John Muir Trail 2018

Scanned the lake for one last time

JMT DAY 30 - LATE AFTERNOON AT MARY LAKE Late afternoon at Mary Lake Besides the fact that I had never explored this lake before, one of the reasons why I took a break here was that a massive blanket of clouds started rolling in. What I liked about it though was that the top of the ridge still remained in the sun, and the reflection of it in the water was simply pleasing to the eye. In particular when the lake was completely enclosed by the wall towering over it, the water hardly gets stirred, which created a perfect condition for reflections. As long as light was in my favor, there would be no doubt that it was going to be a good shot. While composing, I wondered what it would look like in winter. I made a quick mental note to myself that I may want to come back here in winter. Sometimes it is simply pleasantly surprising to think that no one is around, just like at Hitchcock Lakes. And I loved the way it was. Eventually I decided not to camp here though, simply to gain more distance to Whitney Portal next day. Once I got the shot that I wanted, I scanned the lake for one last time.

Took a stroll

JMT DAY 30 - LATE AFTERNOON AT MARY LAKE Late afternoon at Mary Lake On my way down from Mt. Whitney to Whitney Portal, I changed my mind from spending the night at Trail Camp to going down as far as I could. Henry had been already way ahead of me, and I figured that he may have reached Lone Pine by late afternoon. I made a stop at Mary Lake though, which I had always wanted to check out but never had in the past. Here I took a stroll around the lake looking for a good composition. The odd shape of the towering wall over the lake was quite striking, especially with the reflection in the calm water. Part of me wanted to camp here, but I decided against it. Eventually I was settled at Outpost Camp. I figured that my body, which was quite exhausted from having been up since midnight, would appreciate a good night sleep.

Time to plan another adventure

JMT DAY 30 - SUNRISE AT MT. WHITNEY Sunrise at Mt. Whitney And just like that, the journey came to an end. The sun rose, and it marked the end of our John Muir Trail trip. Yes, we still needed to descend and leave the mountains via Whitney Portal. But technically, the JMT hike was over. And we took our time to cherish the moment. I don’t know when I am going to summit the peak again. Probably soon. But, till then, I’ll savor this moment, just like I did the last summit that I had done when hiking the High Sierra Trail. What a journey. My goal was to do only one thing - photographing the JMT in the best possible light. And some were quite successful and some weren’t. Mother nature doesn’t always cooperate, and simply, it was not possible on this 29 consecutive day journey. Learned quite a lot about myself in particular, and it was time to plan another adventure.

Glorious orange hue everywhere

JMT DAY 30 - SUNRISE AT MT. WHITNEY Sunrise at Mt. Whitney Our Whitney hike began at 1 am. It had been raining on and off, and it wasn’t fun packing up in the light shower. As we were gaining elevation, the rain turned into hail, about green peas size, and it lasted for quite some time. It was cold and treacherous, to say the least. It was still quite dark, gusty and icy cold when I reached the summit. After making an entry in the summit register, we were hunkered down inside the hut, still missing its door, to keep ourselves warm. Semi-rigid fingers from the cold and the stove igniter not working at the high elevation made brewing coffee challenging. We borrowed a lighter from a fellow hiker. Once the blue hour set in though, it was time to step back out. Into the icy cold top of the world. Or the top of the contiguous US (14,505 ft). I carefully tread over the icy rock beds strewn with beads of hail to the summit edge facing Lone Pine and beyond. The rest of the hikers soon followed suit. Someone said the temperature was in the mid-20s. The moment that we had been waiting for finally arrived. The sun rose above the thick marine layer and cast its glorious orange hue everywhere. The warmth came along with it, and Lone Pine came into view. So did the ridge lines behind it. Telescope Peak, highest peak in Death Valley, loomed far away like a mirage.

Like folded angel wings

JMT DAY 29 - SUNSET NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Sunset near Hitchcock Lakes Right before all the colors disappeared, something unexpected happened. The clouds lingered behind Mt. Hale and Mt. Whitney lit up like crazy. With the symmetrical reflections in the water, they looked like folded angel wings. Or as if a big bomb went off and mushroom clouds were spreading fast. It only lasted so long. I thought I captured it good, and when I wanted to capture more, it was already gone. And just like that, darkness fell fast, and it was time to pack up and retrieve back to the camp to get some sleep for an early rise.

