Backpack Section
Loma Prieta Chapter
Sierra Club

Golden Trout Wilderness
Inyo National Forest
June 6-13, 1999

Trip Leader: Dave Barry
Trip Report By: Gerri Tiernan

If anybody, gazing into their crystal ball, had told me several years ago that a time would come when I would do a 70-mile loop trip through the Southern Sierra's with two grizzly looking guys named Dave Barry and Joe Cernac, I would have laughed them silly. Surely, I would have suggested that their monies be better spent on therapy getting their heads fixed than on such an ill-fated ball! However, that's what I just did -- a 70-mile loop
trip through the Golden Trout Wilderness, with two guys I hardly even knew.

Our 8-day adventure began at the Lewis Camp trailhead on Sunday morning, June 6th. It was a cool but sunny morning. We were clean and bright eyed and adventuresome. Our packs weighed in between 48 and 54 pounds, and our spirits were soaring. I was looking forward to challenging my level of backpacking experience. I knew that Dave and Joe were very knowledgeable and experienced outdoorsmen. It amazed me how one glance at the map, which to me looked like dots and dashes and shades of color, could paint for them a magnificent picture of mountains and meadows and forests and rivers of varying colors which were alive with wild life and geological formations.

It didn't take long for me to discover the gentler sides of these two rugged mountain men. Joe, tall and tanned with his shaggy dark hair and grizzly salt-and-pepper beard, and possessing a cynicism for politics and red taped bureaucracy, also possessed an intimate knowledge and appreciation for the tiniest and most fragile of wildflower pedals. He could sit for long periods of time writing in his trip journal or keying out a flower, with a look of ultimate peace and contentment. His appreciation for the smallest bit of differentiation between the cones of giant pine trees, which all looked the same to me, was shared with an enthusiasm and grace that reached out and touched the soul.
Dave, sporting his own new and grizzly look of unshaven face, bubbled with excitement at the very sight of a peak, all of which seemed to call out to him, begging him to climb. His sensitivity to the land surrounding us was evident with each increasing step we took. Our steps took us twelve miles that first day. After crossing the bridge at the Kern River, we camped at the North Fork and slept to the soothing sounds of the rushing Kern currents. .It was six miles the second day. We took a gentle zigzag to accommodate our heavy packs. Dave took advantage of a long lunch break to run up a mound without his weight. Our early arrival at camp allowed him time to fish. While we looked forward to that special dinner of pan-fried trout, it never did happen. There was not a single dinner of trout to be eaten in all of our Golden Trout Wilderness experience! I guess we'll have to go again.

Over the third day we gained 2,600-feet in elevation and covered nine miles. We passed a Natural Bridge, which is a tufa and basalt phenomenon. We continued on the granite grit of the Golden Trout Trail and through Groundhog Meadow, which gave us excellent views for about three miles of basalt lava flows. We lunched at Little Whitney Meadow, which was a much drier environment. It appeared to be a combination of high desert and Sierra terrain. We passed through a magnificent coniferous forest with Junipers, Jeffrey, Lodgepole and Foxtail Pines. Finally, we arrived tired and hungry at an unoccupied Forest Service cabin in Tunnel Meadow near to where Golden Trout Creek and the South Fork of the Kern River run a parallel and almost touch. We camped nearby. Here we spent our coldest night, at about 28-degrees.

Although we planned to do about a half a day of hiking on Day Four we altered our plans and continued for a total of about eight miles in order to position ourselves for a layover day on Day Five so that Joe and Dave could hike on Olanache Peak. We camped at Strawberry Meadows on the west side of Olanche Peak at 8,700-feet.
We spent our one layover at Strawberry Meadows, which offered a variety of opportunities for exploration. Not far from our meadow campsite was an area that appeared to be like a desert canyon with desert sands, plants and canyon-like rock formations. Right next to it was a stream and lush green grasses. There were spotted sandpipers, cliff swallows, and mallards. Dave and Joe set off early in the morning to climb Olanche Peak. They made it to about 11,200 feet before turning back. A highlight of their day was watching a bear hunting for food in the meadow. They boasted about their grand view of the Southern Sierra and how they could see the whole southern range in its gradually ascending view, from low meadows to the high parts of Sequoia and into King's Canyon. Our evening was like many of the previous. Joe got the campfire going while Dave and I took turns reading out loud from a book of "Fireside Chillers." We took turns cooking and cleaning up. We laughed and told stories about our lives and got to know each other.

The next day we hiked into Jordan Hot Springs. It was a 12-mile hike, which started out through soggy, boggy meadows and wetlands. While the men loved it, I hated the wet, muddy part of the trek! I got my first blisters in many years from hiking in wet socks. We followed the Nine-Mile Creek and eventually the terrain did change and we had some beautiful views and good trails. We ran into some women backpackers on a wilderness training adventure from the DeAngelis section of the Sierra Club. The real treat came when we arrived at our campsite, which included a natural hot spring forming a pool right next to the very cold, fast running Nine-Mile Creek. For some reason, this was the hardest day for me. My feet hurt and I was sore and tired. I trailed a long ways behind the guys for most of day. So, you can just imagine my delight when I finally caught up to find these two men, frolicking like children in the pool.

Day seven we had a long, hot and dusty climb over Hockett Peak. Although the map said it was 1,600-feet of elevation gain, it felt like so much more. It was a beautiful hike through Soda Springs and we saw many interesting sights. We lunched at the Kern River Bridge and paddled in the water there. The day ended after fifteen long miles. We had difficulty, for the first time, finding a campsite. Finally, we did manage to find a great little site tucked away and hidden behind the trail. I was exhausted! We were one day short on food, and I didn't care. The guys put together a fantastic meal of leftover odds and ends and excused me this night from doing any camp chores. I went to my tent early, looking forward to the 'morrow's end of an absolutely wonderful trip. And it was!