Over Muir Pass to Kings River Trail Junction

Small Pretty Lakes on the Way Up Muir Pass

We bounced out early to get a good start on the day, it's 5.7 miles up to Muir Pass, another bright sunny morning by the lake and the wind has dropped off a bit after a very blowy night.

There are a couple more lakes on the way up to keep us energized, we're feeling much better this morning and we get up the pass without too much trouble, there's a beautiful old hut on top that's for emergency shelter only, no overnight stays unless the weather is bad.

The hut is well made, almost all stone, it's been surveying Muir Pass since 1930, the Sierra Club put the whole thing together, musta been quite a project back in the day to haul building materials up the mountain.

Inside the Stone Hut Atop Muir Pass

We spend about 30 minutes on top checking out the hut and admiring the view while snapping some pix, then a winding trail across some snow banks to start down towards LeConte Canyon and the Bishop Pass trail junction.

The valley gets prettier as we down with wild flowers by the stream and conifers. We stop for lunch by what may be Starr camp after winding down some switchbacks, it's hard to tell exactly where Starr Camp is.

Still hungry and we have a hot lunch, a dinner that we didn't eat when sick, it's Pho and it's tastes so good I decide to try and make it regular lunch fare, been making Miso soup, it helps the dry snacks go down, no calories though. Pho helps the dry stuff go down and has calories, maybe a better option.

Outside the Stone Hut Atop Muir Pass

The LeConte Ranger station comes up soon enough, we take a short side trail in to let the resident ranger know that we're OK and to get a message back to Dario at McClure Meadow.

It's Ranger Bob and an older couple waiting for their resupply via backpacker up and over Bishop Pass, it's mid afternoon and the resupply is several hours late, we talk about the different resupply options before leaving, it looks like a very nice Ranger station with a deck, a bit more fancy than McClure.

Ranger Bob tells us about how they operate, it's a seasonal job with no benefits, from July to September each year, they don't have any specific duties, including checking permits, just to keep a general eye on things and help out hikers when needed, very nice.

Pretty Wildflowers Trailside in Le Conte Valley

Another 3.5 to target campsite, just a slow downhill coast, we pass a couple who saw a black bear crossing the trail, he's gone by the time we get there.

We want to camp as close to the bottom as possible, it's gonna be uphill most of the day tomorrow and we'd like to start out fresh on the climb, the Kings River Trail Junction is perfect, a couple of North bounders tell us it's very close and it's a large area, we get as far away as possible from the JMT, and close to the river, another gorgeous body of water.

View Entering Le Conte Valley

We wash a bit in the chilly water, trying to stay as clean as possible during this long stretch without hot water, keep the chafing and smell down as much as possible.

It's campfire elevation now so we get a blaze going to try and dry our clothes and warm our bodies, tomorrow the trail will take a sharp left as it heads up Palisades Valley and above the no campfire zone so we make the best of it.

As the fire dies down a bit a storm comes up the valley and douses the it for us, very convenient.

Beautiful Meadows in Le Conte Valley