High Sierra Topix

Tom_H wrote:

paula53 wrote:Thank-you Tom. That is not very far away from me, at all. I would like to add it to my list for this summers hiking. It looks very doable to hike from Loon Lake to Craig Lake. Possibly a 6 or 7 day trip.

You are most welcome! I presume that you mean Crag Lake? I usually misspell it too. I looked for a different Craig Lake and didn't find one. The reason I ask is because of some map inaccuracies. The PCT runs through the valley where the headwaters of General Creek arise. To the east is a parallel valley with a string of lakes on Meeks Creek. Old USGS maps show an east-west trail connecting the General Creek Trail, near its terminus at the PCT, with the Meeks Creek Trail. This east-west trail is shown as terminating at Lake Genevieve (which is adjacent to Crag Lake). That east-west connector trail no longer exists. There are no markers for it. I have crossed Meeks creek just below Genevieve and looked around many times over the years and can find no remnants of a trail. Also, the trail is not shown on any newer maps. You might be able to XC through that section, but my guess is you'd be doing a lot of bushwhacking. Orienteering through forest is trickier than above the treeline and you'd likely be crawling over a lot of downed trees and fighting your way through a lot of brush. Your possibilities in going east from Loon Lake would be to depart the PCT down the General Creek Trail, or to turn off the PCT onto the Meeks Creek Trail near Phipps Peak. The string of lakes along Meeks Creek are beautiful. Best of luck in planning your trip!