From JMT mile 43.9 to 54.3 Total: 10.9 miles hiked 8/04
On the sixth day of my John Muir Trail trek I hiked from Garnet Lake to the Shadow Creek drainage, then up and over to the Minaret Creek valley, and camped near Johnston Lake.
Bob, Keith and I woke up early, and started getting ready for another fun day of hiking. The view from our campsite over Garnet Lake was stunning, with Banner and Ritter lit up with alpenglow in the west. The wind was calm, and the reflections on the lake were superb. I ate breakfast and packed in the pre-dawn darkness, and once I was mostly ready I headed to the shore for some photos. It looked like perfect weather was in store today. That done, it was time to don our backpacks and head up the half-mile side trail that led back to the JMT. Not only was the trail poorly maintained, it had the audacity to climb 250 feet while doing it, just so we could descend to lake level immediately afterward. Sad but true.
We hiked maybe another half mile along the shore of the lake, high above on some granite slabs, where the views were particularly fine. I pointed out to Bob what we called the “Mama Bear” climb up to Garnet Pass on the south side of the lake. It was about 500 feet of deep-shade early-morning climbing, thus making it Too Cold for pleasure, just like the proverbial bowl of porridge.
When we arrived at the outflow stream, we had to cross a big log footbridge. It had a handrail, which made it easy. The views west in the morning light were excellent. Meanwhile, Keith decided to take a quick break. He got out his Tenkara Fly Rod and headed down the stream, which had many shady pools amidst the glaciated granite slabs and boulders. Good trout spot, he said.
Bob and I, meanwhile, decided to hike onward. We knew that Keith would catch us with minimal difficulty. It was time to get down to business and conquer the Mama Bear climb. So away we hiked, on a long slope that gradually climbed high above Garnet Lake. The views were great. We took rests when we wanted to. I pointed out our campsite on the far side of the lake, near a small cove. Banner and Ritter were providing an awesome backdrop, as the dawn breeze began to ruffle the surface of the lake.
Now, “Garnet Pass” is a name that I personally declared into existence. It isn’t official, but it should be, as it was directly on the ridgeline of Garnet Peak, and high above Garnet Lake. With a 500 foot climb, it deserves a name of its own. I’m sticking with it. So there. And when you finally reach the top of it, the views will make you appreciate it.
Bob and I didn’t wait long for Keith to show up. We admired the view for a few minutes, then headed down the long valley toward Shadow Creek. It was a 1500 foot drop to Shadow Lake, and we were glad to be heading southbound.
We stopped to take a break at Shadow Creek. We filtered some water while Keith went fishing for trout. It was a mellow spot, which had been over-camped in the past, so that now you had to camp 300 feet away from the creek. Vicki and I camped up on the hillside back in 2021 when we did a PCT-JMT loop hike out of the Devils Postpile area. Good memories, and a lovely spot to camp.
Then it was time to continue downhill along Shadow Creek. There were lots of waterfalls and roaring cascades of water the whole way down the valley.
It was less than a mile of hiking, but this was one of those spots that are really pretty. I took tons of photos and videos. There was also a footbridge, just above the lake, which is always a plus.
We arrived at Shadow Lake, which also had camping restrictions. It was a n easy day’s hike from the postpile trailheads, so it became too popular for a while. The steep hillsides on the bowl surrounding it effectively meant that nobody was allowed to camp at the lake at all.
I freely admit that I don’t like camping bans or trail quotas, as I don’t think that unelected bureaucrats should have the power to stop citizens from respectfully using their own land. That’s what Leave No Trace is all about. I’m also more of a free-market supply-and-demand kind of person, meaning that if there are too many people crowding a spot then eventually they’ll end up going elsewhere. Is my way better? I doubt it. It also has its problems, like assuming that people will behave decently toward each other and their shared land. Talk about a Utopian Pipe Dream! But at least it doesn’t restrict freedom as much. All it takes is one wildfire, converting everything to a charred moonscape, to reduce the value and purpose of all those restrictions to zero. They would do better to ban wildfires, instead. Or lightning.
