John Muir Trail: Day 18

Day 18 was a densely packed day of sightseeing.  The trail took me from Deer Creek to Red Cones, then down across the fire scarred valley of the San Joaquin River to Rainbow Falls, on to a stop in Reds Meadow, past Devils Postpile and finally to Johnston Lake.  I saw people who were not backpackers, or providing a service for backpackers, for the first time since Cottonwood Lakes.

I walked 13 miles and climbed only 1600 ft.  Between Crater Meadow and Johnston Lake the only places to camp is at the backpackers camp at Reds Meadow.  That sounded like a terrible idea to me so I planned my day to avoid it.  It spared me the crowded campsite, but it made for a very long day.

My daily progress and major trail milestones can be seen at https://caltopo.com/m/DKGD, or on Google Earth using https://www.dropbox.com/s/9cy12lzxnuvatsa/2017.07.30_JMT_Actuals.kml?dl=0. The caltopo website is the best place to look to find the place name I use.

Day 18 elevation profile in yellow

Day 18 route in blue

The wildflowers around Deer Creek continued until I had crossed over from the Deer Creek drainage to the Crater Creek drainage about a mile past where I camped.  It seemed like every clearing I came to was filled with purple and yellow.

A meadow north of Deer Creek

The Crater Creek drainage was less colorful and the ground was very dry.  It had been a damp morning because my camp was in a marshy area and near the creek, so I had packed up and started walking before breakfast.  I found a clearing in the sun, dried my things and ate breakfast.  I had done this enough that it was almost routine.

After breakfast I packed up and moved on.  The terrain on this part of the trail is mildly sloped and heavily forested, making it more difficult to identify landmarks and keep track of my progress. Not a big deal unless you are a map nerd like me.

This is Upper Crater Meadow.  When I got there I was guessing where I was.  After I got home I was able to use the tracking record of my SPOT to figure out where I was by matching the time on the tracking data with the time from the camera.

Upper Crater Meadow

I had been watching very carefully so as not to miss the Red Cones.  When they finally came into view I realized how silly that had been.  They are very big and very red and not hidden at all.  At least the northern one is.

The northern Red Cone

The southern Red Cone is only hidden to the northbound hiker to the extent that you have to look over your shoulder.  It is not as picturesque from the trail as the southern one.

These are volcanic cones that last erupted about 5000 years ago.

The southern Red Cone

From the same place on the trail Mammoth Mountain and Crater Meadow both come into view. Mammoth Mountain is a ski resort and you can see the warming hut on top of the summit.  Their season length varies with each winter and spring.  This year they were open until the second week of July, which is extraordinary.

Crater Meadow with Mammoth Mountain behind

Just past the Red Cones the trail traverses down the side of a mountain to the valley below.  From the top of the traverse I was presented with a spectacular view of the Ritter Range.  This was the first I had seen it since I crossed over Silver Pass the day before.  As you can see here, the smoke that was shrouding the mountains on Day 17 was gone on Day 18.  I held out hope that it was because the fire was out.

The Ritter Range

This rock formation could be seen across the valley on the other side of the river.  I think it is either an amphitheater or a landing pad for ancient aliens.

An alien landing zone or amphitheater

Pumice left from the eruption of the Red Cones 5000 years ago.

Pumice Stone

On the mountainside below the Red Cones, the mighty Sugar Pine dominated.  This magnificent tree has soft red fibrous bark, short needles and the largest pine cones I have ever seen.  The pine cones at this particular spot were not remarkably big, but in 2011 on the western side of the Sierras, we found this.

Sugar Pine

The Rainbow Fire was started in 1992 by a lightning strike near Rainbow Falls.  25 years ago.  There are some trees coming back, but it is mostly ground shrubs and grasses.  The soil is decomposed pumice.  When you walk on it your foot just sinks in.

