Stats

Start: Bishop – Mile 788.9
End: Charlotte Lake – Mile 788.9
Elevation Max: 11,654
Elevation Min: 9,161
Elevation Change: 2,643 up & 1,513 down
Average Heart Rate: 139
Walking Time: 3 hrs 13 minutes
Date: 5/24/2022

The Walk

Coffee and a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch were waiting for me this morning. The hostel California was great. It had a community kitchen and Speaker, Jack rabbit, Grahm and I all shared a room with a private bathroom. Everything you need for 25 bucks a night.

I had finished my chores yesterday. So I spent the morning relaxing. At 12:30 I walked to the Vons grocery store to catch a bus to independence. The 40 minute bus ride dropped you in the small town. Then I had was another 20 mile hitch to the trailhead.

The bus ride went smoothly and I was excited to be back in the mountains. We got dropped off at the post office and posted up waiting for a car to drive down the road toward the Kearsarge trailhead. Not much was going on. I guess 2:00 on a weekday isn’t a popular time for day hikers to head to trail.

We waited for 30 minutes and only saw locals driving back to their neighborhood. Eventually a guy stopped by and picked us 4 hikers up! He was sneaking in one more hike in before heading to San Diego.

Worked great for us! When I got to trail I started walking. I had way too much water. 3 liters. I dumped out a liter and a half and kept walking. There was plenty of water along the trail.

The first 5 miles of the hike were uphill and my pack was the heaviest it’s ever been. Just over 40 pounds. I brought out some good food for the first few days. Veggies, salami, cheese, and avocado.

I’ll be eating well for a few days at least. The heavy pack wore me out, but I kept moving. And consistently climbed up the hill. At the top I was tired, and welcomed the next two miles of downhill.

I took the high pass back to the PCT. It overlooked the Kearsarge lakes. It was a beautiful section to walk. And I felt relaxed to be back in the mountains.

After another half mile the trail overlooked bullfrog lake. I sat on a rock to relax and soak it all in. The Sierras are unreal.

I kept walking and made it back to the PCT junction. Woo! All I need to do is turn north to get a few real trail miles. But I went straight. Charlotte lake was a mile off trail and had a bear box for all my extra food.

Everyone else was putting in a few extra trail miles. But I decided to camp at the lake. I walked up and knew I made a good decision. It was beautiful and the sun was setting behind the lake. I saw one other couple at the lake, camped near the beginning of the trail.

I walked all the way down to the back of the lake to check for camp spots. The topographic map showed low elevation and a valley behind the lake. I was not disappointed. Actually I was in awe. The lake overflowed down a forested valley and the sun would be setting behind two mountains.

I had an hour, so I went to the lake and ate dinner. My best dinner on trail by far. A wrap with salami, cheese, and fresh veggies. Plus some goldfish as the side. After dinner I put my stuff away in the bear can and met the guy camping at the lake.

He was from the Bay Area and taking 10 days in the Sierras. It was his first trip and he mentioned how hard it was to find them to get out and hike, even when it’s relatively close. We locked our extra food away then I jogged back to camp to check the sunset.

It was bettter than I imagined! Check the pictures out yourself.

I found a good tent spot and could hear the river all night. I’m excited for tomorrow. And happy to be planning the Sierras how I want. I want to take advantage of all the extra food I’m carrying.

Tomorrow I plan to get over two passes, Glen and Pinchot. Then camp at Bench lake 1.7 miles off trail. It will be around 16 miles so not a huge day. I can relax and enjoy the walks and views.