Big Arroyo to Kern River Hot Springs 13.5 miles

I set out in the early morning from Big Arroyo, climbing a series of switchbacks on higher, alongside the Kaweah Peaks. We were not taking photos, since our phones were not charged, and we had mistakenly let the Garmin stay on, so it was low on power. Taking pictures became something we would have to forgo, if we were to conserve enough battery to take a photo atop Mount Whitney. But as we trekked on, between the two of us, we documented a snippet of what we saw along the way.

Sawtooth Peak was recognizable off in the distance with it’s razor sharp spires. We would climb about 1000 feet more, before descending towards Moraine Lake. Along the way we passed more beautiful wide open grassy meadows, with a herd of deer grazing.

Moraine Lake

After passing through a densely wooded forest, where we noted a lone Croc shoe abandoned on the trail, we arrived at Moraine Lake. It was drizzling, and thunder was heard off in the distance. Going swimming seemed like it would be an amateur hour move in these conditions, so we declined to take a dip here in the lake. We debated camping here, with the rain coming. We decided to instead push our luck, and try for Kern River Hot Springs.

The Fern Forest

We headed off through the woods, descending towards the Kern. We passed by Funston Creek, which was flowing well, before descending a series of switchbacks through a fern forest towards the edge of the Kern River Gorge. This is where the trail got serious.

The Kern River Gorge

Storms seemed like they would break at any moment, as we made our way down the steep switchbacks “from hell,” into the gorge. This was by far the most trying part of the trip on my knees for some reason. It was very rocky, and uneven on this section of the trail. We both started to be hurting. Not soon after making it to the Kern River trail, it started to rain hard, and thunder, along with some lightning to make things interesting. We hiked on through it all, to Kern River Hot Springs.

The Storm

We were both soaked, even with rain gear. My boyfriend had put on his rain suit earlier, and was wet under it from sweat. I knew better, and hiked along in my long sleeve shirt and shorts. I got soaked, and once at the hot springs, we decided to wait out the storm before taking stuff out of our packs. We waited under a tree for almost an hour, but we were starting to shiver. I had not put on my raincoat, but was starting to get cold. I knew I would have to set up the tent. I went under another tree, set it up, and carried it back quickly to our tent site.

Avoiding Hypothermia

It was a scary moment knowing it was getting dark, and I could get hypothermic. My boyfriend wanted to get his sleeping bag wet. I talked him out of doing that, since it would not dry (down). So we got in the tent, took off the wet stuff, and dried off, before getting in dry clothes, and puffy jackets to go to sleep. That’s how cold we were. Before bed, I took all the dry stuff out of his bag, and put it in the tent. His Osprey bag was soaked through, and stuff that should have been in the dry bag was not. We made it through this, but barely. My Zpacks bag stayed dry of course, and everything I had was in a thin clear dry bag. I am not a fan of fancy bags. I like simple, light ones that are waterproof.

The Yard Sale

This was the yard sale that followed, on Day 5 of the High Sierra Trail. It was nothing to be proud of. Yes, we are definitely sponsored by Target. We took our time drying it all out because at 14,501 feet, we need warm dry clothing, and sleeping bags. I did not want to chance going on to Guitar Lake with wet stuff.

The Hot Springs

While at Kern River Hot Springs, we took a dip in the springs, around midday. We had to wait a bit for our turn, since there was another hiker washing his clothing, and doing laundry in it. I would not for a minute want to wash my clothes there, due to all the bacteria. I am sure my sensitive skin would revolt against that move.The springs were chock full of green algae, so I cannot say they were pristine. But I guess they were as pristine as they could be, as far as natural hot springs go. It was a nice break nonetheless. 

Day 5: Kern River Hot Springs to Junction Meadow

So we hiked on from Kern River Hot Springs around 2pm. We were blessed with sunshine after the storms, and even my trail runners were now dry.

Creek Crossings

We crossed multiple small creeks flowing into the Kern. During a wet year, I cannot imagine how flooded this area could be. The ghost forest reminded me that we could have been ghosts, had I not made quick work of getting the tent up the night before, and carefully bringing inside what needed to stay dry.

The Kern River

As we hiked along the trail, the Kern was always relatively close by. If ever there was a place to just relax to the sounds of water flowing, this would have been the place. This rocky gorge felt like a no mans land, prone to floods, and last year fires. We were getting the entire wilderness experience with this trail so far, wildlife sightings, weather, pristine nature, and views. Not long after departing Kern River Hot Springs, about 4 miles or so down the trail we felt raindrops, and grey clouds were rolling in once again.

Staying Dry

We could not afford a repeat of yesterday, so decided to make it an early night, and set up the tent by the river, in what looked like an ok spot under some trees. It was not that flat, but there was not much deadfall. After setting up I noticed some. I hid the bear can in some boulders hoping a bear did not find it, and roll it into the river. We made our backpacker dinner, and finished just as rain appeared to be starting up again. It never did rain that much, but weather had struck the fear in us already. We were not going to take too many chances, with all these weather systems swirling about. We would try to get an early start, and make it as far as we could the following day. We imagined Crabtree Meadow would be our next spot.

