Golden Trout Wilderness

Golden Trout Wilderness loop hike. 30 miles. 4100' gain and loss. My route went up Cottonwood Pass to the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the PCT to the boundary of Sequoia National Park. Down to Big Whitney Meadow via Siberian Pass. From Big Whitney down the Golden Trout Creek to Tunnel Meadow. Tunnel Meadow up the South Fork Kern to Bullfrog/Mulkey Meadows then over Trail Pass back to the car at Horseshoe Meadow.



Looking at Horseshoe Meadows Road out of Lone Pine. I'd like to see somebody try to street luge that thing.



The view of the former site of Owens Lake.



Horseshoe Meadows.



Views from Cottonwood Pass--11,100'.





Chicken Spring Lake from the PCT.



Foxtail Pine. These trees live forever. The oldest known foxtail pine is 3,400 years old.



Big Whitney Meadow (my eventual campspot that night) from the PCT.





The Sequoia National Park boundary. Ignore the part about pets.



Siberian Outpost.



View towards Joe Devel Peak and Mount Corcoran.



Tree breaker.



Big Whitney at sunset.



My first Golden Trout.



The view from camp. I had the entire meadows to myself and wouldn't see another person for three days.

Day Two - Golden Trout Wilderness

Golden Trout Creek at Big Whitney Meadows. What a creek, even in a dry year.



The not-so-elusive Golden Trout. These guys are endemic to this region and are absolutely beautiful. The fight pretty good too. I caught and released more than thirty of the little dudes.



Golden Trout Creek leaves the meadows and enters a small gorge before reaching Tunnel Meadow.



The old water tower at Tunnel Camp.



Golden Trout Creek Camp with Kern Peak in the background. While sitting here I was watching a small insect flying above the river when a golden trout suddenly torpedoed itself completely clear of the water and snatched the bug out of mid air. Sounds pretty mundane, but it was amazing--totally made my day.