[pct-l] Golden Trout Wilderness

[mardav at charter.net (Marion Davison)]

Lonetrail@aol.com wrote:

>Hi I been thinking of doing some backpacking in the Golden Trout Wilderness 
>and need some help.  Has anyone done the Clicks Creek Trail in Golden Trout, 
>would you recommend it for a 2 night backpack.
>
>Or, a longer hike that would start at the Freeman Creek trail. (this 
>trailhead is close to
>the Clicks Creek trailhead - about 8 miles away)
>
>Or, any other great trails in that area. Looking to go next week for three 
>days. Would appreciate some help. Thanks 
>
>Lonetrail
>_______________________________________________
>  
>
We started at Camp Whitsett and hiked north on cow paths and roads to 
Lloyd Meadow, north to Jerkey meadow, east to Trout Meadows and north up 
the Kern River to Mt. Whitney (Wallace Creek to Crabtree, out at Whitney 
portal). This was a really nice trip, rugged country, lots of good 
swimming holes on Lloyd Meadows Creek, the Little Kern
and Kern River.  Don't forget Kern Hot Spring. 

On another trip we started at Horseshoe Meadow, crossed trail pass and 
down to Bullfrog Meadow, west through Kern Canyon to Coyote Pass, north 
thru Farewell Gap to Franklin Pass and spent another couple weeks 
rambling in Sequoia-Kings Cyn, eventually returning to Horseshoe via 
PCT.  This upper east quadrant of Golden Trout is high and dry.  Full of 
cows back then, who turned all the meadows into sandy wastes.  We called 
it the Sierra Sahara.  But we liked the isolation and found some 
beautiful pristine places.  Natural bridge is a fascinating spot--a lava 
tube that has become a streambed.  Trail goes over the tube, water flows 
thru the tube.  Lots of other geologically fascinating features here.  
Many mineshafts. 

On a long weekend we started at Horseshoe, took Trail Pass west thru 
Bullfrog and Tunnel Meadows, then north to Big Whitney Meadow, east to 
Cottonwood Pass, to return to Horseshoe.  High, dry, great solitude, 
mostly pristine but sandy.  Trails can be hard to follow due to little 
use.  But we loved it.  This area gets more stock use than hiker use.  
Consequently there are large stock camps in good camping areas.

On another long weekend we started at Kennedy Meadow and hiked north on 
PCT to Beck Meadow, camping on the edge of the largest meadow in the 
Sierras.  Awesome.  Vegetation is wildly diverse here,  where the desert 
meets the mountain.  Other than the Kern River, water is not plentiful.  
We went in early July.  It was really hot during the day, but below 
freezing overnight.

On a Memorial Weekend we hiked from Forks of the Kern trailhead down to 
the Forks of the Kern, where we found a massive riverside campsite.  The 
river was far too rowdy to cross, so that was the end of the line for 
us.  It was a nice overnight spot.
Marion