High Sierra Trail, part 5

In this installment of my adventure along the High Sierra Trail, I pick up where we left off at our campsite by Wallace Creek on the fourth evening. This episode focuses on our fifth day, where we make our way to Guitar Lake.

The fifth day greeted us with a chilly morning, and my fellow hikers and I were keen to hit the trail in search of warmth. This brief section, just a few miles long, was the sole segment of the High Sierra Trail that coincides with both the John Muir Trail (JMT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Even at this early hour, we encountered numerous hikers navigating either trail, primarily the PCT. True to form, they were all amicable, but given our respective directions, our chats were rather short-lived.

On a side note, I must commend the excellent trail signage on the High Sierra Trail. I remember every intersection was clearly marked with indicators, similar to the example shown. Reliable signage is something hikers often take for granted, but it is crucial.

After several miles on the PCT, we prepared to depart and set off towards Guitar Lake. Despite leaving the trail, we continued to meet plenty of PCT hikers, many of whom were camping near the Crabtree Wilderness Ranger as part of their excursion to summit Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States.

This path offered stunning views as we walked past beautiful alpine lakes, such as the one depicted above, which I believe is Timberline Lake. At this juncture, the trees began to grow shorter and more spaced out, indicating that we were about to ascend above the tree line once again on this trip.

We pressed on upward beyond the tree line until we reached our goal for day five, Guitar Lake. The above photo shows our campsite situated along the narrow stretch of land resembling a guitar neck.

I need to emphasize that camping on the grass so close to the lake was a mistake. Our only justification was the cold and windy conditions we faced upon arrival, which led us to believe we needed a solid ground to secure our tents. Looking back, I realize that excuse was inadequate; we could have used rocks to anchor our tents.

As night fell, two park rangers approached us and pointed out our rule violation. They were completely justified in doing so. We accepted the consequences and I still feel regret about it. While the rangers could have issued us a fine, the leader chose instead to give us a serious warning.

We were instructed to smooth out the grass before departing and to apologize to it, which I certainly did. Moreover, I left behind the note you see in the image above.

Overall, the fifth day turned out to be the most relaxed of the six. Both our distance and elevation increase were below average, allowing us ample time at Guitar Lake to indulge in strolling, solving puzzles, and playing card games.

That night, I struggled to get to sleep and spent the hours gazing at the breathtaking, star-filled sky. Around 2 AM, a stunning full moon emerged above the mountain ridge. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, the moonlight spilling over the peaks was incredible, reminiscent of the sun emerging from behind the moon during the latter stages of a total solar eclipse.

In the next segment, we will conclude the six-part series about the High Sierra Trail as we venture through our final day on the trail.

Written by: Michael Shackleford