PCT Day 44 – Muir Pass

Last night I stayed up writing until 11pm. That was a very bad no-no. I slept well but I need more than 6 hours of sleep. This will come back to haunt me later.

The plan

Today Bob and I will cross over the most iconic pass on the PCT. It is iconic because of the presence of Muir Hut at the top. The plan is a simple one: hike 7 miles up to the pass, then hike 6 miles down to camp.

Evolution Basin

Yesterday Bob and I hiked up Evolution Valley. This morning we are going to climb out of the valley to a basin above the valley. The basin contains a series of lakes, each one higher than the next. At the last lake we will be able to see the pass.

I take the picture below as we climb out of the valley. The ridge on the left is part of the basin wall. Evolution Lake is on the other side.

As I enter the basin I see in the distance Mount Spencer and Mount Fiske, two of the three mountains I will be passing on my way to the pass. The other mountain, Mount Huxley is hidden in this view. The mountains along the basin are named after famous scientists who helped introduce the theory of evolution. Mount Darwin, Mount Warlowe and Mount Mendel are also here.

The first lake is Evolution Lake. Some hikers camped up here last night. It is very exposed, so if the weather turns bad, it could be a rough night.

Here is another view of the lake looking up the basin. Those mountains on the left are some of the “scientist” mountains I mentioned.

The farther up the basin we go, the more desolate the landscape becomes.

At the end of the basin is an interesting ridge called the Black Giant. I wish this picture was better because in person the facial profile of someone prone and looking up is so obvious. The forehead is toward the left and the mouth is drawn down into a scowl.

Below is Wanda Lake. It is at elevation 11,300. Around the bend and up is the pass.

Oddly you can see the hut from two miles away. I don’t believe my eyes so I don’t take a picture until I am almost there.

Muir Hut

Muir Hut was built in 1930 by the Sierra Club in 1930 as a shelter for hikers caught in bad weather on the pass. It is made entirely of stone.

Here is what you see inside.

Down from the pass

Bob and I eat our lunch at the hut at 12,000 feet. But it’s time to get out of here. The sun is getting hot and storms can appear unexpectedly up here. I had been sucking on a caffeinated candy on the way up to the pass. That has wore off and the short night sleep is catching up to me. That and the altitude have made me sluggish.

The funny thing about my pictures is that I usually take them when my footing is secure enough for me to look around and notice things. I don’t take pictures when the trail is a horror show or when I can’t find the trail or when I am cursing out the trail maintainers who probably haven’t been up here since the Sierra Club built the Muir Hut!

There are some stunning lakes up here though.

I don’t trust these passes though – ever since the hail storm below Seldon Pass a few days ago. I look back at Muir Pass and see this monkey business brewing. “Oh, Bob? Do you see that up there?” Bob looks back. “At least we are headed in the right direction.” (He means away from Muir Pass.)

We are headed for Le Conte Canyon, a canyon so deep that at 2:30 pm the sun cannot shine into it. Our campsite is Big Pete Meadow.

We crash into camp. I try to rehydrate a baggie full of dehydrated beans and carrots I found in a hiker box at VVR. It is very spicy and not fully rehydrated when I eat it. An hour later indigestion settles in and I pound down an antacid. I should have known better.

As I write this post, Bob tells me to come out of my tent to see this big buck with at least eight antler points. I jump out of my tent in only my underwear and a jacket.

As we are looking at the buck a female hiker comes by on the trail. She slows down looking at me. I kind of move behind my tent so my lower body is hidden. Oh god, I know her. It’s Erin from VVR. We chat awkwardly. I ask about Pam. “Oh she’s right behind me,” says Erin. And up walks Pam.

My tent has a point on it that comes up to my waist. I don’t think there is enough tent there to hide from Pam and Erin so I just talk normally as if walking around with a jacket and jockey shorts is completely natural. At the first pause in the conversation, I apologize for holding them up and they quickly head off.

Anyway that’s it for today. I need sleep. Muir Pass was fun and challenging. I hope the other passes will be half that good.

• September 9
• Starting marker: 846
• Ending marker: 832.6
• Miles hiked today: 13
• Total PCT miles: 517
• What do you say to a nearly naked hiker? “Doolittle? I didn’t recognize you.”