South Lake - North Lake Loop Day 7

It rained lightly off and on through out the night. When we got up in the morning the sky was totally gray and we knew that we would be lucky if we could eat breakfast and pack up before it started to rain again. We decided that we would let the weather decide if we would stop and camp for the night along the Piute trail or just continue on to the North Lake Trailhead some 18 miles distant with a 3500’ elevation gain in between.

The sky was so threatening that I put all my rain gear on so that I would not have to do so somewhere along the trail. As it turned out we were scarcely a quarter mile from camp when the light rain started again. The lower section of the trail passed through Piute Canyon, which is very rugged and scenic. The trail had many elevation gains and losses through this section because of the shear cliffs that had to be navigated. Since it was raining, we only stopped to take a few photos but no rest breaks.

As the morning wore on, it was becoming apparent to both of us that we would most likely be hiking all the way to our vehicle, as there were no signs of an imminent break in the weather. We both agreed that it would be no fun camping in a light but steady rain.

We passed a couple groups of hikers before reaching Hutchinson Meadow and were told that the weather forecast for the next couple of days was for the rain to be even worse. One group told us that the wind near the pass the previous night was so fierce that they had some of their tents blow down. We decided to stop and take a quick lunch break just past the meadow. After filling our water bottles, we shouldered our packs and started the steady climb to Piute Pass.

As we climbed higher the light rain turned into hail and the wind became stronger. By the time we had the pass in sight, the wind was strong enough to make it hail completely sideways. Luckily for us, the wind was at our back. Every time we turned around for a view down the valley, we were pelted forcefully in the face by the hail. It was also starting to pile up on the ground.

We were within a few hundred feet of the pass when we passed a group of hikers taking shelter from the wind behind some boulders. They had been camped near us the night before and we started talking with them. We told them we were probably going to hike all the way out due to the weather and they confessed that they were thinking of doing the same thing. We continued on and it was not long till we lost sight of them.

The wind and hail at the top of Piute Pass was incredible. We hurried over the pass hoping to gain some shelter on the Eastern side of the mountains. We had to drop down the trail quite a way before that would become reality!!! Just short of the pass we stopped to talk to a group of hikers on their way up. There was one adult with about 8 teenagers. They told us that they had attempted to cross over Lamark Col on Thursday but were turned back by the fierce wind and weather. We told them that the pass was near but they would get slammed in the face by the wind and hail once they went over the crest.

We continued on down the trail passing by Piute Lake and Loch Leven. Just past these two lakes we ran into a couple with 4 llamas. They were having a hard time controlling the llamas coming up this steep section of trail. The llamas looked over loaded to me. They even had full sized lawn chairs strapped to them. I did not see a cooler though but I would not be surprised if they had one. We finally got past the llamas and continued our quick descent toward the trailhead. We were both craving a good meal and hot shower.

The next and last hiking party that we ran into was two young girls and what looked like a couple that could be their parents. Although they had good coats on, the older couple was wearing only tennis shoes. Keep in mind that the trail was a running stream in spots and the higher they went, the colder it would get. I told Brian that they were just asking for trouble.

As we descended into the forest the rain stopped as most of the clouds were drained of their moisture passing over the mountains. Although still somewhat windy and cool, the remainder of our hike today was very pleasant and neither of us felt very tired after hiking 18 miles.

We needed to somehow catch a ride from North Lake back to Brian’s truck at South Lake so we walked down the road to the trailhead parking lot. One group of hikers was waiting on their ride and they thought that we could catch a ride with them. However, the driver was a real wimp and was afraid that he would get a ticket for riding us in the back of his pickup truck. He said that it was illegal to ride anyone back there in California. His truck had a cap on the back with windows that were so heavily tinted that it was impossible to see in. I don’t know how he figured he would get caught. What a jerk.

Since we lost that ride opportunity, we walked over to Bishop Pack Outfitters to see if one of the wranglers would give us a ride for twenty bucks. Only the owner was around but there were two women leaving to drive back to Bishop at the time so they said that we could ride in the back of their pickup. The bed of their pickup was open but they did not have a problem with us riding back there. They said they thought that the no passengers law only applied to children. Brian and I act like children but I don’t think that counts. These women were real pleasant, not like the last grump we ran into. We could hear them singing up in the cab all the way to South Lake. NEXT STOP DENNYS AND A HOT SHOWER!!!

Well that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Next Year-----The John Muir Trail !!!!!


Piute Creek Bridge	Piute Creek	Piute Creek	Piute Canyon	Piute Canyon	Piute Pass Approach


Piute Pass Descent	Piute Pass Descent