Tarn above Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal: 16.5 Miles
Sept. 22nd, 2011.
I woke up to the sound of groups of hikers passing by at 3:45 am. They were heading up the switchbacks by headlamp. I wasn't comfortable hiking on an unfamiliar trail at high elevation by headlamp, so I relaxed and dozed off.
Within an hour or so I could see their headlamps on the side of the mountain, way way up toward the top. A friend had told about seeing this same thing many years ago, and now here I was.
By 6:30 am I had gathered my gear and while wearing every piece of clothing I had I started up the trail toward Mt. Whitney. For the first 20 minutes it was seriously cold, but soon I removed almost everything and hiked there rest of the way in shorts with silk long johns, a wind breaker and lightweight hat/gloves.
The views of Mt. Hitchcock and Hitchcock Lakes in the sunrise was beautiful. While hiking up toward Trail Crest I passed a few bivy camp sites (possible camp spots for next time). The trail was basically dug out of the granite most of the way. There was a storm passing from the east and although it was sunny there was snow blowing over from the other side of the ridge.
I left the Tamarack Lodge by Twin Lakes in Mammoth and hit the trail by 8:30 am. After almost a year of planning I was excited to finally be on the thru hike section of the JMT. I had already hiked the first 60 miles earlier in the summer and now I would be hiking the final 160 miles solo.
For trip reports on the first two sections of the JMT check out:
My resupply was waiting a few days away at Muir Trail Ranch so my pack only weighed about 14 lbs. The back way to the Horseshoe Lake trail head involved some bushwhacking but soon I was heading over Mammoth Pass. This area is mainly forested with just a slight amount of incline over the 'pass'. I connected with the JMT at Upper Crater Meadow and soon I was out of the forest and there were good views of the Cascade Valley.
Entering the Ansel Adams Wilderness on the way to Mammoth Pass.
Views of the Cascade Valley. The clouds would bring rain later that day.
The trail was well graded even with some elevation changes at the outlet of Duck Lake and Purple Lake. On the way up from Duck Lake it started to hail so while seeking shelter under a tree I put on my pack cover and rain parka. I had made both of these out of lightweight cuben fiber (0.34 oz/sqyd and 0.51 oz/sqyd) earlier in the summer and I was interested to see how they 'performed' in a full on rain shower. The pack cover was fine, but the neck seam on the rain jacket leaked even after being seam sealed. I tried using super glue to seal it, but it leaked a little throughout the next few days.
The rocky trail follows the 10,150 ft. elevation contour around a large bluff and eventually descends to Purple Creek. It was raining steadily but I made good time down the granite stairs. After filling up on water at Purple Creek I made my way up more switchbacks on the way to Virginia Lake.
This section was beautiful and I was amazed by a large formation of huge 'newer' looking boulders that looked very much out of place to the right of the trail. Elizabeth Wenks guidebook describes these boulders as a rock glacier that is slowly moving down the slope. I took a break in this area and checked the few pages I brought along of the guidebook for good camp sites at Virginia Lake. Two girls passed me who I had seen putting on their rain back at the outlet of Duck Lake. When I told them I was checking for a good camp near Virginia Lake one of them commented that there is camping all over the place and to just camp wherever you get tired. I felt like a total newbie sitting there reading the guidebook as they cruised by me on their way to Tully Hole for the night.
Soon I was over the crest and heading down to Virginia Lake. The weather did not look good and it was time to find some shelter quickly. I got some more water and headed up to the trees above the lake in search of a good spot to ride out the storm. I had dinner on a rock overlooking Virginia Lake, a beautiful lake with a nice stream feeding it from above. I had read a lot about this lake and was not disappointed.
After stashing my bear canister in some trees far from my shelter I got into my warm down quilt and started what would become my nightly routine of reading the guidebook and maps for the next days travel. My legs were a sore but I had been training all summer by doing 12 mile hikes on the weekends and I had already done a trip with consecutive 15 mile days. I used the bear canister to roll out my right I.T. band which had been a concern earlier in the season. I had no problems the entire trip thanks to the corrective exercises I learned from my friend and trainer Joe Fox in Newport Beach. I was ready to delay my trip and get knee surgery earlier in the year, but Joe showed my how to fix all my knee problems. Joe is a life saver and I can't thank him enough.
I was awakened in the night by what sounded like a bear knocking my bear canister around the rocks. I had left my stove out since I would be using it again in the morning, and I could here it being bounced around on the rocks. My heart was racing and I was ready to jump out and scare the bear away. After a while the bear seemed to get tired and since it couldn't get at the food it seemed to go away. I was tired and after a while went back to sleep. I tossed and turned most of the night.
Tarp & Bivy in rain mode at Virginia Lake.
