Day 6- South Fork Kings River to middle fork kings river
Distance: 16 mi
Elevation Gain: 2,125 ft
Starting Elevation: 10,040 ft
Ending Elevation: 8,030 ft
Peeking out of our tent in the early morning at South Fork.
On the morning we were to ascend Mather Pass (Elev: 12,100') we awoke with a growing sense of trepidation. For days along the trail, southbound hikers mentioned that Mather Pass would be the most difficult. The night before, we scrutinized The John Muir Trail book, reading every detail we could about our ascent and descent. We knew we would have a long day ahead, intending to make it down to the lowest elevation we could at Middle Fork Kings River junction. Based on the book's description, we were prepared for a long but gradual ascent followed by a steep and significantly longer (11 mile) descent to camp. Again, we packed up our belongings, put on our sandals, took a deep breath, and forded the South Fork of the Kings River. We stopped at the other side, our feet stinging from the icy water that went up to our knees and quickly dried our feet. Our shoes now back on, we began our ascent.
The sky above us was clear and bright, but as we came closer to the pass we noticed clouds gathering near the surrounding peaks. We crossed an elevated, sandy ridge, described by Wenk as "sand deposited as the Tioga glacier retreated 14,000 years ago". Stopping there, we opened a package of tuna, added some olive oil, and ate while considering the pass before us. Luckily, the final ascent was much smoother than we could have imagined! The gradual and long switchbacks up essentially a pile of rocks took us less than an hour to reach the top. Along the way, we passed two hikers, one who was unfortunately experiencing significant altitude sickness causing them to abandon their trip and leave the trail early. They were kind enough to offer us some of their snacks and and a couple meals since they would be leaving the trail. Once again, we were struck by the kindness of strangers along the trail. Looking north from the top of the pass, we marveled at the breathtaking views ahead of us, glimpsing the Palisdades Lakes below. We collected a few snacks from the hikers we met, spotted a Pika scurrying around our bags, and began what would be one of our longest and most beautiful descents of the trip. Immediately we began to understand why most southbound hikers told us that Mather Pass is the most challenging. Ascending it from the north would mean completing 11 miles with 4,000+ feet of elevation gain out of Le Conte Canyon, including tackling the Golden Staircase, a steep 1,500 foot climb on switchbacks hewn by dynamite from the canyon walls.
Beautiful views from the top of Mather Pass looking southward on what we had just climbed.
The view north bound from Mather Pass. Waiting for us further down are the Palisades Lakes and Golden Staircase.
Passing the Palisades Lakes, one of our favorite sites not easily captured on camera.
We continued our descent, reaching the Palisades Lakes about four miles below the pass. The warm sun made the water sparkle and look so inviting. It was truly one of our favorite sights on the whole trail. As the trail continued to weave between jagged cliffs, we followed Palisade Creek down until we hit an opening that unveiled the gorgeous valley below us. This was just before we would begin our descent down the Golden Staircase to Deer Meadow. With each step down, our muscles and joints ached but we were extremely grateful not to have to ascend this portion as southbound hikers. The vegetation up to and past the Staircase was lush, with plants forming a tight path for us to navigate, often rising above our heads. The trail smelled sweet from the numerous flowers and offered such a notable contrast from the boulder piles of Mather Pass. From Deer Meadow we passed through lodgepole forest and a section of charred forest that was affected by the 2002 Palisade Fire. Finally our path became gradual, and despite the long day, we picked up our pace for our last few miles until we reached the Middle Fork Kings River junction and set up our camp surrounded by a dense tree cover (and several deer families). We washed our clothes, soaked our feet, prepared a hot meal, and went to bed after one of our longest and most beautiful days yet on the trail.
Just past the Palisades, we began the descent to LeConte Canyon
“Impressively built walls form the foundation for the switchbacks [of the Golden Staircase] that make for a steep climb up a much steeper headwall. Completed in 1938, this was the last section of the JMT to be constructed,and one of the only two sections of the route that Le Conte was unable to navigate with stock on his 1908 expedition. ”
The view just after passing the Palisades as the valley below us opens up around the bends and curves of the trail. We are about to begin our descent down the Golden Staircase.