trip report day 14 – LeConte Ranger Station (C.08.19) to Upper Palisade Lake (C.08.39)

I had a short day planned for day 14 with the goal of climbing up the Golden Staircase.

I had a pretty good night sleep with the rushing sounds from both Rainbow Creek and Middle Fork Kings River. The condensation wasn’t too bad this morning as I had my rain fly on my tent for privacy. My breakfast consisted of rescued instant noodles with kimchi, anchovies, shrimp, and veggies from MTR. I had wished made more of these at MTR.

Again, you have to keep an eye out on your food as deer wandered into our camp without fear looking for it.

information

• LeConte Ranger Station (C.08.19) to Upper Palisade Lake (C.08.39)
  • gps track – wikiloc alltrails caltopo
• distance: 11.5 miles
• elevation change: 3079 ft ascent & 999 ft descent
• time: 7:41 hours with breaks (5:13 hours moving time)

I set off at 7:55am after saying farewell to John and Alex. They have a zero planned that day as they are waiting for their resupply from a pack horse in from Bishop Pass. The JMT continued at a gentle descent, about -3.7% grade, for the next 3.3 miles further down LeConte Canyon. It was mostly uneventful walk among the forest and next to the Middle Fork Kings River. I did have an interesting conversation with a local backpacker of the Sierra Nevada Mountains that described their trip off trail into the true wilderness and of the hidden beauty that’s there away from the trails, more on that in my final impressions.

Along the way on my morning stroll, I passed Grouse Meadows, which had several campsites with open views (Wenk: C.08.24-26).

It was about 9:10am when I reached the end of my descent and the junction for the trail continuing down the Middle Fork Kings River toward Devils Washbowl and Simpson Meadow branching off to the right/south.

I continued on the JMT, which turned up the Palisades Creek drainage at about a 4% grade over the next 4 miles. It was mostly among the forest and routing next to Palisade creek at points, so the trail itself wasn’t too interesting.

However, this is where I ran into a bear. As I was coming up a incline, there he was in the middle of the trail directly ahead of me. He didn’t seem to care for me much and headed off the trail toward the creek.

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Further up the drainage, the trees started to become more sparse allowing me to feel the heat that would be in store for me on my climb up the Golden Staircase. It would seem my timing wasn’t so great after all since it was nearing 11am when I neared the climb. My plan for the climb would once again involve soaking my cloth once again before the climb and allow evaporation cooling to combat the heat. I figured it worked well climbing into Evolution Valley, so why not here.

I stopped by a series of four water crossings of Glacier Creek just before Wenk campsite C.08.34 to prepare for my climb. NOBO hikers had informed me this was probably the last spot before the uphills for water. It was 11am and I was feeling hungry already, so I decided to cook my second big meal of the day while refilling my water and cleaning/soaking my cloth.

My lunch was actually my Backpacker Pantry Lasagna (Amazon affiliate link), which was hearty and perfect with some sriracha. If was great for the energy intensive portion I was looking for with the long climb ahead of me. I was finally eating the food from the package for that I had been cooking all my meals in since Red’s.

I started again at 12:19pm and from the creek, it was another half mile to the start of the Golden Staircase. I started the climb at 12:33pm.

The brunt of the Golden Staircase climbed at about a 15.3% grade over 1.43 miles. There is a last water source as the switchbacks come near Palisade Creek about 0.3 miles into the climb. Though it’s not the easiest water to get to since it is rushing down a granite slab.

Further up in the climb, the switchbacks become more shorter and more frequent as the trail cuts into a small gap.

The trail continues to switchback through the left/east side of the canyon.

My evaporation cooling plan seemed to work excellently as I cruised up the staircase pushing through the final switchbacks and looking back into the Palisade Creek drainage. I was through the main switchbacks around 1:51pm, about 1:20 hours after starting up the Golden Staircase.

From here the trail climbs up toward Lower Palisade Lake at a less intimating grade about 7.5% over just under a mile. Middle Palisade, Disappointment Peak, and Norman Clyde Peak came into view at this point.

