Day #12 Starting High Sierra Trail!

High Sierra Trail Part 1/8 – from Crescent Meadow to Buck Creek (9.6 Miles)

Time is really flying by! Today is Friday and I started hiking the High Sierra Trail! Packing up at Lodgepole took forever, because my food still wouldn‘t fit into the bear canister and the lack of coffee certainly didn‘t help.

The shuttle driver who took me to Crescent Meadow (where the trailhead is) said: „Be safe out there, honey!“ – so sweet – and I got chatted up a lot because of the size of my backpack (the small one now clings to the back of the big one…like a baby monkey…creating a bulging tower of weight 😬). People are so friendly and talkative here, it’s totally different than in Berlin or Germany in general.

The trail started out through a pretty forrest full of yellow and pink wild flowers. After a mile this incredible view opened up.

Peaks with snow patches, large green firs, smooth grey granite. I continued while hitting my hiking poles together from time to time to let any bears or mountain lions know that I‘m on the way.

When I arrived at Merthen creek, I thought I was in heaven – huge granite slabs hosting pines and waterfalls who form pools to dip into! I didn‘t camp here as I was set to reach Buck creek, a fellow hiker recommended it to me.

The last mile was hard. My feet were boiling in my boots, the backpack dug itself into my shoulders and my belly was rumbling. But I kept pushing and shortly before arriving, I was met by a light brown deer. It just stood on the trail and looked at me. Then it made a step towards me and instead of taking pictures of this beautiful animal, I panicked and screamed. It ran off and I stumbled away to Buck Creek, an enormous ravine with gorgeous views in all four directions. I was lucky to fetch the last good campspot, set up my tent, dipped into a freezing pool, ate chili mac and cheese with tortillas (yum!) and immediately made friends with Bill, a passionate guy who has been hiking around this area for 35 years! Bill was really sweet and shared his tips and secret campspots along the way.

I love how everyone gives each other advice, but never in a condescending (or malesplaining) way. I share my knowledge with people even if I‘m new to backcountry hiking and I‘m glad it‘s valued. I also met two brothers from Maryland this evening, named Phil and Evan – they‘re doing the HST too so we probably meet again!