Day 2: Dusy Basin to Le Conte Canyon

I spent the second day of my trek hiking from upper Dusy Basin on the Bishop Pass Trail, all the way down into Le Conte Canyon, at which point I headed northbound on the John Muir Trail, and stopped for the night alongside the Middle Fork Kings River, a few miles shy of Muir Pass.

I woke up that morning at first light, 5am, and poked my head (and camera) out the tent door. To the east was the waning crescent moon, just above the Sierra Crest, along with a few of the brighter stars. It was cold and clear, and I didn’t really want to go outside right then, So, once again, I violated the rule against cooking inside your tent, and boiled some water for a hot oatmeal breakfast. Technically, it was under the vestibule of the tent, not inside the tent itself, so it was OK. I guess. But my legs stayed warm, and it sure tasted good!

Pre-dawn view of the Crescent Moon over Mount Winchell from my campsite in Dusy Basin

I read my kindle and ate some hot oatmeal from inside my cozy tent on a cool morning in Dusy Basin — I read my kindle and ate some hot oatmeal from inside my cozy tent on a cool morning

Then I started packing up my gear, in my usual methodical way. No matter how fast I go, it always seems to take me about two hours to get ready (an hour and a half without breakfast). So I left camp at 7am, as the sun rose above the Sierra Crest, at precisely the moment when I no longer needed it for warmth. Typical.

I had about 2500 feet of descent ahead of me, in four and a half miles, which is steep but not excessively so, and I fairly flew down the trail. Before I knew it the Sierra Crest was gone from view, and I was hiking through lower Dusy Basin. This is a very pretty area, with lots of water. Mosquitos, too!

The sun broke free above the Sierra Crest as I hiked out on the Bishop Pass Trail from my campsite in Dusy Basin — The sun broke free above the Sierra Crest as I hiked out on the Bishop Pass Trail from my campsite

Panorama of Lower Dusy Basin and Lake 10742, with Columbine Peak and Knapsack Pass on the far left, in shadow

Giraud Peak (center) above the slow-flowing reedy Dusy Branch, down in lower Dusy Basin on the Bishop Pass Trail — Giraud Peak (center) above the slow-flowing, reedy Dusy Branch, down in lower Dusy Basin

Soon enough, the trail popped out above the headwall, looking down into Le Conte Canyon. The Citadel and Langille Peak were the two dominant mountains across the way. Two thousand feet below me flowed the Middle Fork Kings River. I remembered climbing it the previous year with my son, and it made for one heck of a day. That climb was the main reason why I was descending it this year! No lie. Most people hike this loop counterclockwise, but I knew better. At least I hope I did. I’d find out for sure in four more days, when I climbed up the long trail to Piute Pass.

Panorama view down into Le Conte Canyon from the headwall on the Bishop Pass Trail just below Lower Dusy Basin

Close-up of a healthy-looking marmot near the Bishop Pass Trail just below Lower Dusy Basin — Close-up of a healthy-looking marmot, keeping a wary eye on me

Selfie shot of me on the Bishop Pass Trail above Le Conte Canyon and the Middle Fork Kings River — Selfie shot of me, high above Le Conte Canyon and the Middle Fork Kings River

The creek that flows out of Dusy Basin is called the Dusy Branch. “Branch” is an odd descriptor for a creek, but that’s what is written on the topo map. And it wasn’t the first Branch I’d seen in the Sierra. But its name certainly didn’t detract from the way it cascaded down out of the basin. It was beautiful. Waterfalls are always worthwhile.

Waterfall and footbridge on the Bishop Pass Trail down below Dusy Basin as the trail descends into Le Conte Canyon — Waterfall and footbridge down below Dusy Basin, as the trail descended into Le Conte Canyon

Video of the waterfall and bridge on the Dusy Branch

Zoomed-in shot of The Citadel (11738 feet elev) all the way across Le Conte Canyon, from the Bishop Pass Trail[ — Zoomed-in shot of The Citadel (11738 feet elevation) all the way across Le Conte Canyon

The trail generally followed the branch through a high valley, descending all the while, until it reached the sidewall of Le Conte Canyon. At that point it slid down an impressively smooth and steep granite slope. It was obvious that glaciers had polished this rock. The trail stayed over on the north side, where it switchbacked steadily downward.

Wide-angle GoPro view of the Dusy Branch as it slides down the steep glaciated granite wall of Le Conte Canyon — Wide-angle GoPro view of the Dusy Branch as it slid down the steep glaciated granite wall of Le Conte Canyon

Looking south into Le Conte Canyon from the Bishop Pass Trail, with The Citadel, right of center — Looking south into Le Conte Canyon, with The Citadel, right of center

Anyway, I can now say with certainty that going down into the canyon was far easier than climbing out of it. I took a short break at the junction with the Pacific Crest Trail / John Muir Trail and had a bite to eat. The weather was much warmer down there at 8700 feet elevation, and it was sunny. I knew that I had to head up-canyon the rest of the day, and I was about to do some serious sweating. It wasn’t the lowest point on this trek, but it was low enough for me.