Day 6: Junction Meadow to Guitar Lake

We woke up early on Day 5, and left our riverside camp site by the Kern. Our Bear Cans were not rolled away, and were still where we left them, between a pile of small boulders. I guess thats one more reason to have a bear can, is you can camp where there are no bear lockers. We noticed not one bear can in any of the bear lockers, throughout the entire trip, but lots of food bags. It seemed that groups were bringing one can, but keeping food in bags in the lockers to save weight. In fact, we saw not one other bear can than ours the entire hike. That was interesting.

The Big Climb

On past Junction Meadow, we began a long climb upward from the Kern River gorge, with Wallace Creek cascading down alongside the trail to our right. Off in the distance were several other long cascading waterfalls, flowing down towards the Kern. Did I mention I saw more waterfalls on this trip than anywhere else in my entire life? Sorry to say, conserving phone power, due to a failed solar charger, meant we had no pictures from this stretch. Only memories, but that’s ok too. I was saving battery for Mount Whitney summit, go figure.

Kern River Gorge

We had heard things about the climb out of this gorge. It was said to be hot, steep, and never undertaken in the afternoon. We heeded this warning, and with our early start, figured we would make good time. We were definitely lagging on the climb, as the sun beat down on us. We were glad it was sunny out though, and not raining on us. Still the sun it sucked most of our energy away. We filled up water at Wright Creek, with its small waterfall. We decided to try to shower off in it, but it was way too chilly. Instead I took a dip in a small pool beneath it in the rocks. Water was frigid, and it reminded me of surfing in winter, without a wetsuit.

Wallace Creek

We passed Wallace Creek, heading on toward Crabtree Meadows. At this point, there were definitely storms on the horizon. It was close to 5pm, and we decided to eat dinner early in a clearing by the trail. There were some large logs to lean our packs on, and it was time for a wardrobe change. It was going to rain soon, so we readied our rain gear. We decided we would get in the tent if need be. The wind was really blowing, and we were so exhausted. But something in us told us to push on past Crabtree Meadows.

Crabtree Meadows

We decided to ultimately pass by our initial camping destination, and push on to Guitar Lake. Staying at Crabtree Meadows would have added an extra 1/2 mile or so of hiking down to the camping area, off the trail. It’s a popular spot to camp, since it has pit toilets, a spigot, and a ranger stationed here. As we hiked on, through the forest of lodgepole pines, we stopped under the branches of the trees many times when it would start to drizzle. We were uncertain how much further we were going to make it. We did not want to get soaked again, that was for sure. 

Making Up Time

I knew we sort of had to get to Guitar Lake if we were going to stay with our Sunday morning pickup time. My boyfriend’s son works, and a Monday pickup would have been hard for him. Little did I know the forecast was getting worse. We simply pressed on, hiker hobbling our way toward Guitar lake, and Mount Whitney. The challenge was on.

The Whitney Zone

Just when we thought it was all uphill, we would descend. I was happy to climb, and climb more. Making up the gain again though, felt like a chore. My pack was lighter though since we were at the end of the trip, having eaten most of the food. All I could think of was Guitar Lake and not getting rained on. I truly wanted to make up the time we lost by the Kern, when all our gear got soaked. Little did I know, I would make up that time. Neither of us knew at this point, we just kept moving. Then the skies cleared somewhat, and there was sunshine.

It was close to 7pm as we neared Timberline Lake, which is just before Guitar Lake. Mount Whitney was in our sights. We were so close. The sun was illuminating everything so beautifully here. I was feeling very optimistic at this point.

I actually felt pretty good physically, having hiked about 70 miles, and was excited about Mount Whitney.

The area around the Whitney zone has so many jagged rocky peaks, like Mount Hitchcock in the background, and at this time of day everything was getting all lit up by the afternoon sun. It was growing ever more golden, as we approached sunset.

Mount Whitney has many faces. This was our prize, with picturesque Timberline Lake in the foreground.

This was a particularly pristine looking lake. I saw some fish jump from the water, chasing after their dinner. I can see why camping here is not allowed by it, so it stays that way. This is why we leave no trace.

As we approached Guitar lake around 7:30 pm, just before sunset, saying we were exhausted would be an understatement. We were dead.

This ridge here, below Whitney would be our camp site for the night. Does it get any better?

A 14 Mile Day

We hiked over 14 miles from before Junction Meadow, to Guitar Lake on Day 5. With the alpen glow behind me, I was feeling very blessed.

Feeling Grateful

I was grateful to have been able to make up the miles I lost, after getting soaked on Day 4 in the Kern River Gorge. I was proud of myself, having hiked so far, planned so well, and navigated so many obstacles along the way. I know Jesus was with me all along the way, protecting me during that lightening in the gorge, and pointing me in the right direction to solve problems I encountered. All I did was put one foot in front of the other. I trust in you Lord. Thank you for taking me this far.

Read about Day 7 of my hike on the High Sierra Trail here.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, and it is helpful in knowing what to expect, should you decide to visit here.

More Posts…

• Buck Gully in December
• November Hiking Recap
• Stonewall Peak and Cuyamaca Rancho in Fall
• 2 Peaks in a Day: Mount Lewis and Mount Williamson
• A 6 mile hike in the Blue Sky Reserve and Lake Poway

About me

I’m Serafina! I’m a writer and California girl who loves to go exploring. Hope you will get outside today, breathe some fresh air, and be happy!

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