Sequoia National Park

Our approximately ninety-mile trek starts from the Horseshoe Meadow Trailhead in the Golden Trout Wilderness Area of the Inyo National Forest.  The route goes west over and through the Sierras and ends at the Crescent Meadow Trailhead in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park.  The following is some of the play by play highlights of the journey.     

Day 1

The sun is warm and bright, and the air is brisk and cool on the morning of our departure.  We set out from the Horseshoe Meadows Trailhead and head for Cottonwood Pass and our destination for the day, Big Whitney Meadow. The trail begins as flat and sandy with the surrounding forest made up of different kinds of pine trees,  It stays flat for about two miles before switch- backing up to the pass.  The views from the pass are wonderful.  We can see Horseshoe Meadows and Owens valley to the east.  Shortly after leaving the pass Big Whitney Meadow comes into view.  There are also groves of many ancient Foxtail and Whitebark pines to add to the character of the landscape.  The trail descends steadily through more sandy pine forests to the magnificent Big Whitney Meadow.  There are spring fed brooks flowing through the meadow with the high treeless peaks of the Siberian Outpost making up the background scene.  We make camp on the west edge of the meadow.  The level camp comes with a fire pit and lots of firewood.  As the sun fades and the temperature plummets, we retire to our warm sleeping bags to view a lunar eclipse.  The moon is almost fully eclipsed as it appears on the eastern horizon.  We observe the entire, spectacular eclipse in this classic setting.

Day 2

We wake to dawns early light and ice chunks in our water containers.  It got very cold last night and we heard a group of coyotes howling near camp.  Today we hike to Little Whitney Meadow.  The trail moves up and out of the meadow and crosses pine forested highlands, then descends along spring fed creeks into Little Whitney Meadow.  There are many game and stock trails crisscrossing the trail and many stream crossings.  All of which make the trail difficult to follow.  Occasional blazes on trees help mark the way.  We arrive at the meadow about a half hour before dark.  As we were assessing a stream crossing in the meadow, a person appeared from the forest and said that she and her party saw us come into the meadow and asked us if we would care for some chicken pot pie and apple cobbler.  What luck!.  We head over to their camp and feast by the campfire.  They were volunteering to help pull the stock fence line in the wilderness area.  They came on horses and were in the meadow for the past week.  We exchanged stories about our travels and they shared stories and insights on the Sierra Nevada, which they know so well.  We retire to another cool, clear, moonlit night.

Day 3

We wake to the morning roundup as the group gathers their stock.  The air is cold as the sun makes it's way over the ridge.  Our generous friends feed us ham and pancakes for breakfast.  After packing and saying goodbyes, we head to the Lower Funston Meadow campsite on the Kern River in Kern Canyon.  The trail leaves the meadow and follows Golden Trout Creek via a rolling and rocky trail.  We pass through more sandy pine forests and come to a natural bridge that crosses the creek.   We pass Volcano Falls where Golden Trout Creek plunges into Kern Canyon.  Spectacular views open up as we descend the steep switchbacks into Kern Canyon.  On the canyon floor, the trail crosses a pleasant sandy area and heads south to a footbridge that crosses the Kern River.  We notice some large trout in the pools below as we cross the bridge.  We now head up the Kern Canyon Trail to the Lower Funston Meadow campsite.  There is a bear box, fire pit, firewood and many conveniently placed large blow-down trees for sitting on and organizing gear.  Mosquitoes reappear, but not in large swarms.  It is much milder down here on the canyon floor.  We eat and fall asleep by the campfire.

Day 4

We wake before the sun enters the canyon, have breakfast by the fire and get ready for the hike to Kern Hot Springs, where we plan to soak for the next two days.  The trail follows the river north on a gentle rolling route that crosses three major tributaries.  We stop to fish along the way and catch and release some beautiful Golden Trout.  There are many deer along the route and many lizards sun themselves on the warm rocks.  As the trail approaches the hot spring it crosses the Kern via another footbridge.  Shortly thereafter it reaches the campsites which have bear boxes, fire pits and level sleeping areas.  Soon after setting up camp, we take turns soaking in the "hot tub".  The "hot tub" gets it water from the Kern Hot Spring, which has a steady flow and a year round temperature of about 105 degrees.  The tub itself is a rustic cement holding tank that fits a tired adult hiker quite comfortably.  The water comes in from a pipe that runs from the hot spring and is controlled by removing a wooden cork from the pipe opening.  When you're through you just pull the plug and it drains into the Kern.  We each take two hot tubs today.  Very nice after hiking thirty-five miles in four days.  We eat by the campfire and retire to the  sounds of the Kern River.

Day 5

Today is our layover day.  We leisurely wake to a cool morning and take turns at the hot tub again.  We then set off to fish and explore the area.  The forested canyon floor is home to many wild animals.  We see many deer and catch many fish in the Kern.  The remainder of the day is spent resting up for the grueling hikes to come.  We take an evening hot tub, eat, and turn in as the sun leaves the canyon.

Day 6

As all good things come to an end, today is the day we leave Kern Hot Springs.  But, not until we take one more hot tub!  After packing, we backtrack down the trail to the Rattlesnake Creek Trail Junction and make camp on the banks of the Kern near the junction.  Dark clouds are building up as we reach camp.  We set up the rain shelter just in time as the rain starts.  It is warm and the rain is light.  We head out on a fishin' mission.  The plan is to hike downstream for a couple of hours and fish the many pools on the way back.  The wind picks up and thunder and lightning fill the canyon, but the rain remains light.  We catch enough fish for a meal and head back to camp.  Kevin caught a beautiful twenty-inch rainbow for the largest fish of the day.  We eat the tasty fish and call it a night.

