It was a little chilly when we woke as the sun hadn't yet risen over the mountains to the east of us. I got up and made coffee us usual and Christi packed up the bags, mattresses and tarp. We were on trail by 7am. Today's route had us going to Guitar Lake, our base camp for our Whitney climb tomorrow. We had only about 12 miles today and our only real obstacle was Guyot Pass which came early and wasn't much, as far as passes go.
As we started this morning we were a bit sore from the sand slog up Langley. The first hour is usually spent working the kinks out and loosening up tight joints. By mid morning we were rolling along comfortably. We stopped for a snack on top of Guyot Pass.
Above is a picture of Mt. Guyot from the pass. After a 30min break we headed down the north side of the pass. A couple of pleasant hiking hours later we were at Crabtree Meadows. We stopped for lunch by Whitney Creek lounging in the shade and dipping in the creek. We didn't want to arrive at Guitar Lake too early as it is above treeline and there is zero escape from the sun. After hanging out for over an hour we started the climb from Crabtree to Guitar Lake. I thought this was a beautiful part of the trip as there was plenty of run off so everything was so green.
On the way up we passed by Timberline Lake. Very beautiful. There is no camping allowed at this lake as it was very overused. Things have returned to normal and the lake is gorgeous.
This is truly where the timberline ends and we'll say goodbye to shade for the next 24 hours. We reached Guitar Lake at around 4pm. It was still bright and warm out. I scouted all around the lake for spots large enough for two tarps. Eventually we settled for a spot pretty close to the lake but tucked behind the rocks for a little wind break. The drainage from Arctic Lake empties into Guitar Lake. The Funks were getting water after dinner and with Mt. Russell in the background I tried to capture the beautiful scene. Even stopping down my camera a few stops wouldn't stop the wash out of the afternoon sun on Russell.
I sure would love to have my DSLR but the extra weight and bulk always has me carrying my trusty point and shoot. Unfortunately it has less adjust ability, so I live with it. This basin is just below the mighty Sierra Crest, and looking up from our campsite I can see Mt. Muir and what I think is Trail Crest. where the trail from Whitney Portal joins, before the last 2 mile tail to the summit. I went swimming in the lake as it wasn't as cold as everyone claims. We had an early dinner and relaxed under the tarptent. As the sun started to finally slide out of view over the western horizon, the yawning commenced and blissful sleep followed.
It was a little chilly when we woke as the sun hadn't yet risen over the mountains to the east of us. I got up and made coffee us usual and Christi packed up the bags, mattresses and tarp. We were on trail by 7am. Today's route had us going to Guitar Lake, our base camp for our Whitney climb tomorrow. We had only about 12 miles today and our only real obstacle was Guyot Pass which came early and wasn't much, as far as passes go.
As we started this morning we were a bit sore from the sand slog up Langley. The first hour is usually spent working the kinks out and loosening up tight joints. By mid morning we were rolling along comfortably. We stopped for a snack on top of Guyot Pass.
Above is a picture of Mt. Guyot from the pass. After a 30min break we headed down the north side of the pass. A couple of pleasant hiking hours later we were at Crabtree Meadows. We stopped for lunch by Whitney Creek lounging in the shade and dipping in the creek. We didn't want to arrive at Guitar Lake too early as it is above treeline and there is zero escape from the sun. After hanging out for over an hour we started the climb from Crabtree to Guitar Lake. I thought this was a beautiful part of the trip as there was plenty of run off so everything was so green.
On the way up we passed by Timberline Lake. Very beautiful. There is no camping allowed at this lake as it was very overused. Things have returned to normal and the lake is gorgeous.
This is truly where the timberline ends and we'll say goodbye to shade for the next 24 hours. We reached Guitar Lake at around 4pm. It was still bright and warm out. I scouted all around the lake for spots large enough for two tarps. Eventually we settled for a spot pretty close to the lake but tucked behind the rocks for a little wind break. The drainage from Arctic Lake empties into Guitar Lake. The Funks were getting water after dinner and with Mt. Russell in the background I tried to capture the beautiful scene. Even stopping down my camera a few stops wouldn't stop the wash out of the afternoon sun on Russell.
I sure would love to have my DSLR but the extra weight and bulk always has me carrying my trusty point and shoot. Unfortunately it has less adjust ability, so I live with it. This basin is just below the mighty Sierra Crest, and looking up from our campsite I can see Mt. Muir and what I think is Trail Crest. where the trail from Whitney Portal joins, before the last 2 mile tail to the summit. I went swimming in the lake as it wasn't as cold as everyone claims. We had an early dinner and relaxed under the tarptent. As the sun started to finally slide out of view over the western horizon, the yawning commenced and blissful sleep followed.
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