One of my favorite times of day

JMT DAY 29 - SUNSET NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Sunset near Hitchcock Lakes While it disappeared fast, I was able to focus on the colors that permeated through the air. The color scheme was so vast from orange to red to purple to pink, it was mind boggling. And it was so pleasing to the eye. I did my best to capture the changing colors as much as I could. After all, it was one of my favorite times of the day.

Completely covered with clouds

JMT DAY 29 - GOLDEN HOUR NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Golden hour near Hitchcock Lakes And as it came fast, the glow disappeared fast. The last bit of the golden glow lingered now only in the rocks in the water. I knew it would not last any longer than a few minutes. I quickly hopped over a few more rocks to get closer, almost falling into the water, and composed a shot while balancing myself. Again, what would not a photographer do to get a decent shot popped into my head. The sun was losing its sparks and soon getting swallowed up in the blanket of clouds. And I knew then my hope for a decent sunset was also fading fast. I shot one last shot (of this little series) and carefully hopped across the rocks and retrieved back to my tent. I turned around and looked back at the sky one more time. The entire sky above the Great Western Divide was completely covered with the clouds then. I really hoped then that my attempt to capture that golden hour was worthwhile.

Moving across sky real fast

JMT DAY 29 - GOLDEN HOUR NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Golden hour near Hitchcock Lakes I quickly hopped over the rocks, without plunging into the water (and I realized some rocks were quite slipper) and moved closer to the rocks that were jutted into the water farthest. Normally I would’ve planted my tripod and done long exposure, but I didn’t feel like it this time. Bsides, I knew I didn’t have a whole lot of time wasting to set it up, including ND filters. Before the sun disappeared that was. I loved how these five rocks made a peculiar set of islands. I was definitely taking advantage of the stillness of the water while trying to compose a shot. All the golden glow cast on the rocks, hillsides and shores was just simply pleasing to the eye. I really hoped that the blanket of clouds hovering above the Great Qestern Divide would stay where they were. But they were moving across the sky real fast. And I knew I would lose the sun soon.

Any minute

JMT DAY 29 - GOLDEN HOUR NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Golden hour near Hitchcock Lakes While waiting for the sunset under the gloomy sky, the clouds gave away for the sun to shine a bit. I rushed over to this particular spot of the small lake, not too far from where we were camping. The sun cast a bright golden glow all over the surface that it touched as it shone through the gap between the towering Mt. Hitchcock and the rocky hillside. And I really hoped that this would turn into a decent sunset. The thick blanket of clouds hovered right above the Great Western Divide in the far distance. As if it would further drop and swallow up the entire range any minute.

It wasn’t meant to be

JMT DAY 29 - SUNSET NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Sunset near Hitchcock Lakes And then it came. Kind of. The sunset glow never fully penetrated the clouds that lingered over the Great Western Divide. Instead, the clouds over Mt. Hale lit up. The reflection of the bright clouds glowed in the water. As if it was illuminating the little pond. I wished there were more colors in the sky, but it wasn’t meant to be. As quickly as it came, the glow subsided fast. The grey clouds soon dominated the sky, and soon what followed the gloomy sky was an on and off shower that lasted throughout the night. It forced me to put up a makeshift shelter using my poncho.

Quite hopeful for sunset

JMT DAY 29 - CLOUDS REFLECTION NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES Clouds reflection near Hitchcock Lakes Once back from Hitchcock Lakes, we enjoyed our early dinner in our little campsite that blocked winds and waited for the sunset. The sheer amount of clouds rolling in and growing overhead though was simply mind boggling. Henry was quite worried about rain, and it could certainly dampen my plan of cowboy camping at this point. Henry decided to pitch his tent while I was still holding out. With the view of Mt. Hale and Mt. Young the reflection of the clouds in the water was just insane. Everything looked exactly like mirrored upside down. I was extremely happy about that and was quite hopeful for the sunset.

