From PCT mile 762.9 to 767.5+ Total: 8.4 miles 7/4
On my 12th day on the PCT, I hiked from Guyot Creek to Guitar Lake, stopping for a break at Guyot Pass, plus some casual fly fishing for Golden Trout in Crabtree Creek and Timberline Lake along the way. All in all, a fun and easy day on the trail.
I started the day a bit late, lounging in my sleeping bag until first light. I congratulated myself on my bone-dry tent, and wondered how much condensation they were suffering with down below along Rock Creek. Then I cooked my usual oatmeal and wandered over to Guyot Creek for a couple more liters of water. I didn’t want to bother getting any more later on. I’m a fool that way, carrying excess heavy water when I could easily get more along the way. After that, I put on my backpack and headed north on the PCT toward the next point of importance: Guyot Pass. It was only five hundred feet higher than my campsite. An easy way to start the day.
Interestingly, Guyot Pass doesn’t even exist on the Pacific Crest Trail Far Out app! But it’s on the OSM Layer, so it’s real enough. It’s a bit like demoting Pluto from planet-status. Just because it isn’t very big doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Anyway, it didn’t have the greatest views I’ve ever seen from a Sierra Pass, but they were better than a lot of nondescript named passes I’ve crossed. I took a short break up there, and remembered the time, back in 2020, when Vicki took a nap up top after we climbed all the way up from Rock Creek. That was a fun trip.
After that, it was downhill all the way to Lower Crabtree Meadow, with the exception of an easy flat plateau just north of the pass. As the trail rounded the corner and descended into the valley formed by Whitney Creek, its namesake appeared in the distance to the east! You had to know it was Mount Whitney, to tell the truth. It didn’t look like much from the west. All those awesome spikes and cliffs were only shown to the east, given away for free to Owens Valley and the town of Lone Pine.
I reached the bottom of the talus slope of glacial moraine and went through the old wooden gate. The rule is to leave gates as you found them, and so I did. I doubted that there were horses nearby, but you never knew. And then I was down at the huge, flower-filled meadow stretching off to the east.
Once again, I consulted my homemade, prototype PCT Sierra Trout Guide and learned that Golden Trout were to be caught in Crabtree Creek. As well as the chain of lakes along Whitney Creek, all the way up to Guitar Lake. Well, it looked like I had to verify this list (that I sourced from the internet, so you never knew if it was true) by stopping for a fly-fishing break. I put down my backpack in the shade of a pine, then stepped out into the meadow with my Tenkara Rod. The water was so clear I could see the trout swimming, holding their positions, stationary in the current. There was also a flat dry boulder on the edge, perfect for standing on. I’ll bet a whole lot of fishermen have stood on that same spot. And, yes, it didn’t take long until I caught a small Golden, which I photographed and then released. Perhaps it would be a wiser fish in the future.
I didn’t stay too long, however. I still had another four miles and 1200 feet to climb in order to reach my campsite at Guitar Lake. So I headed over to the Whitney Creek trail crossing. Last time I was here the water was much lower, and I rock-hopped my way across. not this time. So I stopped yet again and put on my Teva Sandals, then crossed in the cold water. It felt good once I got used to it. Plus, my feet needed a rinse!
I left the PCT at that point, and continued east on the “Lower to Upper Crabtree Meadows Trail” which followed along next to Whitney Creek. It was a pretty hike, though uphill, with views off to the southeast over the big meadow. Eventually, I reached the side trail to the Backcountry Ranger Station. This is where PCT hikers camp. They are allowed to climb Mount Whitney on their permit, but not to camp east of here. That made the round trip to the summit much tougher, with a 4000 foot ascent and several extra miles. My permit, as it happened, was not a PCT Permit. It was an Inyo National Forest Permit. Which meant that I could camp up at Guitar Lake, or even on top of Whitney itself, if I so desired. I said hello to a few of the PCT folks, who were resting up either before or after their summit attempt, and then I hiked on. I could knock off at least a thousand feet that way.
By this time, the sun was baking down on me, but I still had to keep climbing. The higher I went, the lower the temperature would be, at least in theory, but it sure didn’t feel that way. I trudged on, taking photos whenever possible. You’re only seeing a couple of them here. It was quite pretty, and Whitney Creek was flowing noisily as I hiked. I met hikers coming down from the top, and they all agreed that it had been worth it. Many of the PCT’ers tended to leave camp at midnight, in order to arrive up there at dawn. This is a romantic notion, at best. Night hiking can be fun, but these are some of the finest views in the Sierra Nevada! Why would you purposely avoid seeing them? These folks are nuts, if you ask me.
After an hour or so of hiking, I came upon Timberline Lake, one of the jewels of the Sierra. Camping was prohibited near this lake, probably because everyone loved it too much in the past. Now it was good for photography. And trout fishing! Yes, I stopped and caught yet another small Golden Trout, and let it go.
I had one mile and about 500 feet to go, and it felt good to be nearing the end of my easy day at a decent hour. It was only mid-afternoon! As I climbed, Mount Whitney changed shape, not surprisingly. It no longer looked like anything in particular, or not much different from all the other surrounding granite behemoths. Of course, I couldn’t see the summit any longer, either. But that was to be expected. I’d be seeing that part of it up close and personal tomorrow!
I climbed up and over a ridge, and there was Guitar Lake, nestled in a broad bowl below me. The trail continued up above the lake, turning south toward the switchbacks up to Trail Crest. I saw quite a few tents set up along the shore. Last time I was here, back in 2018, it was the same way, but that time I hiked higher, to a small pond above the lake. This time, I decided, I would camp with all the others. But the important thing was that I get my drinking water first, from a flowing creek up above the lake. I put down my backpack and filtered an entire gallon of water. I wanted enough to make it up and down the mountain, and all the way until tomorrow evening. There wasn’t any water up on the summit! And drinking out of the lake, which thousands of people had camped at over the years, wasn’t something I was willing to risk, filter or no filter. Everyone is supposed to use a “Wag Bag” up here, and carry out ones Human Waste, but there were no wag bags to be had at the Ranger Station, unlike last time. You know what that means as well as I do.
After setting up my tent, I headed down to the lake with my fly rod. The sun was far too strong to stay in the tent, which would act like an oven. Instead, I brought some water and some snacks to the shore, and hung out for an hour or two. It was a very mellow scene. And, yes, I caught yet another small Golden Trout. So I annotated my fishing list, and it was deemed accurate. For once, the Internet didn’t lie!
Once the shade of a big boulder hit my tent, it was time to cook my dinner. I sat down and enjoyed the awesome scenery. This would be quite a pricey view if it was a hotel. Instead, I paid for it in energy output. As the temperature dropped, I got into my night clothing, then wandered around camp being social. Some of my neighbors intended to do the night hike, and I wished them well. I intended to get up early, at 4am in the dark, but only so that I could leave at first light. As a photographer, I really didn’t have much choice, now did I?
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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