High Sierra Trail?

imported
#1

Looks like I might be stepping out into the unknown again. I have a spot with a group that has a permit to hike the High Sierra Trail in August. Since some of us are slow hikers we are planning to take ten days to do it ending with Mt Whitney. My question is has anyone posted a journal on this trail? Don’t see it on the list of trails so I wonder how popular (crowded?) it is.
Any tips or info would help.

Ed McGrath

#2

There are some journals on Trailjournals for the High Sierra. They show up in a google search so I know they exist as I followed some links here.

10 days though… That seems really really slow for this trail. You are in the Sierra so you will see traffic and its a major trail. It isn’t the JMT, but it is defintely used. You will see the most people at the beginning near the trail head and once you join the JMT towards the end.

Miner

#3

If you have a few extra days:

  1. After cresting Kaweah Gap, turn left into Nine Laakes Basin
  2. When you get to the Big Arriyo turnoff, hang a right and go to Little Five Lakes
  3. Instead of going east at the intersection up Wallace Creek, continue north up the Kern. Milestone Basin; Upper Kern; Lake South America and a zillion other attractions. Join the PCT at Tyndall Creek across the Bighorn Plateau to Wallace Cr, Crabtree and Whitney.

Booger

#4

I hiked the trail last year and posted a journal. Look under 2009 High Sierra trail, it’s there. The trail is perfectly marked so you shouldn’t have any trouble. As far as crowds, there were probably eight people at Hamilton lake, I had lake Moraine to myself. At Junction Meadow it was me and about ten Boy Scouts and there were a bunch of people an Guitar lake going up to Whitney. But for as popular as this area is I was very happy with the amount of people in the area.

Mark Earnest

#5

Thanks all. Trying to lighten up the pack for this trip. Would a cat tarp work or should I stick to my Squall 2? Are bugs a problem? How about a sleeping bag? My Phantom 15 or the Marmot Atom? How cold does it get in August?

Ed McG

#6

Thinking of starting at Crescent Meadows on High Sierra Trail, hiking to Mt. Whitney, then hiking out on JMT to Touleme Meadows. Has anyone done this? I think it is possible to take a bus to Crescent Meadows from Amtrack then leave via bus from Toulme Meadows back to Amtrack.

Black Cat