Last stroke of light

JMT DAY 29 - HITCHCOCK LAKES Hitchcock Lakes One of my favorite lakes in the entire Eastern Sierra is Hitchcock Lakes. Yes, I know I have not been to all the lakes documented or undocumented in the Eastern Sierra, but I can bet that there are more people who have not been to this lake than the number of lakes that I have not been to. And truthfully I hope it stays that way. Because it is such a set of two peaceful lakes. In spite of the fact that they are the most visible while one going up or down Mt. Whitney, there aren’t many people actually stop and spend a night here or even explore them. While the Great Western Divide still lingers in the far distance, Mt. Hitchcock (13,184 ft) towered over these two absolutely gorgeous lakes. Its sheer drop is an almost dizzying experience, if you ask me. The clouds slowly accumulating overhead got grimmer and grimmer. A ray of light that beamed through the clouds brushed the lower lake and the shore. As if it were the last stroke of light.

Simply happy about that

JMT DAY 29 - VIEW OF MT. WHITNEY NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES View of Mt. Whitney near Hitchcock Lakes What I love about this particular pond is that not many, if not none, hikers are around. Unlike last time though, I spotted a couple, not too far from us, who sort of ventured away from their campsites near the main trail. But other than them, we didn’t see a single soul. And it provided a serene afternoon that one may expect. And it was a great photography opportunity for me. Because of the dense clouds that rolled in hovered all over us, the reflection of Mt. Whitney got more interesting. At the same time, it got windier, and, partly worried, Henry and I played a prediction game as to whether or not it would rain. Rain may still have been in store, but seeing that much clouds on our JMT trip turned out to be an extremely rare opportunity, so, I was simply happy about that.

In different shades of light

JMT DAY 29 - VIEW OF MT. WHITNEY NEAR HITCHCOCK LAKES View of Mt. Whitney near Hitchcock Lakes After spending the night at Guitar Lake, most hikers go straight up climbing Mt. Whitney. Super early. But, that was not our plan. It has never been. Last time when I did the High Sierra Trail, another buddy of mine and I spent the night here, near Hitchcock Lakes, and started hiking at midnight. Henry and I had a very similar plan this time. We arrived at one of the ponds about a half way between the main trail and Hitchcock Lakes. Not many backpackers find this place to spend a night. This particular spot offers one of the best views of Mt. Whitney, along with Mt. Hale. The reflections are always pleasing while clouds hovering overhead. And we saw quite a bit of clouds rolling in, which created an absolutely spectacular sight in different shades of light. My mind was completely drifted away, lost in the flow of the clouds. Part of us was hoping that rain would never be materialized, but the winds kept blowing in our direction, and the prospect of cowboy camping, unlike last time, was dimming rapidly. Nonetheless, I was hopeful, and refused to pitch my tent.

Great Western Divide came into view

JMT DAY 29 - VIEW OF GREAT WESTERN DIVIDE FROM GUITAR LAKE View of Great Western Divide from Guitar Lake When we arrived at Guitar Lake, it was relatively early, so we took a nice break here before continuing our journey. It was quite windy at the lake, so we dropped our packs and found a huge boulder at the end of the lake to shelter in. The Great Western Divide came into view from this farthest end of the lake from the main trail, and it was the place where we enjoyed ourselves while munching on snacks and watching the clouds rolling above the crest. What a magnificent sight it was. Our destination for the day was Hitchcock Lakes, and I couldn’t wait to get there.

Flowed like river

JMT DAY 29 - VIEW OF MT. WHITNEY FROM TIMBERLINE LAKE View of Mt. Whitney from Timberline Lake The first place to spot Mt. Whitney is Timberline Lake. Of course, there might be a bit of glimpse before reaching this lake, but Timberline Lake, where camping is not allowed, offers a pretty spectacular view of the tallest peak in the contiguous U.S and its reflection in the water. On our snack break here, we enjoyed the warmth of the sun while taking some photos. The clouds that lingered over Mt. Whitney and the ridge flowed like a river. The winds stirred the water often, so the reflection of the clouds was not as fancy as I hoped, but then again, I was simply glad that there was even clouds in the picture. We literally could have stayed here for hours, but Hitchcock Lakes, our destination, which I was super excited about, awaited. Of course, before that, we would stop by Guitar Lake, which would offer another pretty darn good view of the Great Western Divide in the west. We packed up our gear and started marching toward Mt. Whitney.

