Day 08: Crater Meadow and Duck Lake

From JMT mile 58.0 to 68.9 Total: 13.5 miles hiked 8/06

On the eighth day of my John Muir Trail trek I hiked from the Reds Meadow Resort to Duck Lake Creek, passing Crater Meadow and Deer Creek along the way. It was a long day with a big climb out of the Middle Fork San Joaquin River Valley.

We woke up in our wonderful Reds Meadow Cabin just before first light and started packing our gear. We all felt better after a night spent in a comfy bed. We put on our freshly-laundered clothing and set our packs down in the kitchen. I ate my other half of a grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast. Bob and Keith made some coffee on the stove. We sat around a while and talked about the day. I warned them that it was going to be a mostly uphill day, about 2500 feet of climbing, but at least it would be spread out over ten or more miles. So the grade should be mellow, and I recalled that the trail was smooth as well, with few to no knee-busting stone steps.

We double-checked that we didn’t forget anything, then we put on our backpacks, left the keys on the table, and locked the door behind us. We were on our way, hiking down the side trail to where we left the JMT yesterday morning. Good-bye, Reds Meadow! You were very good to us.

Bob toasting a brand new day with coffee in our cabin

It was 6am, and it was time to put our heavy packs back on and leave our cabin at Reds Meadow — It was 6am, time to put our heavy packs back on and say goodbye to Civilization

Keith locked the door of Cabin D at Reds Meadow Resort - it was time to move on, sobo on the JMT — Keith locked the cabin door – it was time to move on, SOBO on the JMT

It was time to get our climbing shoes on. It wasn’t hard. but the grade was steady. With my new five-day food supply, my backpack was noticeably heavier. I trudged on. Luckily it was shady at this time of day. In the afternoon, climbing this slope was brutally hot. At first we hiked through an old burn scar. The pines were only bare trunks, and there were new pines growing taller all around us. Up the hill, in front of us, were the tall pines where the fire stopped. That’s our goal, I told the guys. Once we get under them, we’d be in a shady forest for the rest of the day.

We hiked back to the JMT at mile 58 and began the long climb to Crater Meadow — We hiked back to the trail at mile 58, then began the long climb to Crater Meadow

I take selfies at these wilderness signs - this one is on the JMT north of Crater Meadow — I take selfies at these wilderness signs – this one is just south of the Devils Postpile

Looking across at the Kings Creek Drainage from the JMT north of Crater Meadow — Looking across at the Kings Creek Drainage where I hiked back in 2023

The trail climbed steadily through an old burn scar on the way to Crater Meadow

It was still early, so we avoided the heat on the big climb to Crater Meadow, at JMT mile 59 — We made it to the trees while it was still early, so we avoided the heat on the exposed part

Zoomed-in view northwest toward the Minarets, Ritter, and Banner from the JMT near Crater Meadow — Zoomed-in view northwest toward the Minarets, Ritter, and Banner

All told, it took us about two hours to reach Crater Meadow. At the lower end was Crater Creek, and the two Red Cones. These are cinder cones, which formed around volcanic vents that erupted about 5000 years ago. There were pieces of porous pumice all around the area as we hiked on by.

The two Red Cones are the reason for the name of Crater Meadow, at JMT mile 60

Crossing Crater Creek on a busted double-log bridge at Crater Meadow — Crossing Crater Creek on a busted double-log bridge

Yet another of the two Red Cones at Crater Meadow - these cinder cones were actually volcanic vents — The other Red Cone – these cinder cones were actually volcanic vents

The trail continued south past the cones, and mainly followed Crater Creek as it slowly climbed upward. There were plenty of flowers and green grass near the creek. Keith didn’t see any trout, which made him sad, but I assured him that we would have a chance to go fishing later.

Crossing Crater Creek yet again as we make our way south, near Crater Meadow — We crossed Crater Creek yet again as we made our way south

Fireweed flowers along the creek, south of Upper Crater Meadow

Interestingly, when we arrived at Deer Creek, after popping over a low ridge, we saw two deer, a doe and fawn. They just looked at us while we stopped to take photos of them. Bambi was lucky that it wasn’t hunting season, which is in the fall up here in the Inyo National Forest. National Parks tend to ban firearms, but the forest service has different priorities.

Mama Deer and her Fawn along Deer Creek and the JMT - utterly fearless of us as we hiked by — Mama Doe and her Fawn along Deer Creek – utterly fearless of us as we hiked by

Long narrow meadow along Deer Creek at JMT mile 63

Two hours after the Red Cones, we arrived at the Deer Creek crossing. We all agreed that an extended break was long overdue. We were also about halfway to our destination, so it was a good time to eat some lunch. There were several perfect logs to sit on, as well. After eating, it was time to hike again, so we donned our packs and headed for the creek crossing. There was a trail crew working there. They were replacing yet another broken log bridge. It turned out that one of the volunteers was a friend of Bob’s! We chatted for a bit, took some photos, and left them to their work. Trail crews make everything possible out here in the wilderness.

