John Muir Trail, 2007: Day 14 - Tyndall Creek to Guitar Lake

After yesterday's big day over Forester Pass, today was a relatively easy day. There were no real steep ups or down - the trail was rolling and gently graded through this stretch. The day's highlight was Big Horn Plateau, a large, barren, flat area a couple of miles beyond our campsite. Unfortunately the smoke once again interfered with the views, but it was still impressive.

After a few hours of wandering through the trees, we met the turnoff to Crabtree Ranger Station - and Mt Whitney. As we climbed above treeline we were treated to the incredible sights of the Whitney region - peaks, ridges, alpine lakes, and meadows. Our plan was to camp at Guitar Lake, since we had been told that the smaller lakes/tarns above Guitar were dry. Having heard of the crowds that can accumulate at Guitar, I wasn't really looking forward to it.

Instead, the lake was nearly empty. There were a couple of other tents set up, but most of the time it felt like we had the place to ourselves. Our night at Guitar ended up being one of my favorite campsites on the whole trip. Scenery that couldn't be beat, quiet, and comfortable.
This day's stats:

• Mileage: 12.24 mi
  
• Ascending: 2558 ft
  
• Descending: 1911 ft
  
• Cumulative Mileage: 145.80 mi
  
• Cumulative Ascending: 28,569 ft
  
• Cumulative Descending: 25,463 ft