Day 7

The weather cleared last night and we wake to another beautiful morning.  Today is a big hiking day.  we plan to hike about ten miles, all uphill.  The trail begins with well-graded switchbacks up and out of Kern Canyon.  It passes magnificent cascades as Rattlesnake Creek scenically finds its' way to the Kern.  The trail evens out a little and then switchbacks again up and over a large rock formation.  It then smoothes out again as it follows the creek.  There are spectacular canyon walls on either side.  The trail heads up again and finally flattens out at the Soda Creek Junction.  From here it is relatively easy one mile hike up to Forester Lake where we make camp for the night.  The lake is also full of brook trout from six to eight inches, which provide sport for the early evening hours.  We catch and release many fish.  Chickadees, Juncos and woodpeckers fill the forest and Belted Kingfishers patrol the shoreline feasting on the plentiful small trout.  It is starting to get cold early up here at 10,000+ feet.  We get extra warm gear out as prepare for bed.  It's going to be a cold night.

Day 8

We wake to ice in our water containers once again, as the sun's rays illuminate the eastern horizon.  We eat, pack and head out on route to the Big Five Lakes area.  The trail climbs steeply via switchbacks to one ridge and, after a short even section, climbs another set of switchbacks to a pass.  Incredible views of the surrounding mountains and the Little Claire Lake cirque open up.  The trail descends sharply to the shores of the beautiful Little Claire Lake.  The route continues along the lakeshore towards Soda Creek Canyon.  As we approach the switchbacks that descend into the canyon, views of the high peaks to the east, Kaweah Ridge and the canyon itself are awe-inspiring.  We descend into the canyon and follow the creek to the Lost Canyon trail junction, where we take a lunch break and relax in the sun.   According to the topographic map, the next two and a half miles are going to be very steep going up. The trail starts up immediately and steeply.  It gets even steeper and we are now on one of the steepest trails we have encountered thus far on the entire tour.  It continues like this for some time, it seems like an eternity.  Just when we think it can't get any worse, it does.  Mental and physical limits are strained as we tame this wild trail.  We finally reach the forested pass and start the steep, rocky descent into the Lower Big Five Lakes basin.  We cross the lake outlet and make camp at a site close to the common area bear box.  The lake is set in a beautiful alpine cirque with pine-forested shoreline.  Golden Trout fill the lake.  We sit and eat by the campfire after our exhausting day.  Sleep comes shortly thereafter.

Day 9

We rise before the sun and make breakfast.  Our destination today is Kaweah Peaks Ridge and the Big Arroyo valley as we descend towards the Big Arroyo Crossing.  We break at the trail junction and then start up the Big Arroyo on the High Sierra Trail.  The trail moves up through a sandy pine forest and breaks out into an open high mountain meadow surrounded by giant treeless peaks.  We encounter a coyote on the trail.  He wanders off in search of small rodents for dinner.  Kaweah Gap comes into view as we reach the well graded switchbacks leading to the pass.  Amazing views of the wild Nine Lakes Basin and Kaweah Peaks Ridge open up.  We make camp on a ledge at the top.  After taking photos and videos of the surrounding scenery, we eat and get ready for bed.  The night is clear, cool and breezy.  It could get could again.

Day 10

We rise early and watch the sun rise over the Kaweah Peaks Ridge.  We eat, pack and start out for Bearpaw Meadow, our next camp.  The scenery on the other side of the gap is amazing.  The sheer granite cliffs and clear mountain lakes with gorgeous waterfalls are a sight to behold.  The narrow, rocky trail was blasted into the cliff face and descends steeply towards the scenic Hamilton Lakes.  We break at the Hamilton Lakes campsite and do some fishing.  Steve catches and releases a beautiful native rainbow trout.  The trail leaves the open cliff face and follows a forested ridge to Bearpaw Meadow.  We arrive at Bearpaw Meadow only to find the area closed up for the season.  We hike to a campsite on Buck Creek in Buck Canyon one mile down the trail and call it home for the night.

Day 11

We wake early and eat the last of our food, macaroni and cheese, for breakfast.  We have about ten miles to hike today.  We are out of food, stove fuel and toilet paper.  The hike should be quick.  For the most part the trail is well graded and pleasant with many stunning views along the way.  We make it to the Crescent Meadow trailhead in about four hours.  We made it!  Ninety miles in eleven days.  We rejoice and then breakdown our packs and prepare for the road trip to the next destination.  This trip was the longest backpacking trip of the tour.  We carried all of our food and supplies and did not run out of anything.  It was a very smooth trek.  In the eleven days traveling in the back country, we met less than a dozen people.  we would like to thank Charlie, Veronica, Jeff, Ruth and Diane for the great Sierra backcountry hospitality.  We would also like to thank our friend Dave Hurwitz for providing us with a place to stay and his shuttle service from one side of the Sierras to the other.  It wouldn't have been possible without him.

So concludes the first installment of The Tribute to American Wilderness Tour.  It is our hope that we will once again be able to set aside time and money so we can do another continual six month installment.   Until that time, we will visit and document locations one at a time.  Enjoy this on- going tour and we'll . . . See You in the Outback!

Kevin and Steve