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<\/a><\/p>\nThe following morning, the weather was beautiful and we left for a training hike up Kearsarge Pass around 8am. \u00a0The trail to the pass climbs about 3,000 feet over 5 miles to an elevation of just under 12,000 ft.\u00a0 The purpose was to get everyone used to the terrain without backpacks and to help with the acclimatization to the altitude.\u00a0 At the pass, there is a rock pinnacle that the crew couldn\u2019t help but climb.<\/p>\n
On the way down, we passed several lakes and Maddie had to test the waters.<\/p>\n We then drove an hour north to Bishop and after lunch, we headed to the North Lake Trailhead.\u00a0 The Trailhead leads to Piute Pass and then into the Humphries Basin and eventually to Piute Canyon.\u00a0 We found a suitable campsite near the trailhead and staged the cars for our return to South Lake.\u00a0 The following morning we set off through the forest and switchbacks to the pass.<\/p>\n Once crossing over the pass, we descended into the massive Humphreys Basin.\u00a0 The Basin looks like a vast wasteland of rock and wind.\u00a0 It is bordered by 13,000 ft peaks to the North and South.\u00a0 We proceeded west to Hutchinson meadow where we found a great campsite next to Piute stream.\u00a0\u00a0 After a swim and many games of cards between Preston and Henry, we bedded down for the night.<\/p>\n The next morning we crossed the meadow and headed down the magnificent Piute Canyon.\u00a0 The narrow trail winds down the west side of the canyon.\u00a0 The views are stunning and in places, the creek is several hundred feet below a sheer drop off.\u00a0\u00a0 The canyon ends at the John Muir Trail and the entrance to Kings Canyon National Park.\u00a0 We turned East and followed the river to our next campsite near the entrance to Evolution Basin. At camp, more cards were played and Jack assumed his signature sitting pose of entitlement.<\/p>\n The next morning we started the 2,200 ft climb to Evolution Lake.\u00a0 The climb required 11 miles of switchbacks and a water crossing but we moved quickly and reached the campsite by 1pm.<\/p>\n The sun was hot and the water was cold, but everyone in the group jumped in.\u00a0 Later in the afternoon, smoke from a distant forest fire blew in and bought a lot of haze.\u00a0 The lake is positioned in what is known as a hanging valley.\u00a0 These valleys were formed when the glaciers retreated leaving small pieces to continue to erode pockets in the canyons.\u00a0 The result is basically basins that step up as you near passes.\u00a0 This creates sheer drop-offs on the edge of the valleys.\u00a0 With the addition of the haze to sunset, some spectacular colors in the sky are created from the valley overlook.<\/p>\n The next day was going to be challenging, so we left early.\u00a0 Our plan was to climb out of Evolution Valley to Muir Pass.\u00a0 The climb was only 1,200 ft, but it\u2019s through some very rough trails to just under 12,000 ft.\u00a0 On top of the pass, sits the Muir hut which was built by the Sierra Club in the 1930\u2019s.<\/p>\n After the hut, the trail descends sharply into Le Conte Canyon.\u00a0 This is one of the more challenging parts of the trip since we had to drop nearly 3,000 ft in the heat and dust. \u00a0The grade of the trail wore on everyone\u2019s legs and they were very happy for a short break in the mouth of the John Muir Trail Monster.\u00a0 Everyone seemed to have fun with it, except Jack; as you can see by his refusal to lie down and the scowl on his face.\u00a0 Once at camp, many soaked in the creek to clean-up, and a few others (like JT) needed a good hair scrubbing to remove the grease.<\/p>\n The next morning, we had our biggest climb of the trip \u2013 over 2,400 ft in 7 miles.\u00a0 The senior member of the crew (Brad) took care to loosen up his muscles before setting out.\u00a0 The climb consisted of leaving the JMT and turning north towards Bishop Pass.\u00a0 Along the way the views were spectacular and our campsite in Dusy Basin was even better.\u00a0 While the smoke was much less than it had been in previous days, the small bit that came in created some spectacular colors at sunset.\u00a0 Through the day, the only thing the kids talked about was all the different types of food they were going to eat the following day.\u00a0 There were requests to get up before dawn and hit brunch (from Jack of course).<\/p>\n The morning of the last day was another beautiful day.\u00a0 The sunrise in Dusy Basin was incredible.\u00a0\u00a0 It was just a short climb to Bishop Pass and then 6 miles of downhill switchbacks to the South Lake parking lot.\u00a0\u00a0 Grant and I went ahead so we could drive back to North Lake and pick up the car we left there.\u00a0 Everyone made great time and soon we were back in Bishop for lunch.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n