This is part 3 of the “Why We Hike” Series
After our less than proud retreat on the High Sierra Trail hike 2 weeks prior, we had high hopes for this 3 day trip. The plan was to arrive mid-afternoon and hike from the Wolverton trail head, crossing over the ridge at Panther Gap to join up to the HST. We would camp night 1 at Nine Mile Creek then ascend to Franklin Lakes the next day, camping at Bearpaw Meadow on the way back down. The last day would be a return to the trail head. The day started out perfect for hiking, cool and clear with a lot of deer all along the trail as we wound our way through the wetlands below Alta Peak.
Then surrealistically we just stepped right into a thick fog bank. Now we saw even more deer along the trail and they allowed us to pass much closer.
Crossing over the ridge was very eerie; not being able to see down the mountain gave it a sense of endlessness. This effect was even more evident as we joined up to the HST, the drop off to the right side was a bottomless pit.
The fog thinned as we progressed but did not clear; we made camp at Nine Mile Creek.
During the evening, 2 girls hiked by our camp using their headlamps in the dark. They were making for Bearpaw Meadow and asked if Nine Mile Creek was really at the nine mile marker…I related that it was highly unlikely. The next morning was, well, amazing. Crisp, cool, clear air and vibrantly colored for 40 miles. We were wowed by the beauty of the trail as we hiked on.
We met our nocturnal hikers headed back down the trail as we climbed out of Buck Creek’s canyon. They explain that they didn’t make Bearpaw Meadow but just camped off trail somewhere just ahead of us. We got them to shoot a picture of Kelly and I.
The Bearpaw High Sierra Resort was of course closed for the season so we made ourselves right at home. A fine lunch of energy bars was served. While eating, we enjoyed the much touted “million dollar view”.
We followed along the gorge of the Middle Fork Kaweah River, dropping down to Lone Pine Creek where a new bridge over the creek that makes for a great rest stop.
Kelly’s feet were bothering her and instead of making this into something that wasn’t fun we decided to turn back at the bridge and head back to Nine Mile Creek for the night. The hike back was uneventful- except for how much Kelly’s feet hurt. After we got to Nine Mile Creek she spent some time soaking her feet in the frosty water of the stream. The next day we made the wonderful hike out, seeing the beautiful views for the first time without the fog shroud covering it.
Finally, the hiking trip I was hoping to share with Kelly! The payoff was great and we were excited to plan more some more hikes.
Continued here: The Sierras Send Us Home For The Winter