The Rainbow Fire, 25 years later

The Rainbow Fire, 25 years later

The Rainbow Fire, 25 years later

Wildflower near Reds Meadow

A berry bush near Reds Meadow

A prickly berry bush near Reds Meadow

Rainbow Fire Information

My walk to Rainbow Falls was a bit of culture shock.  I came upon the stock trail before I got to the hiking trail and followed it.  When I emerged near Rainbow Falls I was the only backpacker around. Everyone else was day hiking from reds meadow with tank tops and Bermuda shorts.  I was 18 days on the trail and despite bathing and cleaning most of my clothes regularly, I was pretty filthy to look at.  My pants in particular were dirty, in part because logistically they were the hardest to clean, so I hadn't.  The net result was that I looked like I was homeless and people treated me accordingly. People would pull their children aside on the trail.  They would give me a wide berth.  No one would make eye contact.

I saw one family near a couple of Jeffrey Pines (the ones that smell like butterscotch).  I wanted to tell them about the trees so they could share with their young daughters.  I walked up to the first tree to see if it smelled and took a deep breath.  Then I went to the second and did the same.  The second smelled much better, but when I turned to the family to tell them, they were staring at me with a slightly scared look.  I quickly explained about the pleasant smell of the trees, which helped a bit. The mother was curious enough that she went over and smelled one of the trees.  After she reported that it did smell like butterscotch they stopped looking at me like I was a madman and I finished telling them about the trees.

After that I didn't try and talk to anyone else.

Rainbow Falls

About .75 miles past Rainbow Falls is Lower Falls.  Much smaller and less dramatic than Rainbow Falls, it was nice nonetheless.

Lower Falls

I made my way back to Reds Meadow and stopped at the general store.  I wanted to buy some tent stakes, but they didn't have anything suitable.  I bought some extra food to replace what I had given the Koreans at MTR.  You can also ship a bucket here for resupply.  Many people were unpacking their resupply bucket while I was there.

The general store at Reds Meadow

I also stopped in the Mulehouse Cafe for a burger and a beer.  It turned out I had to go back to the general store to get the beer, but by the time I returned my burger was ready.

Mulehouse Cafe at Reds Meadow

Now feeling drowsy after a meal and a beer I left Reds Meadow to tour Devils Postpile.  The postpile is basaltic columns near the surface that have been exposed at this particular spot from every angle.  It was made a National Monument by President William Howard Taft in 1911.

Devils Postpile

Basaltic columns sheared by glaciers

Basaltic columns

Basaltic columns

Having had my fill of basaltic columns I crossed the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River and headed toward my intended campsite near Johnston Lake.

The bridge across the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River

From the trail on the other side of the river I got another view of Devils Postpile.  For perspective, those are people on top in red and blue.

Also, by this time the smoke had returned, making everything dark and making it not pleasant to breathe.

Devils Postpile from the trail on the other side of the river

Since Evolution Valley, all of the big creek crossings had bridges.  Therefore I was a little surprised when I got to Minaret Creek and found I would have to ford it.  My socks had been dry for several days and I had the unfortunate side effect that they were starting to stink.  I had been washing more frequently, but it was a losing battle.

Minaret Creek crossing

I arrived at Johnston Lake around 6:00, dirty and tired.  It was another damp campsite, with lots of water and surrounded on three sides by mountains.  There were few options without hiking on for what may be another hour, so I stopped here for the night.

Johnston Lake

I found a campsite on a bed of pumice.  It was very soft and comfortable.  I set up camp and ate, then set about washing my clothes.  When I went to bed they were clean(er) but still very wet.  They would have to dry in the morning.  In the meantime I was wearing my rain pants and a lightweight synthetic fleece pullover.  That was okay for the night, but it would be hot and sweaty to hike very far in.

Camp 18, near Johnston Lake

All photos of Deer Creek to Red Cones
All photos of Red Cones to Rainbow Falls
All photos of Rainbow Falls
All photos of Reds Meadow
All photos of Devils Postpile
All photos of Middle Fork San Joaquin River to Shadow Lake