I reached the outlet of Lower Palisade Lake around 2:30pm. The water here was extremely clear, it was very easy to see all the fish swimming in the lake. The campsites here at the outlet (Wenk: C.08.36-37) are some among the most popular and crowded of the JMT. Anger flareups from overcrowding were among some of the stories I heard about these campsites.

I decided to continue on since it was still early and I had planned to finish at Upper Palisade Lake. The trail continues along the northern bank of Lower Palisade Lake before starting to climb upon the granite bluff above the lake.

It was hard not to stop every few minutes to gawk at the different shades of green, blue, and brown of the lake.

After passing Lower Palisade Lake, the Upper Palisade Lake came into view under Mather Pass.

It was still early, 3:30pm, when I reached my planned campsite (Wenk: C.08.39-40) above Upper Palisade Lake and near a cascading stream. There was a little bit of breeze, so I set up my tent among some trees above the stream.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t an easy access to the lake itself and I was looking forward to jumping into that clear water. However, along with a couple of guys that also decided to camp here, we bushwhacked down to the lake. The water was freezing cold, but I did feel refreshed after jumping in. On the way down to the lake, I did find a few other camping areas among some boulders. If you are looking for a more private spot closer to the lake, they would serve you well.

The group of guys (I forgot their names) I hung out with were from the bay area doing a NOBO section hike, completing the JMT as a whole over a few years. A couple others rolled in later on. The first was named Steel, who was a SOBO JMT ultralight hiker hiking the entire trail in 11 days. It was the only leave time he had from the navy. The other was a NOBO hiker (I also forgot her name – I’m really bad at names) who just finished a double pass day (Pinchot and Mather). She was exhausted and turned in early. However, it put the notion of the double pass day in my mind.

We hung out for the rest of the evening while everyone made their dinners. I already ate my second major meal of the day earlier, so I ended up devouring the rest of my trail mix I had from MTR. I think it was more of nothing else to do rather than hunger. However, I didn’t turn down leftover food from one of the guys.

I was a little disappointed at the alpenglow upon the Mount Bolten Brown as the sun set behind the mountains on the opposite side of the lakes early on, but it was a good evening overall with good company.

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trip report day 15 – Upper Palisade Lake (C.08.39) to Woods Creek (C.10.07)

I had another good night sleep with the rushing stream and hollowing wind providing for some nice white noise. The latter also kept condensation from forming in my tent, so packing up was easy.

However my initial plans wasn’t a terribly long day with the aim to camp under Pinchot Pass. This would allow me to get to the Rae Lakes the following day. And then I’d have a double pass day with Glenn and Kearsarge on the day Meg would fly in. She would meet me at Onion Valley trailhead sometime in the afternoon.

With that plan, I wasn’t in rush to break camp. For breakfast I had my rescued eggs mixed with dehydrate veggies and meat from MTR. Steel was already on his way by the time I came out of my tent, so I eat breakfast with the rest of the guys. I started on my way at almost exactly 8:00am.

information

• Upper Palisade Lake (C.08.39) to Woods Creek (C.10.07)
  • gps track – wikiloc alltrails caltopo
• distance: 19.8 miles
• elevation change: 3899 ft ascent & 5783 ft descent
• time: 11:42 hours with breaks (8:41 hours moving time)

From where I was, it was pretty much a straight climb to Mather Pass. It was be about 2.1 miles at about 14.3% grade. I was still in the shade as I begin my climb.

After a couple of stream crossings, the grassy landscape gave away quickly to a barren and rocky one. It was around when the switchbacks started.

My pace was brisk as I remained in the shade for most of the way up. Near the top of the hike, I met my first ranger on the trail. She was based out of LeConte Stations and I later found out, she had hiked over to the Bench Lake station to replace her broke radio. I thought she would be checking permits, but she didn’t.

I reached Mather Pass at 9:27am.

Mather Pass sits at 12096 feet. it wasn’t really my favorite pass as it looked very barren with mostly granite rocks and no contrast. Perhaps it was still early in the morning, but the lakes seems to be reflecting the drab granite colors rather than showing the blues and greens I was use to.