Anyway, we had no plans to camp here. Only fishing. I tried for a short while, and so did Keith, but it was too shallow where we had access to the shoreline. Maybe it would be better on the north side of the lake, where we weren’t hiking. So I put away my rod and moved on. I caught up to Bob near the final viewpoint, and we waited for Keith to arrive.
Then it was time to do the Papa Bear Climb. It was about 700 feet of climbing in less than a mile, which is a pretty steep grade. Luckily, the trail was smooth, and without a lot of annoyingly-unavoidable giant stone steps. It was also within a forest of tall pines, which kept it shady. Still, it was noon, and this porridge was far too hot. We took our Baby Steps, and paused when we felt like it, but we still sweated profusely the entire way up. Up at the top was another pass which I decided to name: Shadow Pass. It deserved a name as much as Garnet Pass.
The next highlight of our day was about to arrive: Rosalie Lake, a lovely body of water nestled within a glacial cirque, surrounded by granite walls. The western end had steep cliffs that almost looked like you could jump from them into the water. Almost. Keith was pretty stoked when I told him that it was supposed to contain Rainbow Trout, and that I got a really strong hit on my fly last year, but didn’t catch one. He started fishing immediately. It didn’t take long before he caught a good-sized Rainbow. Vicki would have eaten it for sure, but Keith released back into the lake. Then we hiked around to the eastern shore where there was a great set of campsites. We all took off our packs and got out our lunches. This was a perfect spot for a long break, as the rest of our hike was going to be downhill.
All downhill, except for getting out of this bowl we were in. This was what I called the “Baby Bear” climb, as it was the smallest of our three climbs planned for today. And it was also Just Right, as our tummies were full and we were well rested.
Up on the other side was Gladys Lake, which was fairly shallow, and we didn’t pause for long. We had about four more miles to hike today, and even though the hard part was over, we still had to make that distance. We figured that it would take us a bit over two hours, which would get us into camp in the afternoon, with plenty of time to hang out. We passed the Trinity Lakes, but they showed no signs of trout. I told Keith not to worry, because we would be near Minaret Creek soon.
After two miles of the four we had to hike, the trail started switchbacking its way down into the Minaret Creek valley. It was easy hiking, our favorite kind. The Minarets showed themselves through the trees a time or two, but mostly there weren’t any views to speak of. And by the time we made it to the bottom our feet were hot and tired.
We made it to the junction with the trail that led to the Minarets and Minaret Lake. Someday I’m going to hike up there. But not today. We hung a left and walked along Johnston Lake, looking for a campsite. Some other group already snagged the best one near the lake, but we found another a short distance away. We set up our tents, then headed for the creek to filter some water. And do some fishing. It was an education for me to watch Keith as he crouched low and snuck up on the unwary trout. They had no chance against his skills. I began to call him the “Trout Whisperer” because it seemed that if he saw a trout, he caught that trout. It was like they couldn’t help themselves. Amazing but true.
Later on, back at camp, we hung out and talked for a while. Bob wasn’t feeling all that great. These last six days had taken a toll on him, and the difficulty level was a bit more than he expected. He was a few years older than me, but he also hadn’t been hiking all Summer long the last few years, like I had. So he was out of shape, for sure. He was feeling worried about completing the rest of the JMT. He asked me, point blank, if the trail got harder later on. Well, I didn’t want to lie, so I told him that it did get harder. In a way. The trail didn’t get much steeper, because it was built for horses, but some of the climbs were longer. I knew that Reds Meadow was a potential bail-out spot, so I also gave him the words of wisdom from PCT hikers, which stated that you should Never Quit On A Bad Day. Wait until you have a good day, and if you still feel like stopping, then do so. I also told him that I thought he could make it, as he’d get stronger the more he hiked, and that I didn’t care if I hiked fewer miles per day and my trek lasted longer. I could buy more food if needed. He appreciated that vote of confidence, even if he didn’t feel it himself.
After that, we made plans for tomorrow. They were very simple plans: We would get up early and try to get to the Reds Meadow grill before 10am, so that we could get one of their Breakfast Burritos. It was less than four miles away, mostly downhill, and we were pretty excited. I also had a resupply box there, as I would be totally out of food once I ate dinner that night. Which we did. I had no breakfast, but I could eat some snack instead. As long as that burrito was coming my way, I didn’t care what else happened.
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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