Day 5 of the High Sierra Trail: Junction Meadow to Crabtree Meadow

DAY STATS:
Date: Friday, August 6, 2021
Mileage: 8.9 miles

Despite our ridiculously long day the day before, we knew we had quite the climb out of Kern Canyon and wanted to tackle as much of it as we could in the shade, so we set our alarms for another early morning. We were getting pretty good at doing our morning chores and packing up quickly, so we were out of camp within less than an hour.

It was an extremely quiet morning on the trail – which was probably a combination of it being so early and it being in such a remote area of the sierra. On the left were the Kaweahs and the elusive Colby Pass, and on the right, the junction up to the John Muir Trail (aptly known as the John Muir Trail Superhighway). We knew our solitude wouldn’t last long, so we made sure to enjoy it while we had it!

Waking up early also helped tremendously with the climb, as we stayed in the shade for much longer than I was anticipating. This was our steepest climb since Hamilton Lake, and would actually get us just under halfway up to Whitney altitude-wise (!!). In the moment, the climb was definitely difficult, but I look back on it fondly (unlike the aforementioned Hamilton Lake climb). It goes by fast!

Before long, we were high above Kern Canyon and had a great view of where we had hiked through the day before. There were points of the trail where we could even see we had descended from Moraine Lake, and it was pretty unbelievable to see how far we had come in just over a day of hiking! The miles feel long, but the days are short!

We didn’t encounter too many hikers coming up the climb, mostly because there aren’t too many people exploring the Colby Pass area. We ran into a few people going into the Kaweahs and after hearing their stories and plans, all put it on our bucket list for the future.

One thing I did not expect was how high we were above Wallace Creek for pretty much the entire climb. From the map, it looked like we would be hugging the creek and have plenty of water access, but without a pretty gnarly climb down the ravine, the water was not accessible. Be sure to prepare for that by taking enough water from Junction Meadow.

The crossing at Wright Creek was a beautiful waterfall with an easy log across. Our HST hike followed a low snow year, so it was super easy getting across. A higher snow year could prove this to be a bit more difficult.

While difficult, the climb was honestly over before we knew it, and we officially arrived at the junction of the John Muir Trail! It had been six years since I had been on this stretch of the JMT, and it was like seeing an old friend. While there definitely was a lot that I didn’t remember (namely, how hilly it was between Wallace Creek and Crabtree Meadows – did I just black out for that stretch or…?), there was so much that I did. We stopped at Wallace Creek for a snack and to refill our water, and I took a stroll over to the campsite that I stayed at on my second-to-last night on the JMT. I remember I had my worst food cravings of the whole JMT at this campsite – I could literally taste the sandwich from Italia Deli in Agoura Hills in my daydreams (if you know, you know). It was a fun morning of nostalgia for my JMT thruhike – one of my proudest accomplishments!

Another thing that I completely forgot was how hot and dry the trail was between Wallace Creek and Crabtree Meadows. Be sure to fill up your water at Wallace!

After taking a quick break, we hopped onto the John Muir Trail Superhighway. It always surprises me just how many hikers are always in the area between Kearsarge Pass and Cottonwood Pass (we’ll call this the greater Whitney zone). Every time I’m in this area, there are so many hikers that it feels like I’m in a popular dayhiking area – but no! You are literally a multi-day trip away from any trailhead. It is absolutely wild.

As mentioned above, I completely forgot just how hilly the trail is between Wallace Creek and Crabtree Meadow. Up and down, up and down, up and down. And not only just up and down, but up and down on sand. Fortunately you are treated to views of the northern Sierras (towards Forester Pass) and west toward the Kaweahs to distract you from your hard work. We were also getting quite giddy to be so close to Whitney and feeling the energy from all the hikers around you – these miles went by pretty quickly!

Our plan was to have lunch at Sky Meadow, but there were quite a few meadows with a fantastic view of the Kaweahs, so we stopped at one that we believed to be Sky Meadow for a nice break. We chatted with hikers coming and going and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon in the shadow of Whitney!