Either way, I was feeling good and making great time, so the idea of the double pass started to play out in my mind. A double pass day would put me almost a full day ahead since the passes are what typically limits the distance I would be able to walk. A day ahead means I’d be able to get in contact with Meg before she flew out and made sure there was no problems. Missing Meg would become a huge driving factor over the next two days for me. I didn’t mind a day earlier of civilization and real food a day earlier neither.

After a short 15 minute break taking photos, I started down the switchbacks on the other side. It was an initial sharp descent at about -10% grade in the first half mile of switchbacks

before a more steady descent at about -6.4% grade over the next 5 miles all the way down the South Fork Kings River drainage. The first couple of miles traverse down the Upper Basin, where there are a few ponds and creek crossings. This forms the headwaters of the South Fork Kings River. This is an exposed area with no cover and more than once did I hear NOBO hikers complain about being cooked by the hot sun during this stretch. The marmots didn’t seem to mind as they ran around among the rocks.

About four miles from the pass, the trail starts to enter a more forested area before bottoming out at a tricky crossing of the South Fork Kings River around noon. I was able to jump and maneuver among a couple of logs without getting my feet wet, but a ford is probably needed usually.

I learned later that this crossing was an especially dangerous one during the 2017 high snow year leading to the fatality of a hiker.

There is a cutoff here that is recommended further upstream that can be accessed by a use trail (an unofficial trail). The southern end can be seen starting away from the trail behind the sign below.

There is a camping area by the crossing (Wenk: C.09.06) and I stopped to refill my water. I debated eating lunch here, but opted for eating a couple bars and snacks. I thought that if I ended my day before Pinchot, I’d be pretty close to finishing my day, so might as well wait to eat for when I set up camp. If I pushed past Pinchot, I can take a break further up for the final push to the pass.

It was here I met another ranger, this time from the Bench Lake Station and he was checking permits. It wasn’t too much of an annoyance since my bag was open already. A convenient thing to do is to have a picture of your permit on your phone.

After a 30 minute break and soaking my shirt again, I started my climb out of the South Fork Kings River drainage. Hurray for another afternoon climb. The first climb up onto the bench crossed another stream before starting to switchback at about a 11% grade over 1.2 miles. It was a pretty boring and hot climb among wooded trees, but not thick enough to provide much cover, especially further uphill. At the top of the climb was the Taboose Pass Trail junction branching off to the left. Then came the Bench Lake Trail junction branching off to the right. The Bench Lake ranger station is also in this area north of the trail.

There isn’t too many trees as you continue on the JMT allowing for a view back at Mather Pass.

The next couple of miles ascends at a milder 4.7% grade first passing a green lake to the west of the trail,

a small blue lake to the east,

and then Lake Marjorie. The best campsite I found among the lakes was among the rocky boulders on Lake Marjorie (Wenk: C.09.12). I was 2:20 when I reached that spot, but I just didn’t feel like stopping. Being the only one here probably made stopping less appealing for me as I had preferred not to camp alone. The idea of the double pass day became the reality.

The trail continues along the eastern bank of Lake Marjorie with its gradual climb. I stopped to fill up on water at a stream with a view of another small lake making it’s appearance.

Shortly after that, I can see the smog starting to blanket the mountains around me.

There was no turning back now as I started on the final mile approach to Pinchot Pass at about a 13.4% grade. The trail first climbs straight for the pass raising over another unnamed blue lake.

The rest of the approach consists of switchbacks made of loose gravel, making for slippery footing. This last mile was a bit of a struggle for me through the smog, making it harder to breath and a hotter affair. The thought of being able to talk to Meg earlier motivated me to push forward here and would continue to do so the next day. I would only be one day away from talking to her at this pace.

I reached Pinchot Pass, sitting at 12119 feet, at 3:44 pm and celebrated with one of my remaining two Snickers.