Virginia Lake at the end of Day 1. Ominous clouds never brought much rain that night.
A video of the hail storm on Day 1:
A map of the days progress (click for full size):
twin lakes to Virginia lake elevation profile (click for full size)
Day zero was mostly a travel day from Laguna Beach to Lone Pine. Somehow right before leaving town work gets extremely busy, so as usual I was pushed for time when it was finally time to get out of town. I had been planning this trip for a year so fortunately all of my gear was dialed in and ready to go. I worked into the night and didn't get on the road until 10:00 pm. I arrived in Lone Pine at 2:00 am and the local sheriff told me to just park next to the local park and my car would be fine. All of the locals in Lone Pine were extremely nice and helpful, even the sheriff offered to give me a ride from Whitney Portal, but I was arriving too late and he was off his shift by the time I got there.
I caught the early morning CREST bus out of Lone Pine to Mammoth. I sat next to a guy who had just finished a 10 day trek in the backcountry. We talked about the gear he had made himself and he asked about my home made backpack etc. His rain gear was very cool and it gave me an idea to try something similar myself. He was using a poncho tarp, but without a hood, just a hole in the middle. He had made it through some bad weather just fine. He was a great guy and had a lot of knowledge and experience in the high Sierra's.
By the time we reached Mammoth I was starting to get excited about the trip. I could hardly beleive it was finally time to hit the trail for 11 days solo. Total freedom from all responsibility and lots of space to do and think whatever I want. I was looking forward to plenty of trail meditation. The bus dropped me off at the local McDonalds and while I was enjoying a final 'real' high calorie meal a guy came over to me asking about my ultralight backpack and other gear. We ended up talking ultralight gear while I was finishing some cheeseburgers.
It was a short walk over to the permit office in Mammoth. I was one of only two other people in the office and it didn't take long before I was on road walking to the tram stop to Twin Lakes. After waiting a while I realized it was futile to sit around so I started walking to the trail head. A nice guy picked me along the way, he recognized me from the permit station, and took me to the downtown/village area. I found out that the tram to the Twin Lakes area was closed for the season so I decided to just walk.
By the time I arrived at Twin Lakes I was starting to feel the lack of sleep from the last few days. While checking out the Tamarack Lodge I decided to just get a room and leave early the next morning. I slept straight for 18 hours and was on the trail by 8:00 the next morning. The locals at the front desk told me about a back way into the John Muir Wilderness and soon I was on the trail around the south side of Mammoth Mountain and onto the JMT just north of the Red Cones.
I found a simple lightweight solution to replace my heavyweight Petzel Tikka XP 2 headlamp. It's a MYOG Half Ounce Headlamp. The headlamp is actually two lights with each one mounted at eye level on either side of the head. By mounting two Photon Freedom Micro flashlights to a lightweight elastic headband at eye level on either side I have been able to cut my headlamp weight by 83%. Since I already carry two Photon Freedom Micro flashlights anyway the additional weight for the elastic headband is only 1/10th of an ounce (4 grams). Now that's what I'm talkin'bout.
Half Ounce Headlamp
The height and direction of the lights can be easily adjusted on the go. Each light can also be detached for use as an individual flashlight.
Velcro is used to attach the lights to the headband. The hook & loop is sewn to the lightweight elastic headband and attached with adhesive to the Photon Freedom Micro.
I used to think the little Photon Freedom Micro lights weren't bright enough. It was an easy way to lower base weight on a spread sheet but it really didn't seem to have any true functionality. To put it simply, a little LED is just not bright enough AND I have to actually hold it. Come on. That's not a solution, it's just another problem. My Petzl Tikka XP 2 only weighs 3 ounces and it puts out 60 lumens. . .
Then I went camping in the Prescott National Forest last winter to do some cold weather camping and I brought both. A Petzel Tikka XP 2 and two Photon Freedom Micro LED lights. To my surprise the two LED lights seemed just as bright as my headlamp. I had just purchased the new version of the Photon Freedom Micro lights that were supposed to be 30% brighter than the previous version, and it seemed like the two of them put out plenty of light. They stayed bright much longer than the Petzel Tikka XP 2, which has considerable loss of brightness after about half an hour.
But were they bright enough to actually hike safely at night? My next test was during a 14 mile training hike in the coastal canyons of Laguna Beach. I got a late start and I was still two hours from home when it started to get dark. By 10:00 pm it was really dark and I had to hike out of Woods Canyon up a winding single track trail with over 800 feet of elevation gain in less than one mile. I was able to hike out safely using the Half Ounce Headlamp with no problem and it was completely dark with no moonlight.
So there it is, the MYOG Half Ounce Headlamp. See you on the trail, even if it's at night!
