As this is a well known route in a well documented area, I will try to keep this brief. General notes:
- This was all new to me, other than Piute Pass.
- Bugs were only an issue one night.
- Just about everywhere felt and looked dry.
- Too many people on the JMT.
Trail over Piute Pass is well-maintained and an easy climb in my opinion. Missed trail to Desolation Lake, but rectified it with some quick overland hiking. Some rain that evening and a few claps of thunder to the south. Minor bugs.
Day 2 - Desolation Lake to Piute Canyon
Meandered from Desolation Lake up to Carol Col. Not the most direct route, but fun to explore a bit. Traversing the pass was made extremely easy thanks to info from this site. Puppet Lake is beautiful. I will need to visit this area again. Ended the day just below confluence of French and Piute Creeks. Bugs were out in force, especially at dusk.
Day 3 - Piute Canyon to MTR to Piute Canyon
Piute Canyon affords great views and has amazing trees. Some significant recent rockfall across the portion of trail built through a talus field. We later talked to a few rangers who were tasked with clearing the trail so stock could get by. They were under the false impression it was a single large rock. Resupply at Muir Trail Ranch was probably unnecessary, but it kept some weight off our backs for a couple days. Camped just past bridge on Piute Creek marking the border of Kings Canyon NP. Too many people on the JMT. No bugs.
Day 4 - Piute Canyon to Evolution Valley
I've been wanting to see Evolution Valley for about 20 years. It did not disappoint. Stopped at the bottom of McClure Meadow and soaked it in. Clouds rolled across the sky and a breeze kept the air cool and fresh. Camped just below switchbacks to Evolution Lake with a view of the Hermit. Too many people on the JMT. No bugs.
Day 5 - Evolution Valley to LeConte Canyon
Switchbacks up were easy. I guess the benefit of an overused trail is that the actual trail is kept in pretty good shape. Took a break at the top of the cascades flowing from Evolution Lake. Stunning beauty everywhere. More of the same as we ascended to Muir Pass. Three weeks earlier I had looked at Mount Goddard from Kaiser Peak and thought "I'll be hiking right by it!" It's really big. Black flies attacked at Wanda Lake. Muir Hut is underwhelming. A dearth of good campsites on the other side of Muir Pass. We ended up at a site just above Starr Camp. Too many people on the JMT. No bugs.
Day 6 - LeConte Canyon to Dusy Basin
Awoke to the smell of smoke and a thick haze down LeConte. We trudged along hoping it was smoke from a far away fire and not something requiring us turn around. The smoke cleared (mostly) as we climbed up to Dusy Basin. That trail pays off with every step. The views of the canyon and the Black Divide are stellar and the water cascading across the granite is mesmerizing. Although we were off the JMT, there were still a significant number of people on the trail. We broke off trail above the lower lakes and ended up at a fine campsite at lake 11388. After a quick dip in the gloriously cold water we laid on the granite and stared at Agassiz, Winchell, Thunderbolt, and Isosceles. One lone hiker came through, but moved on after viewing us from the ridge top. A good, good evening. No bugs.
Day 7 - Dusy Basin to South Lake
I thought Bishop Pass makes you earn it from the south...then I saw the north side. Wow! Those switchbacks at the top are a work of art. Lots of people hiking up as we descended. Burgers and beer at Mountain Rambler in Bishop.
Great trip. Very glad I did it, but I'm going back to sniffing out areas with less people.