It was a smoggy view toward both side of the pass, the most it had been since my first few days hiking in Yosemite. Talking to other hikers, it may have been a controlled burn at Road’s End that lead to this smog.

After an half hour break on Pinchot pass enjoying my Snickers and talking to a few NOBO hikers, I started down the smoggy valley after one last look back at the pass with the desolate looking Mount Pinchot and Mount Wynne looming over. The initial descent is about a -11% grade switchbacking over a mile

before flattening out and continuing on a bench overlooking the lush green headwaters of Woods Creek drainage below on the left for 3/4 of a mile.

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trip report day 16 – Woods Creek (C.10.07) to Onion Valley Trailhead

It wasn’t just a goal for day 16’s hike, it was what I had to get done. The task was a two pass day over Glenn and Kearsarge Passes. It was getting back to civilization and Meg day.

I was ready to leave camp early on this momentous day, a full 17 minutes earlier than normal at 7:43am that is. My tent is still a bit wet, but who cares as it’s in town for a zero tomorrow. I just stuffed it on my outside pocket and was ready to go. My only meals left were 2 instant mash potatoes with beef jerky, so mash potatoes for breakfast it was. At least it was fast! After fixing duct taping the broken end of my hiking pole, I was on my way!

Steele, Mallory, and Jean were all already gone by that time… so I was last out of the group again, sigh.

information

• Woods Creek (C.10.07) to Onion Valley Trailhead
  • gps track – wikiloc alltrails caltopo
• distance: 18.3 miles
• elevation change: 4970 ft ascent & 4313 ft descent
• time: 9:56 hours with breaks (8:09 hours moving time)

Directly out of camp, it was a 3.7 mile climb at about 8.2% grade following the South Fork Woods Creek up the Rae Lakes drainage. The initial portion had some cover from trees, but they thinned out as I ascended. There were stretches that crossed rock fields were the worst under the scorching sun, however there were several stream crossings.

The end of the initial climb ends with a junction for Baxter Pass, branching off to the left. The JMT flattens out here and comes to the first lake,

Dollar Lake. Fin Dome can be seen sticking out on the ridge ahead. There are a couple campsites (Wenk: C.10.09) here, but the ones on the shore of the lake is currently close to restoration (Wenk: C.10.10). There is also a bushwhacking route here called Mount Cedric Wright High Route climbing to the right and will intersect the Sixty Lakes Basin trail.

Above Dollar Lake, there is a nice view of the marshy meadows ahead and the South Fork Woods Creek that the trail crosses from the right bank to the left.

The JMT continues on the eastern side of Arrowhead Lake passing a campsite (Wenk: C.10.11), however the trail stays above and away from the lake.

5.35 miles into my day and 1.7 miles from Dollar Lake, I arrive at the first of the well regarded Rae Lakes at 10:30am. There are several camping areas here at Lower Rae Lake which sits under Fin Dome, the first when you reach the lake initially (Wenk: C.10.12).

The second campsite has the Rae Lake North bear box with several shaded spots (Wenk: C.10.13).

The trail gains a little elevation as it continues toward Middle Rae Lake, providing a more elevated view. From here, you can see the entire ridge line consisting of Mount Gould, Mount Rixford, Painted Lady, and Glenn Pass from left to right.

The campsite (Wenk: C.10.16) along Middle Rae Lake is further along past the Ranger Station. You can find it by following the sign for the Rae Lake South Bear Box.

At the end of Middle Rae Lake, there is a junction toward Dragon Lake branching off to the left and west.

While the Middle and Lower Rae Lakes are beautiful and have some nice camping areas, my jaw hit the floor when I arrived at Upper Rae Lake. The Painted Lady with her green and turquoises dress was absolutely stunning.

There is no camping here as marked by a restoration sign, however I did see a few campers among the trees and on the boulders on the strip of land separating the Upper and Middle Rae Lakes. The trail itself continues along the Upper Rae Lake Shore. There is a water crossing where the Upper Rae Lake drains into the Middle Rae Lake.