We took a long lunch break at the Deer Creek crossing, at JMT mile 64

Wooden sign at the Deer Creek trail crossing on the John Muir Trail — Weathered wooden sign at the Deer Creek trail crossing

We crossed the old broken bridge over Deer Creek as a trail crew worked on repairing it — We crossed the old broken bridge as a trail crew worked on replacing it

Bob and his Trail Crew acquaintance at the Deer Creek crossing footbridge — Bob and his Trail Crew acquaintance – it’s a small world sometimes

We had about five miles left to hike, and we were sad to notice that the trail kept on going up. When I looked on the topo map, it appeared that we were sidehilling around a broad ridge. Which we were, but the trail also continued climbing while doing so. We ended up hiking high above the Cascade Valley. Far below us was Fish Creek, and across the way were a number of mountains. Up at the end of the canyon was Silver Pass, but I wasn’t exactly certain which low point was the actual pass. Our plan was to climb over that tomorrow.

Peakfinder Earth comparison showing Sharktooth Peak and Silver Peak to the south of Deer Creek — Peakfinder Earth comparison showing Sharktooth Peak and Silver Peak to the south

Tall pines and easy hiking as we made our way around the ridge toward the Duck Lake Trail Junction — Tall pines and easy hiking, around the ridge toward the Duck Lake Trail Junction

View southwest, across Cascade Valley, on our way to the Duck Lake Trail Junction — View southwest, across Cascade Valley – we were glad not to be hiking down there

We took another break a few hours later. It was getting hot, and the trees were sparse enough that we were often hiking in the direct sunshine. I checked the Far Out app. It said that most of the climbing was over, and that we should be descending soon, as we turned the corner to the left into the Duck Creek side canyon. This news was quite a relief. When we put on our packs we began hiking with renewed vigor, like horses smelling the stables.

We took an afternoon break during the long climb, as it was getting very hot that day

We were still in the sun, but at least the climb was over - it was downhill to Duck Lake Trail Junction — We were still in the sun, but at least the climb was over – it was downhill to Duck Lake Trail Junction

Another view of Cascade Valley to the south from the JMT near Duck Lake Trail Junction — Better view of Cascade Valley – tomorrow’s goal, Silver Pass, was on that high ridge

We arrived at Duck Lake Creek about 3pm, after almost nine hours of hiking. We were fairly whupped, but not too bad. Leaving early really made the difference. Arriving in camp early made its own difference: We got the best choice of campsites! I remembered where I camped last year, up above the creek on the south side. There were some pines that created afternoon shade, which is precisely what three overheated geezers desired.

Looking back down Duck Lake Creek toward the Cascade Valley from the JMT — Looking back down Duck Lake Creek toward the Cascade Valley from the trail near camp

We crossed the log bridge over Duck Lake Creek and started looking for a good campsite

Now that it was shady, we all set up our tents at the Duck Lake Trail Junction campsite — We set up our tents at a shady campsite near the creek, at JMT mile 69

We filtered a couple gallons of water, but after that we were bored. Since it was still early enough, I suggested to Keith that we climb a few hundred feet uphill to Duck Lake. There were trout in that lake, for sure. I didn’t have to ask him twice. Bob, however, had zero intention of climbing any further. He opted to guard our campsite, an utterly pointless endeavor, and we all laughed. Anyone taking our stuff would have to carry it! Zero chance of that happening.

Keith had a daypack with him, which we used to transport some water and fishing gear. Up the trail we went, and soon we were at Duck Lake, which was quite large. Keith checked out the outlet creek, but it wasn’t promising. So he was reduced to fishing the lake itself. All of his stealthy methods of sneaking up on the trout proved useless. He didn’t catch a single fish. It had been a hot day, and the trout were probably hiding in the shade, or lurking down deep in the water. If we came here in the evening, when they typically feed, things would have been different. We eventually hiked back down the hill to camp, hanging our heads in defeat.

Duck Lake in the late afternoon, with Duck Lake Pass heading left over that first ridge

Keith was sneaking up on any trout lurking in the shadows near the shore of Duck Lake — Keith was sneaking up on any trout lurking in the shadows near the shore

Keith kept trying to catch a trout in Duck Lake but it wasn't meant to be — Keith kept on trying to catch a trout in Duck Lake, but it wasn’t meant to be

We boiled water and prepared our dinners. Then we hung out on some convenient rocks and ate together. Other groups of hikers arrived and wandered around looking for spots. They must have found them, because we only had two guys near us, just down the hill.

Dinnertime at Duck Lake, as Bob works on cooking dinner with his alcohol stove — Dinnertime at Duck Lake Creek, as Bob worked on boiling water with his alcohol stove

We talked about tomorrow’s plan. We would be passing several lakes full of trout, then hiking down Fish Creek itself, which was certain to make Keith happy. After that, the trouble would begin. We had a big climb to finish the day, so it would probably be roasting. Getting up early was good for the smaller, nearby climbs, but we had our work cut for us to summit Silver Pass. Bob groaned. He wasn’t a big fan of uphill trails in the sun. We told him not to worry, that we could take all day getting up there if he wanted. All day? Bob groaned again as he headed into his tent. A good night’s sleep was definitely called for at this point.

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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