Overview

We were incredibly fortunate with our timing and the fires burning in the surrounding areas. Day one started off pretty smoky, but as we climbed higher and neared the Great Western Divide, we left most of it behind and below us. Smoke settled around us at camp on night two, but when we woke up the next morning it had all cleared out. We wouldn't hike through any more smoke until descending to Whitney Portal on day five. The day after we finished the hike, all of the National Forests closed due to the fires. You are still required to carry a bear can, even if you are camping where there are bear boxes. You also need to carry and use a WAG bag for any poops in the Mt. Whitney Zone (begins at Crabtree Meadow and extends up and over Whitney til you near the Portal). We purchased ours from REI.

Logistics

The day before our hike, we drove two cars (our own + a one-way rental) to Whitney Portal and dropped off our car there. We then drove the rental to Visalia, dropped it off, and stayed the night. We went into Sequoia early the following morning to begin the hike.

Conditions

Clear skies. Highs in the 70s, lows in the 40s. No bugs. Some smoke beginning of day one, end of day two, and end of day five.

Day 4

Junction Meadow to tarn above Guitar Lake

Left camp at 5:40am to climb east and up out of the Kern River Canyon. The climb up along Wallace Creek is strenuous, but thankfully we were in shade with our early start. We were able to make it to the junction with the PCT/JMT as the sun rose above the mountains in front of us. We turned south for a few miles and took a rest at the saddle near 11,000'. Shortly after our break, we left the PCT and continued east on the JMT past Crabtree Meadow. The climb was steady but pretty exposed and warm. My foot still ached. We had only ran into one or two people each night at camp before this, but as we approached Guitar Lake it became more crowded. There were dozens of people setting up camp along the shoreline, so we passed by the lake and climbed up to a tarn sitting above it at 11,700' to make camp. Even the tarn was pretty crowded, but not as bad as the lake below. It was only 2pm when we arrived, so we managed to get a lot of rest and really soak in the high country. Marmots wandered around curiously, hoping to score an easy meal from careless backpackers. We set our alarm for 2am so that we could make the climb to Mt. Whitney for sunrise.