Mineral King

This was supposed to be a 3 day backpacking trip in Kings Canyon with a couple of cousins. The idea was to hike out of Mineral King towards Eagle Lake on a maintained trail and set up camp for a couple of nights. On the 2nd day, we would explore some of the peaks like Eagle Crest Peak (11,180′) and White Chief Peak (11,170′). On the 3rd day, we would pick up camp, travel cross-country to Mosquito Lakes, and then hike back to the maintained trail and to the car. It would have been 12-15 miles within 7400′ to 11,200′ elevation.

On the drive in to the Mineral King Ranger Station, we could see the north facing slopes of the peaks glistening in the sun as we drove in, covered in snow and ice. Once at the ranger station, we were informed that snow cover started at about 9000′, and that most of the trails would not be visible. My cousins and I were not prepared for traveling on snow, and neither of them had snow camped before. We decided to stay at lower elevations, and drove down to the Atwell Mill Campground.

From here, we would hike about 10 miles to Hockett Meadows where we would camp, and then explore Hockett Lakes and the creeks and meadows in the area. It seemed like a moderate walk through the forest, but 8 miles in, we were all exhausted from being out of shape, and tired of the views of trees and more trees and more trees. I prefer to be above the tree line looking at expansive views of peaks and ridges and valleys and canyons.

So we decided to camp near Horse Creek. This in itself was a challenge, because the terrain we were on was basically all slopes; we could not find any great flat spots to set up our tents. But, we did not have the energy to keep going. Nonetheless, we made the best out of our trip, and enjoyed some time out in nature breathing fresh air. Lesson learned: stay in shape.