lighter Yoda on back. Despite the breathing and coughing difficulty, the climb was surprisingly enjoyable. The views were incredible and I didn’t despise hiking as I had yesterday. My mood had improved and I was cautiously hopeful that my health was slowly improving.

I still look at that valley with contempt, it was a very bad experience. Hiking, especially long-distance hiking (and we aren’t even doing the very long ones) does funny things to someone. You daydream about food, sleeping in a bed, and taking a shower. You stop noticing your stink after day 2. You belch and fart without looking around to see if someone might notice, since there isn’t anyone there to notice. You live with never-ending dirt; on your feet, under your nails, likely in your food. You wonder in fascination what it would be like to really wash your hands again. You become irrationally angry/jealous about weird things. Case in point, climbing this slog, I saw shade on the mountainside of the opposite side of the valley and became very jealous. Completely mad.

During the slog to Wallace Creek we ran into a guy taking a lunch break (also doing the HST) but didn’t catch his name, as well as, Charlotte enjoying a shade break. Target was having a water filter break at a small waterfall and we stopped to mule up and fuel up (I stared at the starkist tuna creation - lemon dill while snacking on trail mix-brekkie flavor, I gave the spam to Jake, and threw the electrolyte mix back in the pack since I didn’t trust it after it burned my throat yesterday).

Charlotte caught up and stopped to mule and fuel up as well. Target left a short while later to get to Wallace Creek. I packed up and heaved Yoda on my back and started on since I was slow and it would take Jake no time to catch up since his nordic bloodline is apparently unaffected by climbs and altitude. He did catch up very quickly and continued on during one of my frequent catching-my-damn-breath breaks. The ridgeline became a narrow valley between two mountains with glorious, glorious tree cover.

After a mile, I arrived at Wallace Creek. Derek was there and set up, his plan was to camp there and get to Guitar Lake tomorrow. There were two additional tents set up farther back but no one emerged from either. The HST officially joins the JMT (John Muir Trail) and the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail - think the movie/book Wild) at this point. Both the HST and JMT officially end at the summit of Mt. Whitney while the PCT side skirts her but most hikers will do the spur trail to summit. We didn’t know how much more traffic to expect since nobo (north bound) PCTer’s should be well past the Sierras by now or risk heavy snow in Washington. Sobo (south bound) JMTer’s usually start in July and most people take 3 weeks to complete so it would be a little early for them to reach the end. Side note, I highly recommend the documentary Mile...Mile and a half. It’s about the JMT and does an amazing job showing how one can get the long-distance hiking bug.

Traffic did pick up, we met a guy who did a brief stop at Wallace Creek that was completing the JMT (sobo) in just 10 days. Brian was also at Wallace Creek for a break and Charlotte caught up with us again. We met an additional HSTer, whose trail name was Ansel Adams for the large camera he was taking with. (Ansel Adams was a famous photographer who took a very popular picture of Precipice Lake). A husband/wife duo came from the JMT and hiked through as well. So we definitely had more trail traffic. It was very strange feeling after having spent the last four days with the same 3ish people and no one else.

We lunched (trail mix, fig bar), laundered our clothes (rinsed off in creek water) and rested a bit. It was getting rather crowded so the three of us decided to pack up and continue on to Crabtree Meadow. I was super happy to notice that my health was steadily improving throughout the day and took my bear can back from Jake. And off we were.

And we were rewarded with a steep, switchback climb. WTF?! Honestly, these maps are trash. Jake and Brian were ready to toss them off the side of the mountain we were now climbing.

Finally, the climb leveled out and Target continued on ahead while I caught my breath and Jake stayed with me. We met four nobo JMTer’s while resting and Jake talked photography with them. I didn’t understand a single word. The now relatively flat trail was nice for cruising and cruise we did. We rounded the side of the mountain and were greeted with the view of three enormous, rock and talus sided titan-sized mountains. I don’t know which (still don’t) which of those three was Whitney. But all three of them were huge, and very intimidating to behold.

Target was feeling the altitude again and taking it slower. We arrived at the spur to Crabtree Meadow which turned out to be a steep down. We didn’t go all the way down to the meadow where the bear locker and rumor of a backcountry toilet were since we would have to hike back up tomorrow morning and camped on flat ledge halfway down. It was so busy! Overnight hikers from Cottonwood and Mineral King trailhead, nobo JMTers, PCT section hikers, it was overwhelming to be around so many people. Naturally Toolshed was already there, talking about his perfect tent site, bro hair, and how marmots will destroy your pack if left on the ground.

Brian and Charlotte arrived shortly after us and camped across the trail from us. We saw the fattest marmots on the planet on a rock next to our tents, showing absolutely no fear from us. Upon further inspection, we saw mounds of marmot poop. I’m talking feet deep trenches of marmot poop, a mere yard or two from our tents. Hantavirus anyone?

We kept our bear cans close and closed while enjoying happy hour cocktails (spike hotty toddy for me, Jake made his own whiskey homebrew concoction). We had dinner (Tomato Chicken Florentine and shortbread cookies). I had another alka seltzer followed by the strangest attack of nausea and upchucking of not dinner but lung mucous (delightful, I know). I decided to risk it and kept my pack out and vulnerable to marmot assault while Jake slept with his at his feet. Our plan for tomorrow was to not set an alarm and just wake up when we do. Take our time in the morning and ease into the short hike to Guitar Lake tomorrow.

See all High Sierra Trail posts

The Places

HST: Day After

Our heroes are re-entering civilization and contemplating the journey they just completed. They ponder life, cleanliness, and what the future holds…

HST: Day 8

Our band of heroes make their way back to civilization and celebratory feasting.

HST: Day 7

Our heroes continue on their perilous journey to the summit of Mt. Whitney. Do they make it? Do they succumb to the harrowing altitude or wave of zombiesque day hikers?