Saturday, June 13, 2026. Clear and mid-40s going up to low 70s.
Up at 5:30. Packed and ready to go at 6:40, but Brad hurt his back this morning somehow. Probably a pulled muscle. We are going to wait a while and see if it gets good enough to hike with. We can always bail out to Cottonwood Pass and get a hitch to Lone Pine, CA. That exit point is 4 miles away followed by a 4.5-mile hike to a campground.
We got on trail at 7:25. Brad is taking it slow today to try to help his back. We have a 10-mile climb that mellows out after the first 3 miles.
Hiked past the bailout point for Lone Pine.
Filtered water at 5.18 miles from a fast-flowing stream from snow melt higher up the mountains. Very clean, cold water!
One of several high alpine meadows.
This is the view into Cottonwood Pass. Note the snow. This route provides access to civilization in the form of a small road that leads to CA 395 about 15 miles away. Need to hitch from here if bailing.
We stopped at Chicken Springs Lake (11,218 feet) at 12:15 and 9.44 miles. Frozen less than a month ago. Several people swam, but I wasn’t interested. The water was VERY cold.
YouTube Video of Chicken Spring Lake
The hike up from the lake was steep and provided the best Sierra view yet!
YouTube Video of 360 above Chicken Spring Lake
Stopped for water at 12.38 miles.
Late afternoon thunderstorms and hail. Lasted a few hours.
Reached camp at 5:45. Another long, hard day. It was a struggle. Most of my gear is damp from the rain. Will dry it all out tomorrow.
We only have an 8-mile hike tomorrow to get to Crabtree Meadows at the base of Mount Whitney. From there, it is a 15-mile slack pack up and back to summit Whitney. There is minimal snow up there this year, so hiking it during the day is a viable option as opposed to most years when you really need to complete the round trip before noon.
Technical Notes:
- Protein Shake (10oz): 330 cal, 19g carb, 13.5g fat, 36g protein
- Banana Chips (18p, 30g): 150 kcal, 20g carb, 8g fat, 1g protein
- Mango (3-4p, 49g): 140 kcal, 35g carb, 0g fat, 1g protein
- Tortilla: 140 kcal, 24g carb, 3g fat, 4g protein
- Tuna: 90 kcal, 4-7g carb, 1g fat, 14-16g protein
- Fritos 100
- Mango (3-4p, 49g): 140 kcal, 35g carb, 0g fat, 1g protein
- Peak Refuel Chicken Chili 740
- Skittles (2.17oz): 250 kcal, 56g carb, 2.5 g fat, 0g protein
- Skittles (2.17oz): 250 kcal, 56g carb, 2.5 g fat, 0g protein
- Water liters: 5
- Miles: 19.64
- Time: 11:00
- Up: 2877
- Down: 2930
- Calories consumed: 2400
- Calories burned: 3764
- iPhone battery used: 32%
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