Muir Pass, Evolution Creek, & Flooded Creek Crossings – PCT 2017: A Hiking Story [22]

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Part 21 ‘Mountaineering on Pinchot Pass & Mather Pass’ 

Day 68 (04/06) – Muir Pass

We set off from our camp beside the Kings River at our normal 3am time. I was navigating for the most part. Most of the previous tracks had melted, but the valley was narrow, and it wasn’t too hard to follow the way up the valley. It was dangerous to hike near the river, due to the amount of undercut snow bridges that could prove a fatal swim.

The height of the snow was becoming immense as the valley tightened up. Tips of trees were poking out, and some sections were quite steep.

We pushed up, up, up all morning toward Muir Pass. As the day went on, the snow amount grew in thickness. This was definitely the heaviest snow section I’d walked in yet. It was soft at a lower elevation, but as we gained altitude, the snow hardened and became easier to walk on with more grip.

Upon reaching Helen Lake, I decided it was undoubtedly frozen enough to cross. Normally, you’d hike around the left side of it – but where’s the fun in that?

After the lake crossing, the last stretch to the pass was fairly simple.

Although it wasn’t a technical pass, the climb was long and tiring. We made it in good time, around 7am – just in time for some good sunshine and melting snow! On top of the pass is the stone-built Muir Hut, dedicated to John Muir (the famous pioneer of the Sierras). Here, we had a long rest and break inside, marvelling at the hut’s unique design and impressive stonework. It would have been an interesting place to spend a night, for sure!

We left Muir Hut, and began the descent towards Wanda Lake. This would be the headwaters for Evolution Creek – a large river crossing downstream on the PCT.

Again, the slope was gradual, covered in thick snow and totally exposed. It was easy enough, but the sun was becoming more intense. We crossed the expansive Wanda Lake easily enough, being entirely frozen over. Frozen Lake crossings just felt natural in this environment now to us.

After the frozen Wanda Lake crossing, running water was starting to show itself – Evolution Creek. I ended up crossing the top of Evolution Creek about shin deep as Evolution Basin became the next landmark in view.

For the next several hours, we passed both the hidden Sapphire and Evolution Lake sections (without really noticing them!). The thought of what this area would look like without snow was so crazy to me. It was constant lakes in this region, none of which we could see. It was stunning even covered with snow, but it would transform so dramatically without it!

After Evolution Lake, the long downhill section to the valley below was in sight. Downhill sections like this were always a bit intimidating with heavy snow, as we’d often take more slides and falls, both due to the snow being softer and naturally using heels more than toes! It wasn’t as bad as I thought, however, and I generally just made up my own way down the mostly snow-covered switchbacks. Straight up, or straight down in snow was pretty much my way!

I had lunch at the valley bottom, now in the forest, and the other guys caught up for a break. We pushed on a further 2 miles, and found a campsite next to the river that was both dry and flat, and camped there for the evening. It was tempting to knock over the Evolution Creek crossing today, but we knew it was safer to cross when there would be less snow melt contributing to the water level.

In the evening, I received disturbing news from Rex (via my inReach sat device). Apparently, two of the rivers we have to cross ahead are ‘impassable‘ according to another hiker who was ahead of us. Fearmongering was a powerful thing, and many people used it to justify their own limitations. Was it that, or was it as hard and serious as they made it out to be?

We were all shaken by the news, as it meant we might not make it to VVR – where I had a resupply. We talked over options, but we all agreed we need to see for ourselves. If we had to turn back we could, but we’d also run out of food. The only viable turnaround point was Bishop Pass, which was a day behind us (where Grim had left us). It’s so hard to take on board other hikers’ advice, because so far we’ve handled everything that ‘we couldn’t do‘ like Fuller Ridge. Hopefully, we could do it and move on, but turning around is definitely looking more and more possible the further we get into the Sierra Nevada Range. The winter-like conditions of the PCT certainly were beginning to test everyone’s ability by now.

Distance hiked: 15 miles

Total PCT hiked: 848 miles

Day 69 (05/06) Evolution Creek and Piute Creek

The early morning beside Evolution Creek was cold and frosty, just what we needed for an early river crossing! As usual by this point, I was navigating through the blackness of the early morning – sticking close by to Evolution Creek. Evolution Creek is usually crossed right before it drops off into Goddard Canyon, but we knew it would be a deeper crossing point.

I decided that as a group, we’d cross Evolution Creek at the widest section not too far from camp. Here it was the slowest flow, and the widest point – hopefully less deep! There were two sections to cross of Evolution Creek: the first being only a thigh-deep braid, and the second being the main channel.

There was snow and ice on the water’s edge, indicating its temperature, and making my balls already decide their fate. So here it was that I stripped down to only my underwear contemplating life decisions, and if Evolution Creek was named so as a test for ‘survival of the fittest!’. I had a trash compactor bag inside the pack – in case the pack dipped into the water – I was ready!

Now naked, with my warm clothes readily accessible at the top of my pack… it was time to test if I was fit enough for the task ahead. I led the way, being the one who chose the crossing, and also the tallest person in the group. ‘Here goes nothing!’ I say to myself, as I waded into the freezing cold water. At first, it was only thigh deep, but when I got to the channel, it got way up to my waist! It was here, I remember yelling a ‘raaaaaaaawwwwrrrr‘ sound out, with laughter behind me audible.

