JMT | DAY 11 EVOLUTION LAKE TO BIG PETE'S MEADOW
Miles Hiked: 12.2 miles (mm 123.0-135.2)
Elevation: 1,389 ft ascent | 3,002 ft descent
The morning after the storm. The rain and wind finally ended after 9:00 last night. Despite being a calm night, it was hard to sleep. Today was a big day. Another day, another pass—Muir Pass.
It was one of those mornings where you don’t want to get out of bed. The air is cool and your body is tired physically and mentally from the day before. I left a few minutes before the rest of the group, knowing they would catch up shortly.
The trail made its way around Evolution Lake, gradually ascending as it made its way toward the pass. This area is truly magical—it still amazes me that these places exist behind the mountains we see driving down 395. Maxine and Candace (two solo hikers exiting at Bishop) and Jeff and Tessa soon met me on the trail as we moved up and around Sapphire Lake.
The closer we came to Muir Pass, the more it seemed like we were on the moon. Rocks, water, and the occasional flower. As we made our way around Wanda Lake, Muir Hut became visible in the distance. Gradual elevation change turned to steep switchbacks as we made the last push to the pass.
The 3H crew was packing up just as I made it to the shelter. Jeff, Tessa, and I had the hut to ourselves. We ate a quick snack and took pictures, before making our way down the other side of the pass. The clouds were growing and threatened rain.
The southern side of the pass is mostly rock. We made our way around Helen Lake and other water features, making lunch near the lake’s outlet. Descending near 3,000ft, the afternoon was long, tiring, and hard on the knees.
For the second day in a row, it started to rain approximately a mile from camp. Sprinkles at first, and then stronger as we rushed to set up our tents. The temperature dropped, the rain poured from 4:30 until 6:00. We cleared from our tents, made dinner, told stories, and enjoyed having new company.
