Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - June 11th
Day 56: Tuesday 11th June
Upper Palisade Lake - Middle Fork, Kings River
There was another heavy frost last night. It was noticeable crossing the first stream
that there was ice on the logs and rocks well above the water level. This was due to the
level of water in the streams dropping as it froze overnight.
Palisade Creek Canyon was a classic U-shaped valley. In the last ice age there would
have been a glacier several thousand feet thick in the valley. The weight of the glacier
flowing down a pre-existing river valley would have worn down side-spurs and the valley
floor. The valley was thus widened and deepened into a deep trough with steep sides and
a flat floor. In places the ice had ground deeper and left behind basins, which later filled
up with water forming the deep lakes, such as the Palisade Lakes. From the Lower
Palisade Lake the trail has been blasted down a rock face, which would have been an
icefall during the ice ages. Not surprisingly, this section of trail dropping down the cliff
in a series of switchbacks known as the Golden Staircase was one of the last parts of the
PCT to be completed. On the staircase a 10-ton block had fallen across the trail and
lower down a lot of trees had come down across the trail. Passing these obstacles with a
heavily laden rucksack was both energy sapping and time consuming. The National Park
trail maintenance workers should soon be coming up to clear the trail for the
July/August hiking season. Until they do the trail would be impassable to horses.
Snow builds up on these steep sided valleys and, in places, there were acres of trees
flattened by the resulting avalanches.
The trail dropped down to 8000ft before starting the long climb up Le Conte Canyon
to Muir Pass. In the early evening I climbed easily up to 10,000ft before camping on a
lovely grassy site beside the Middle Fork, King’s River, just as the sun was setting. For
the second consecutive day I haven’t seen anyone all day. Even at this altitude there
were Rainbow Trout swimming in the pools in the creek.
Day 56: 15.0 miles 8.19 hours Camp: Middle Fork, Kings River
Upper Palisade Lake - Middle Fork, Kings River
There was another heavy frost last night. It was noticeable crossing the first stream
that there was ice on the logs and rocks well above the water level. This was due to the
level of water in the streams dropping as it froze overnight.
Palisade Creek Canyon was a classic U-shaped valley. In the last ice age there would
have been a glacier several thousand feet thick in the valley. The weight of the glacier
flowing down a pre-existing river valley would have worn down side-spurs and the valley
floor. The valley was thus widened and deepened into a deep trough with steep sides and
a flat floor. In places the ice had ground deeper and left behind basins, which later filled
up with water forming the deep lakes, such as the Palisade Lakes. From the Lower
Palisade Lake the trail has been blasted down a rock face, which would have been an
icefall during the ice ages. Not surprisingly, this section of trail dropping down the cliff
in a series of switchbacks known as the Golden Staircase was one of the last parts of the
PCT to be completed. On the staircase a 10-ton block had fallen across the trail and
lower down a lot of trees had come down across the trail. Passing these obstacles with a
heavily laden rucksack was both energy sapping and time consuming. The National Park
trail maintenance workers should soon be coming up to clear the trail for the
July/August hiking season. Until they do the trail would be impassable to horses.
Snow builds up on these steep sided valleys and, in places, there were acres of trees
flattened by the resulting avalanches.
The trail dropped down to 8000ft before starting the long climb up Le Conte Canyon
to Muir Pass. In the early evening I climbed easily up to 10,000ft before camping on a
lovely grassy site beside the Middle Fork, King’s River, just as the sun was setting. For
the second consecutive day I haven’t seen anyone all day. Even at this altitude there
were Rainbow Trout swimming in the pools in the creek.
Day 56: 15.0 miles 8.19 hours Camp: Middle Fork, Kings River
Shakespeare Peak
Palisade Canyon
Middle Fork Kings River
Grouse Meadows
Ancient Brit by Middle
Fork Kings River
Fork Kings River
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