The water was sucking my energy and breath away, but I persevered through! The current was not strong, but at this depth, it definitely impacted my crossing speed. Eventually, we made it one by one on the snowy shoreline.

Emerging from the creek one by one, it was time to re-clothe our shivering naked bodies! I quickly set down my pack and threw on my thermals to get warm as the other guys began making their way across in a similar fashion. I had to stand on objects to get my cold feet off the snow, and to also get my socks on too. The whole experience as pretty funny: mostly-naked, grown men, wearing packs crossing a river and screaming like girls at the other end from the cold, haha. A memorable experience for sure!

Immediately after changing, we hiked fast to warm up. After reaching Goddard Canyon, we arrived at a bridge crossing Evolution Creek for a break. This was the moment where we had a big discussion over our plans to go ahead, or leave via our only option – Piute Pass. This was the next valley leading out toward a road leading back to Bishop.

Everyone had been mentally swayed by both the conditions, and Rex’s message from earlier about future crossings. I was comfortable with what we had done so far, but what if the conditions ahead were worse? The Spring snow melts were getting heavier every day that passed.

Bobby Hill was the only one who intended to press on – adamant to 100% complete the trail. He thought I would too, but I told him my priorities weren’t about 100% trail completion. For me, it was about the experience and enjoying myself hiking – which is why I did the trail in the first place. I didn’t feel the need to throw myself into raging rivers, or do sketchy log crossings just to say I completed the trail. Climbing mountains I have control of my body, but fast-flowing water is a natural force I can’t control.

I also had a good package at VVR which I had intended to be there, but now we also heard (via Rex on the satellite phone) that the road is not even accessible due to the heavy snow conditions. Would my food resupply even be there? I couldn’t count on it, and didn’t have enough food to make it to Mammoth. I decided to also leave at the next pass and skip ahead 51 miles to Mammoth. It’s not like I hadn’t done some extra side mileage anyway.

At the end of the conversation, four young deer crossed the bridge behind us, only a few metres away. Although we didn’t know at the time, we actually ended up following these deer for the next two days.

After a few miles of hiking later, we reached Piute Pass. Here, we said goodbye to Bobby Hill, wishing him luck, and pressed on our separate paths. The Piute Pass trail was spectacular – it was basically a canyon with the huge Piute Creek flowing through it. The river was so high, it even breached the trail as it overflowed the river banks. The seasonal streams feeding it were also quite large, and we needed to cross several of them – thankfully, nothing over knee height.

We intended in making it past the river crossings, knowing one was a huge braided network of streams. Thankfully, we got through them all successfully, and camped in a small snow-cleared area by the river.

Distance hiked: 15 miles

Total PCT hiked: 856 miles

Day 70 (06/06) – Returning to Bishop

It wasn’t a huge day of hiking ahead of us – only 10 miles or so to the trailhead at North Lake. We climbed most of the day, and went over Piute Pass. The pass was easy to ascend, but hard to descend.

At one point, we ended up taking different ways down a bluffed section. I found myself precariously stuck on the back face of a bluff, only being supported by small finger grips on the rock.  Below me, was a crevasse, where the snow and melted away from the rock, and was several metres deep. Here, I needed to jump across the crevasse onto the lower snow ledge behind it. ‘Fuck…’ I was thinking to myself.

As I was contemplating how I was going to do this (whilst facing the opposite direction toward the bluff), the other guys had all caught up and were on the ledge behind me. With the other guys now down below me on the snow ledge, I ended up carefully throwing my pack to them with one free hand as the other hung on for dear life.

I asked for an ice axe, and Thirsty threw me his, with mine being attached to my pack (I couldn’t get it off in the position I was in). Now ready, I took a deep breath, and jumped (somewhat sideways, to turn) and self arrested with the ice axe on the snow slope below. I both managed to avoid falling into the ravine, and slide off the other side! Phew!

The rest of the walk down to the end of the trail was a mix of patchy snow and trail. On the road end, there were no people, and we had a painful road walk out. It took around five miles of road walking before we arrived at a busy enough junction to hitch. Most of the cars driving past here were from older tourists in campervans leaving the campsites or lakes (the only reason you’d drive on these roads). This made it very hard to get a hitch.

Thirsty and Rubberball improvised on the main stretch by performing magic tricks using a bandana haha. Sadly, their tricks didn’t pay off. At the same time,  I was covering the possible hitches via the smaller side road. After some half hour of trying, I managed to flag down an older guy with a pickup truck who drove us back into Bishop.

We arrived back at the Hostel California in Bishop, and met the next wave of hikers (who were really 8 days behind us). We had told them our experiences – more information than what we had been given starting that stretch. They greatly appreciated the information, and were able to now make more informed decisions than us. I tried to encourage people to have a go, as it was a good section.

Distance hiked: 10 miles

Total PCT hiked: ~856 miles

Next Post:

Part 23 ‘Walls of Snow at Mammoth & Donohue Pass’ 

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