John Muir Trail: Day 9

Day 9 turned out to be all about Woods Creek. It had a lot more water than anything I had yet seen and it was nothing but whitewater for over three and a half miles from the suspension bridge crossing to Mount Cedric Wright. I stopped numerous times just to listen. I took video of the cascades and waterfalls just to have the sound recorded. If I had to pick out one thing that made the trip special I would become a quivering ball of indecision, but the creeks and streams would be on the short list. I did not leave much time for the second part of the day and If I made it to Bench Lake I would be on schedule for the first time since I left Miter Basin, so I pushed the pace a little bit across Pinchot Pass and down the other side.

By the end of the day I had gone 12 miles and climbed 3700 ft.

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 9 elevation profile in yellow

Day 9 route in blue

 Golden-mantled Ground-Squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis) near Woods Hole.

The bridge across Woods Creek is a wooden suspension bridge with a span of about 130 ft.  The sign on the right says "One Person at a Time on Bridge"  After crossing it I can say that the sign is unnecessary, no one in their right mind would cross the bridge with a second person.  Watch the deck move as I walk in this shaky cam video.

The suspension bridge across Woods Creek at Woods Hole.

The water here is probably about chest deep and is moving swiftly.  Without the bridge crossing here would be a very sketchy proposition.

Woods Creek just below the bridge.

As you first climb out of Woods Hole you come across this wrinkled slab of granite with the creek running across it.  Be sure to watch the video.

Woods Creek as it begins the final descent to Woods Hole.

The terrain along Woods Creek kept changing.  It started out as pine forest, then rocky slopes without tree cover, then into this mix of ferns, willows and quaking aspens.

The trail up Woods Creek kept changing.  First it was pine forest, then barren rocky terrain, then a grove of aspens and ferns.

This narrow passageway was a pleasant suprise.  I heard it and decided to take a look.  I found it at the top by the narrow part.  It can't be more than 8 ft across at the top.  I stopped and sat a while.

Woods Creek plunges over a cascade and is forced through this narrow opening.
It was almost narrow enough to be tempting to jump across.

I thought Woods Creek was fantastic, but spent much of the rest of the trip thinking that it would be dethroned.  After all, it was not the biggest creek or the most spectacular rapids.  But by the end of the trip I still looked back at it as the best waterway because it was big and spectacular and it was not hidden by dense forest.  You could see and hear it for most of the trail.  You got vistas like this one almost all the way from bottom to top.  It was incredible.

This waterfall is marked on the USGS map as "Falls" at about 9450 ft elevation on Woods Creek.

Cedric Wright was a photographer and mentor to Ansel Adams.  The mountain that bears his name stands as a monument at the top of Woods Creek.

Mount Cedric Wright marks the transition from Woods Creek to Pinchot Pass.

Forrester Pass you could see coming a long way off.  Glen Pass you couldn't see until the end but it was a short approach.  The approach to Pinchot Pass really started at the Woods Creek bridge, 7 miles and 3500 ft before.  The pass does not reveal itself until you are within the last mile and a half.  Once you are here it is a relatively easy climb to the crest.

Looking north at Pinchot Pass

There is a lot of red in the mountains near Pinchot Pass.  The combination with the blues from the water and greens from the grass was incredible.  This was the most colorful pass of them all.

Looking south from Pinchot Pass.  Mount Cedric Wright in the middle.

Looking north from Pinchot Pass.  Lake Marjorie is the dark blue lake in the middle.

Looking back south toward Pinchot Pass.

As soon as you round the corner coming off of Pinchot Pass, Mather Pass comes into view with Middle Palisade and Norman Clyde Peak framed nicely behind it.

Middle Palisade (14012) and Norman Clyde Peak (13662) are framed by Mather Pass.  The lake in the foreground is the first lake below Lake Marjorie.

I was targeting Bench Lake to stay the night.  I had heard a lot about how pretty it was and figured I would get a good view of the South Fork of the Kings River.  It was getting late and I stumbled on this campsite with a spectacular view of Mather Pass and Middle Palisade to occupy me.  I never did make it to Bench Lake.

Camp 9.  Near Bench Lake.  Mather Pass on the left side of the picture.

A cloud settles on Mt Pinchot (13494)

After using all my vacation days and taking out time for the logistics of getting there and back I had 25 days left to spend on the trail. Here is what 25 days of food looks like. 13 days worth went into my bear vault, 1 day I carried with me for the first day and the other 11 days were packed up in a 5 gallon plastic bucket and mailed to Muir Trail Ranch at the halfway point.

25 days of food, ready to be packed.

All photos of Rae Lakes
All photos of Woods Creek
All photos of Pinchot Pass