After lunch, we hopped back on trail and (very) quickly arrived at real Sky Meadow. It was beautiful and would have been a great lunch spot – next time!

Before we knew it, we arrived at the junction to Crabtree Meadow and headed east. So began the long, dusty uphill towards Whitney Summit!

As with every overnight trip to Whitney, we debated changing our schedule to summit Whitney the next day (as our schedule stood, we had built in an extra day just in case we had gotten delayed for any reason, and we were planning on having a nero day at Guitar Lake the next day). The new idea was to summit Whitney the next day and then spend the night at Trail Camp the next night, but ultimately we decided to keep our schedule as is and let ourselves rest after a tough few days on trail.

We arrived at Crabtree Meadows in the early afternoon. When you get to Crabtree Meadows from the trail, there is a large campground-style flat area with room for a ton of tents. If you continue down the hill and cross the stream, you’ll find a lot more single campsites that offer a bit more solitude. Across the stream, you’ll also find the ranger cabin and the pit toilet. By the time that we arrived, we were hot and tired, and since we knew that the Whitney zone never really offers too much solitude, we were happy setting up camp in the “group” area near the trail and making some new friends!

Before long, we had set up camp, taken a quick breather, and were feeling refreshed. Since our water filter was still very much on the fritz, I ventured out to the ranger station to see if I could find a sponge or other cleaning device (the syringe that we had been gifted the day before was helping, but we felt like we could fix the problem if we had a sponge).

The ranger station at Crabtree Meadow truly is a backcountry marvel. It is such a beautiful building, and it is so impressive how it can withstand the harsh winters in the sierra above 10,000 feet! I’m jealous of the rangers that get to live there over the summer.

My jealousy got even worse when I saw a note on the cabin saying that the ranger was out backpacking and exploring for a few days. What a life!! There were a few people hanging around the ranger station and on the walk back to our campsite, so I asked a few people if they had a sponge I could borrow. I came across two women who were more that willing to lend me their sponge for the afternoon. One of them was suffering from some severe stomach issues, so as a thank you, we loaded her up with medication for stomach problems and altitude sickness for her attempt back to the trailhead. We were both so equally thankful for what the other had given us – the trail always provides!

With our syringe and sponge, we were able to pump 14 liters of water – our max capacity. We had to clean out the pump literally every half liter – it was slow-going and a bit emotionally taxing, but it got done. We couldn’t have done it without the tools that we had received from our fellow hikers. Fellow hikers, if you are somehow reading this and helped us in the summer of 2021, THANK YOU.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent stretching and doing yoga, catching up with the hikers that we had been leap-frogging all week, playing Skip-Bo, and watching people arrive back at Crabtree from their summits that day. It was a wonderfully relaxing day (post-hike, of course), and we were excited to start our climb up Whitney to Guitar Lake the next day.

Our day ended watching the sun set over Whitney with about 30 of our new closest friends (aka everyone who we were sharing a campsite with). There was lots of talk of anticipation for the next two days to come. Some people were making their summit attempt early the next morning, and some (like us) were making the short trek up to Guitar Lake the next day to give themselves the perfect setup for Whitney the next day. We found out that a large group of ladies had named the three of us “The Three Amigas,” and the name had even spread to other groups on the trail. It was so sweet to see how everyone was connected over this 2 1/2 foot by 72 mile stretch of dirt across the Sierra. It was a wonderful day and a wonderful evening, and we went to bed feeling eager for the next two days to come.

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More Posts on the High Sierra Trail:

Day-by-day Journal:
Day 1: Crescent Meadow to Bearpaw Meadow
Day 2: Bearpaw Meadow to Precipice Lake
Day 3: Precipice Lake to Moraine Lake
Day 4: Moraine Lake to Junction Meadow
Day 5: Junction Meadow to Crabtree Ranger Station
Day 6: Crabtree Ranger Station to Guitar Lake
Day 7: Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal

Planning:
Your Quick and Dirty Guide to the High Sierra Trail
My Complete Packing List for the High Sierra Trail
The High Sierra Trail on Film
Getting To and From the High Sierra Trail
Tips and Tricks for the High Sierra Trail