Suspended in time

JMT DAY 29 - SUNRISE AT CRABTREE CAMPGROUND Sunrise at Crabtree Campground Before the morning arrived, I crawled out of my tent and returned to the stream in the dark. And I set up my camera pointing at one of the hills expected to catch the sunrise glow and waited. It felt like hours of solitude that no one seemed to disrupt as the earth was waking up. However, it was only a few minutes till the hill started getting painted in orange. The sound of the water flowing was deafening. As if amplified by the walls of tall pines for some reason. And I didn’t mind. No one was up yet. And that is the beauty of it all. This prolonged solitude seemed to last for a while. Although in reality, it was only for a few minutes. Everything was suspended in time. And you know me by now that I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Burning in orange and pink

JMT DAY 27 - SUNSET AT CRABTREE CAMPGROUND Sunset at Crabtree Campground I turned around and saw a bit of clouds lingering over the forest, and they were burning in orange and pink. I loved how the stream caught a bit of glow in the water. I had never camped here before even when I hiked by when I did the High Sierra Trail, and I was so glad that I was spending the night here, instead of Wallace Creek, where we had originally planned to camp but decided not to at the last minute (like I mentioned in the previous post). Plenty of water, plenty of campsites, and even an outhouse toilet on which one can actually sit down!!! And this is where many PCT’ers stop by and pick up wag bags before summiting Mt. Whitney before they continue north or south. We had been told that the wag bag bin was removed before, but it was still there when we were there. And it makes sense to keep it there, as long as the National Park and National Forest want to keep the Whitney Zone free of human waste. Once the clouds turned grey, I called it a night and returned to my campsite in the company of headlamp.

Icing on cake

JMT DAY 27 - SUNSET AT CRABTREE CAMPGROUND Sunset at Crabtree Campground After reaching Wallace Creek, I don’t know what got into me, but I said to Henry, who had been waiting for me there, that I wanted to keep going. And we did. From Wallace Creek to Crabtree Campground was an uphill battle, which I totally forgot till I was hiking it. But we couldn’t turn around. I couldn’t. So, we kept going. It was late afternoon when we reached the campground, and I was glad that we had enough time to pitch our tents and to get water. The sun was setting over the ridge behind the forest, so it wasn’t something that I could manage to capture. Instead, I turned around and pointed my camera at one of the peaks I saw. And as I expected, the sunset glow was beautifully cast on the slope. And the reflection of the glow in the stream was just the icing on the cake.

Shall I try next time?

JMT DAY 27 - SUNRISE GLOW CAST ON GREAT WESTERN DIVIDE Sunrise glow cast on Great Western Divide I turned around and pointed my camera toward the Great Western Divide. And there it was. The glorious sunrise glow was slowly descending from the tip of the divide. Sometimes there’s no words to describe what one sees. And it was just that. One of those rare moments where your jaw simply drops in awe. And life is worth living for such moments. I was pretty content about it. But also couldn’t help myself wondering what the view would be like from Forester Pass… Shall I try next time?

Orange glow slowly descended

JMT DAY 27 - SUNRISE GLOW CAST ON FORESTER PASS Sunrise glow cast on Forester Pass Going over Forester Pass (13,153 ft) was probably one of the most challenging hikes I have ever done in my life, primarily because of the weight that I was carrying. The views were spectacular, however, without too much of fanfare, I hurriedly came down the pass, worried that I may run out of time before the sunset. I walked farther down, away from the foot of the pass where most of the backpackers were camping, and luckily I was able to find a small spot where my Big Agnes tent barely fit in the field of boulders between the two lakes. It was extremely windy, and I struggled pitching it at first but, eventually, it was safe to spend a night once it was done. Next morning when I woke up, I knew that the sunrise glow would be cast on Forester Pass, but I didn’t know if it was worth all the trouble. It was still very windy, almost gusty, and bone chilling cold, while standing on a huge slab of rock that presented both the view of the highest point along the JMT as well as the PCT and the view of the Great Western Divide far away in the opposite direction. The bright orange glow slowly descended from the tip of the divide. Then I wondered what it would be like to camp up at the pass and catch the sun rise.

Huge wave of pink clouds

Sunrise at Vidette Campground Then, a huge wave of pink clouds flooded in. As the sky turned pink and soon magenta, the earth glowed in pink. The tall pines that towered over me stood like giants, almost worshipping East Vidette Peak, as if it was the center of the universe. Surreal was the word that my mind was processing. Part of me wished that the moment would last forever. But then again, nothing lasts forever. How could it be so intense… part of me also wondered. Then, just like how swiftly the wave of clouds engulfed the sky, it was gone.