I stopped here to refill water and eat a snack before the making my push toward Glenn Pass. Seeing how it was 11:30am and I had perfectly timed a pass at the hottest part of the day once again, I went to my strategy of soaking my shirt before heading up.

Just after the crossing is the junction for Sixty Lake Basin branching off to the right. It is here that Wenk notes a campsite with a few spots (C.10.17).

From here my climb up toward Glenn Pass starts. The first portion of the climb is just over a mile at a grade around 13.9%. It first starts to gain the rock face above the lake with views out toward Black Mountain and Diamond Peak.

Then works behind the Painted Lady to the east with over a gravel terrain with a few small ponds to the west. I hit the uphills with plenty of energy and felling pretty good. I powered through the first mile in 50 minutes.

Then the real fun begins with a 19.1% grade switchbacks over a stretch of 0.6 miles. The clouds start to gather when I start up the switchbacks damping the colors of the small ponds to the west. The vivid Rae Lakes seemed very small now under Painted Lady, Black Mountain, and Diamond Peak.

The shear steepness of the climb makes it almost impossible to pick out the pass as I looked up.

Despite the steep incline, I made it to Glenn Pass in 1:16 hours from Rae Lake at 12:46pm. Glenn Pass isn’t the tallest at 11942 feet, but it had the steepest final approach thus far. I celebrated with my last Snickers Bar looking back into Rae Lakes Basin.

On the other side, Glenn Pass Lake and Lower Glenn Pass Lake can be seen. However what caught my attention more was the ominous clouds overhead.

I only lingered at the pass for about 10 minutes and I was on my way down the steep switchbacks toward Glenn Lakes at about 1pm. The first stretch of the down hill from the pass to the Lower Glenn Lake was about 0.7 miles at a knee breaking -17.7% grade. The loose dirt and gravel make up the the trail wasn’t fun either.

I was past Lower Glenn Lake after 20 minutes. On a better day, these lakes may look pretty. But not it is merely part of the drab granite rocks without and contrast. Some light thunder rumblings started taking place, which added to my giddy up.

The JMT then curves around the mountain on a ledge continuing to drop at a more manageable -8.6% grade for the next mile. We get a peak here and there at the Charlotte Lake drainage.

I encountered some NOBO hikers as I continued downhills who nervously asked about the trail ahead and the weather. The difference in experience levels of these hikers still at the beginning hike compared to those I passed a few days ago at Muir Pass was almost immeasurable. I think it’s one of the more interesting and entertaining aspects of the JMT to see hikers going the opposite direction grow and progress in reverse.

I reached the Kearsarge Pass trail junction at 2pm. This trail stays higher up on the ledge toward the Pass and a more direct route for SOBO hikers. On my way back, I would take the lower Bull frog trail that connects with the JMT further south.

While I was consuming some gummies at the junction for a sugar boost, I met up with Andy and Diego on their way out from their trip. They are veterans of the Sierra Nevada mountains having explore many of the valley off trail. While exploring, they focus on professional level still photography. You can check their respective Instagrams out here: Diego & Andy. I was grateful that they were willing to give me a ride to town from Onion Valley.

Real bed and food tonight!

The Kearsarge Pass Trail starts to climb away from the JMT at a gradual 4.1% grade for about 2.5 miles. It was a sandy at parts and rocky at others, but the terrain seemed to be much dryer here. This seemed contrary to the storm clouds that hang over us as we continued along the ledge with views of Bullfrog Lake.

Continuing on, the wind started to pick up and I felt some drizzling by the time we reach a view of the Kearsarge Lakes under the Kearsarge Pinnacles.

After the junction with the Bullfrog Trail, the final push to Kearsarge Pass begins. The loose dirt and the 17.5% grade made the last 0.4 miles almost seemed impossible. But communication with Meg was only a few more steps away.

We reached the windy Kearsarge Pass at 3:41pm or 1:41 hours from the Kearsarge Pass Trail junction with the JMT. Kearsarge Pass sits at 11795 feet. The weather seemed to change completely at the pass and on the other side.

Famously, it is know as the place know for it’s cell reception. However, my Google Fi on the T-Mobile network did not have reception. I would have to be a little more patient.

The terrain on the other side of Kearsarge seemed like a completely different planet, a dry arid planet. Big Pothole Lake looks more like a crater filled in with water. This was my first time entering Owens Valley it was shocking how much it differed from the valleys in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The 5.5 miles down from Kearsarge Pass to Onion Valley Trailhead descended at an almost even -10% grade the entire way. I finally got some sort of reception after I passed Big Pothole Lake. It wasn’t good enough for a call, so texting it was.

Meg was all set with her travel plans and equipment to bring (I will discuss our preparations in the next section). She would be heading to bed early since she was on eastern time and her flight was very early. But it was good just to talk to her briefly and knowing she’ll be able to reach me whenever at this point.

Though this process, I proceeded to stumble down the next few miles like a phone zombie, but at least I was a happy zombie.

Meanwhile the trail passed over Heart Lake and Flower Lake in the distance. There was a nice camping area among the trees with a water source off trail toward Flower Lake. The most stunning of the lakes was next, Gilbert Lake with its perfectly still surface and view out toward Owens Valley and the Inyo Mountains on the other side.

The rest of the way down to Onion Valley Trailhead felt like death by a billion switchbacks. It was very frustrating to see how close the parking lot was but to be still so far away. This would not be the last time I would hate switchbacks in California. At least this time, I had a great conversation with Diego about his PCT thru-hike and photography.

We reached the parking lot and Andy’s van at 5:40pm. We celebrated with a beer, and I was indeed tipsy after that 1 beer.

Andy and Diego would be heading north from Onion Valley Trailhead, so I asked to be dropped off in the larger city of Bishop rather than the small town of Independence. This would provide me with more hotel options and the bigger grocery store.

They dropped me off in front of Amigos Mexican Restaurant (tripadvisor) where my first priority was a California Burrito with unlimited refills of Horchata. This allowed me to recharge my phone and book a room my hotel for the night. I ended up booking a night at Travelodge in the Wyndham Hotel group for USD$98.96. It was around 10 dollars more than the cheapest option, but it came with a free breakfast. Furthermore, I was able to take advantage of Wyndham’s Mastercard promotion (drofcredit) to receive 7500 extra points for a stay, equivalent to a half the cost of a reward stay.

After a long long long shower, I was happy to be in a real bed. Even better, I would see Meg the next day.

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impressions

The area between Muir Trail Ranch and Kearsarge Pass is the fourth uniquely distinguishable section on the JMT and it is mostly in Kings Canyon National Park. I was very happy to be out of the Sierra National Forest with all horse poop and flies that defined that section. Overall, Kings Canyon National Park was my favorite section as it crossed into higher elevations with granite mountains and colorful lakes. Even when I was hiking in lower areas, there was always a cool stream or creek making for a pleasant walk.

For the typical backpacker, there are so many possible options to experience this section. The North Lake & South Lake loop captured by Joey Coconato from My Own Frontier (YouTube) was the last straw that pushed me to apply for the JMT permit on a whim is one of the many options here. Another popular loop would be the Rae Lakes loop (NPS), with multiple entry points such as Road’s End entering from the west. There are also many pass from the Owens Valley that can get you into the area from the east such as the popular Bishop, Kearsarge, and Piute Passes. For those with more experience, additional passes from the east include Taboose, Sawmill, and Baxter.

It was also in this section that I had multiple conversations with local veteran backpackers that really emphasized how much beauty is hidden away off trail in the many untouched valleys of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Should you have the experience and skills, there is almost endless possibilities here.

The amazing aesthetics in this section also brought to the forefront the loneliness that comes with solo hiking. As I discussed earlier, it made me realize that part enjoying the all encapsulating views is to be able to share it with others. It was the spark that reminded me of what matters most to me and that was sharing these trips with Meg. Furthermore, that reminder also was able to bring clarity to other uncertain aspects of my life.

The total distance that I covered between MTR and Onion Valley Trailhead was 79.2 miles with 17319 ft ascent and 15535 ft descent. At the end of this section, my trip total was 204.7 miles with 39843 feet gain and 41344 feet loss in elevation.

ratings (1-5; link for detailed breakdown)

views: 4. The high barren granite terrain and passes dominated the most memorable views of this section. However, not all passes were fully aesthetically pleasing. The most memorable ones had something to contrast the otherwise bleak and dreary color of the granite. My favorite was Upper Rae Lake that brings all that’s around it to life.

There were plenty of other instances of that including the Palisade Lakes before Mather Pass,

the unnamed lakes in LeConte Canyon after Muir Pass,

and Sapphire Lake in Evolution Basin.

Also worth mentioning is the Kearsarge Lake drainage and I’d imagine the Woods Creek headwaters right after Pinchot Pass when there isn’t complete smog.

My favorite campsite wasn’t in the high country however, but rather the idyllic McClure meadows and full on alpenglow.

The entirely of Evolution Valley and Basin were indeed spectacular. I heard that camping by Wanda Lake not only provided a nice alpenglow, but also a moon rise just over Muir Hut.

If you are looking for wildlife, I saw plenty of deer in LeConte Canyon and also my only black bear on the JMT.

I guess that pretty much covered most of the trail in this section. That is why this was my favorite stretch on the JMT.

difficulty: 2. On the five full days of hiking, I was averaging about 17 miles with 3 days over 18. The total elevation gain when I didn’t have a double pass day was between 2500-3000 and was about 4000 and 5000 on my double pass days. Again, I was pushing my pace on these sections and you should walk at your pace. I don’t take my fatigue from the longer days into my difficulty rating since that is a personal choice.

The most difficult aspect regarding this section was the among of exposure to the sun. It can be draining and part of the main reason I think people would consider the Golden Staircase very difficult. I personally didn’t think it was too bad, but I found the strategy of soaking the shirt I’m wearing and a towel or another shirt to put on the back of my neck kept me cool during the climbs. I was grateful for that tip since I ended up doing majority of my climbs in the hot afternoon.

In terms of the steepness, the Golden Staircase wasn’t the steepest uphill I encountered. Both the final approach to Glenn and Kearsarge Passes were steeper and more difficult. The park rangers and trail builders really did a good job in maintaining and keeping majority of the trails at an decent incline with switchbacks.

None of the downhills were particularly bad either, just very long in some cases such as from Pinchot Pass to Woods Creek swing bridge. Overall, my knees were in pretty good shape.

I didn’t find flies a problem at all on this section, mainly because the National Park regulate pack animals better so there isn’t much horse poop on the trail. There were areas that mosquitoes can be a bother, such as Evolution Valley. However they pale in comparison to the previous section.

I was lucky in that I didn’t encounter much rain or storm, save a tiny bit on my final approach to Kearsarge Pass. However, there was smog encompassing around Pinchot Pass and Woods Creek. I was pretty fortunate overall. Again, environmental issues such as heavy snow year, storms, or smog can easily boost the difficulty rating up to a 3 or higher. But I would say this is a 2 typically.

technical: 1. Again, the JMT is well marked and traveled. Navigation wise, the only part that might be a bit unclear is the trail north of Muir Pass since the Middle Fork Kings River and side streams run over the rocky trail at points making it indistinguishable from the river. I’d recommend have a trail map on your phone at least or Guthooks. There are alternatives as part of the Sierra High Route or other backcountry routes you can take here, but that’s not part of the main JMT so I won’t discuss that in this score.

In term of technical skills, there is a major ford of Evolution Creek that is pretty easy during the typical hiking season. It is one of the two large fords on the JMT with some danger in high snow year or early in the season. So good judgement is needed in those situations. However, in a typical year and later in the season, no additional technical skills are needed beyond general backpacking and wilderness skills and knowledge unless it is a late snow year or you are attempting this early. In an heavy snow year, the crossing of South Fork Kings River at the low point between Mather and Pinchot Passes may become dangerous, so consult park rangers should you be there early in the season.

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