I arrived at the junction of the Bishop Pass Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) -- John Muir Trail (JMT) — I arrived at the junction of the Bishop Pass Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) — John Muir Trail (JMT)

I packed up my gear and put on my pack. Time to get hiking! I’d gotten myself down into this deep canyon, and now I had to get myself back out of it. One foot after the other. And it wasn’t so bad, really. The views down here were seriously nice, and the sound of running water was never far away. Next stop: Little Pete Meadow and Big Pete Meadow. And now I’m wondering who “Pete” was. But I can’t seem to find anything on the internet.

View south down Le Conte Canyon from the PCT-JMT with the Middle Fork Kings River down below

Looking across Little Pete Meadow and the Middle Fork Kings River at Langille Peak, from the John Muir Trail — Looking across Little Pete Meadow with Langille Peak (12018 feet elevation) across the way

Panorama view of Big Pete Meadow in Le Conte Canyon with Black Giant (13330 feet), distant left of center

Big split boulder that looks like a face, with rock teeth added by JMT and PCT hikers, in Le Conte Canyon — Big split boulder that looks like a face, with rock teeth added by JMT and PCT hikers

It was a steady climb through the meadows, and it had been just as hot as I’d expected. I had to pause in the shade of trees every so often to cool down, as there wasn’t much breeze that day. When the trail neared the river, I took off my pack and soaked my head in the icy water. Now that was the way to get cool!

As the afternoon wore on, the valley narrowed and steepened. The river started to get seriously loud. There were many small waterfalls along the trail, and they all gave me good excuses to cool off while stopping to take photos and videos of them. It was a Win-Win situation.

Black Giant (left) above the cascading Middle Fork Kings River in Le Conte Canyon — Black Giant, left, high above the river

The John Muir Trail was blasted across a glaciated granite slope in Le Conte Canyon — The John Muir Trail was blasted across a glaciated granite slope

Middle Fork Kings River in Le Conte Canyon as it cascades down a smooth granite slope — The Middle Fork Kings River sliding down a smooth granite slope

Black Giant looms above the cascading Middle Fork Kings River in Le Conte Canyon — Black Giant looms above the cascading river

More cascading water of the MIddle Fork Kings River in Le Conte Canyon — More cascading water – this was a fun section to hike through!

Whenever there is fast water, you know that the trail will be climbing steeply. The two go hand in hand. But the waterfalls ended eventually, of course, and the river passed through a soggy meadow. It was pleasant to hike on a flat trail, even if it didn’t last very long. I consulted the maps on my phone. I had hoped to camp somewhere along this stretch, but where was a good spot? I didn’t want the bugs that live near a meadow, but the steep areas rarely had campsites. The Guthook app showed that there were several just up ahead, and that became my next goal.

Mellow meadow in Le Conte Canyon near Pacific Crest Trail mile 835, with the meandering Middle Fork Kings River — Mellow meadow near Pacific Crest Trail mile 835, with the meandering Middle Fork Kings River

Panorama view of the unnamed lake and meadow in upper Le Conte Canyon from my campsite

I arrived at the campsite and was the only one there, so I had first choice of spots. The crowdsourced comments in the app mentioned a hidden spot up above the trail, and that was the one I picked. By the time I had my tent set up and air mattress inflated, the lower campsites had been filled with other campers! I discovered this as I headed to the river for water. We exchanged the news of the trail, as always. I heard about a possible rogue bear up near where I planned to camp in two days, so that was interesting. Maybe I would change those plans.

My tent and campsite in upper Le Conte Canyon — My one-person tent and campsite (with a view!)

Then I headed back to camp and settled down to a tasty dinner of ramen noodles. I sat and ate it, while perched on the rocks overlooking Le Conte Canyon and a nearby pond. Very pretty. I got out the map and checked my position. I had hiked a bit over nine miles, and climbed more than halfway to Muir Pass, which would make tomorrow morning’s hike much easier. And after today’s heat, I decided to wake up extra early, so that I could climb while the air was still cool. I set my alarm and went to sleep, wonderfully tired after a solid day of hiking. I was really looking forward to tomorrow’s hike, which promised to be the most beautiful section of the entire trek.

For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page

For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page

<< Back to Day 1 Onward to Day 3 >>

Up to “Sierra Nevada”

<< Back to Day 1 Onward to Day 3 >>

Share this:

Like this: