Category: Socal Hikes

High Sierra Trail: Over Mount Whitney Day 7

@serafinahikes

This guide details hiking over Mount Whitney from the High Sierra Trail, and what to expect. We completed the trail in July 2022, and this is our story. We would wake up at 3:30am on Day 7 of our journey on the High Sierra Trail. I did not take any photos in the pitch black darkness that morning, but had fortunately photographed our site the night before. We had camped on this mesa, that was just before Guitar Lake. We decided we would take our time as we hiked on up the switchbacks, in order to acclimate to the altitude gradually. Neither of us had hiked to 14,505 feet before, let alone with heavy backpacks. I had been to 12,000 feet before once, to Trail Camp, just below the 99 switchbacks, on the opposite side. There were so many unknowns.

High Sierra Trail: Day 4 – 6

@serafinahikes

This cover Day 4 of the High Sierra Trail from Big Arroyo to Kern River Hot Springs, Day 5 from Kern RIver Hot Springs to Junction Meadows, and on to Guitar Lake. Check out my HST planning guides, for hiking the High SIerra Trail from Crescent Meadow to Mount Whitney, over 80 miles.

High Sierra Trail: Day 2 + 3

@serafinahikes

This guide details Day 2 of hiking the High Sierra Trail from Nine Mile Creek, to Hamilton Lakes, and Day 3 from Hamilton Lakes to Big Arroyo, past Precipice Lake.

High Sierra Trail: Day 0 + 1

@serafinahikes

Follow our journey from Orange County to the Sierras, to hike the High Sierra Trail. This guide details how we got there via the Greyhound, along with Day 1 of our trek on the High Sierra Trail. The trail begins in Sequoia Park and travels across the Sierras to Mount Whitney, at and elevation of 14,501 feet.

4 Peaks in a Day

@serafinahikes

So here we were, at the South Fork Trailhead, just three days before we would leave for the High Sierra Trail, doing a shakedown hike. We were starting late, and that was my fault. But I wanted to go ahead with the shakedown hike anyway, since we were running out of days to do this, before the Sierras. I wanted to have one day to recover before we headed up there. We arrived just after 4pm, and had just a few hours of sunlight left. The parking lot was completely empty of cars, which was not what I was expecting.