Day 16 on the John Muir Trail…
Today we climb the Golden Staircase, past the Palisade Lakes and up over Mather Pass (12,100ft). We will climb 4,682 feet and descend 2,486 feet, logging 12.6 miles in the process. In other words, this will be a big day in every respect.
Cumulative Distance: 158.4 miles
Total Ascent: 4,682 ft
Cumulative Ascent: 42,540 ft
Harrison Map Sheet 4
Why is it called the Golden Staircase? First of all, it’s a steep series of switchbacks that will take you up, up and UP in a very short distance. Some call it Mother Nature’s StairMaster. Second, if you catch it toward the golden hour before sunset, the light reflects off cascading Palisade Creek giving it a golden glow.
We took our time on the Golden Staircase, and while it was tough, we were tougher. Joan and I can tell that two weeks of hiking the JMT has really made a difference. We reached the high shelf above the Golden Staircase feeling strong.
We had logged about five miles, and stopped to enjoy lunch beside Palisade Creek. It was a beautiful day, with a good breeze. Not much shade, unfortunately, as we were above the tree line.
Refueled and rehydrated, we continued on. About a half mile up the trail we came across the first of the two Palisade Lakes. These are beautiful lakes, and the trail follows the canyon wall around their north-east shoreline.
Beyond Upper Palisade Lake the land became increasingly stark and Mather Pass loomed high above us. We would have a lot of climbing yet to do.
When we finally reached Mather Pass, we rested, drank water and took some photos. The climbing behind us, it would be all downhill for the rest of the day.
The descent on the south side of Mather Pass is intimidating. The trail is narrow with a series of switchbacks down a slope that seems impossibly steep. We had to keep our eyes on the trail — one misstep could be catastrophic.
It’s difficult to adequately express how steep this section of the trail is. To give you some sense, after we reached the Upper Basin, I paused to look back towards Mather Pass, and spotted a pack train slowly making their way down the trail. Impressive, and scary.
The Upper Basin looks a bit like a moonscape.
We headed down along the headwaters of the Kings River. Other than the pack train behind us, we hadn’t seen anyone since the Palisade Lakes. It had been a long day, and while we originally had hoped to camp at the South Fork Junction, the sun was getting low and we started looking for a suitable place to camp for the night.
We were just beginning to get back below the tree line, when we saw a scraggly solo hiker headed up the trail. We stopped and said hello, and talked about where were were coming from. I asked the older gentleman if I could take a photo of him — to which he replied “I should probably tell you who I am…”
It turns out that we had run into Reinhold Metzger. He was 69 years old and on a 14-day NOBO (north-bound) JMT thru-hike — his 12th time. Not only that, but Reinhold previously held the unsupported thru-hike speed record of 4 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes.
The sun was setting, but Reinhold was planning to hike over Mather Pass and see how far he got. His gear was not particularly fancy or new — he even had an old external frame backpack. He was thinking about picking up some ultralight gear and maybe doing a yo-yo of the JMT (in his case, hiking north-bound, then turn around and doing it again south-bound).
Some of my friends will hear about Reinhold’s hiking pace and his age, and give me some ribbing hiking the JMT so much slower. Still others will suggest he’s nuts for hiking in darkness and claim he’s missing the point.
The real truth? Our reasons for hiking are vastly different. Our ability to go further or faster vary. What we want to achieve can be very different, as well. So whether you’re hiking locally, or on the JMT, hike your own hike.
Trail Map: The Golden Staircase, Mather Pass and the Upper Basin
JMT Day 16 Photo Gallery
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Tomorrow, we head over Pinchot Pass to Woods Creek.
Originally hiked on August 11, 2010.
That was a loooong day!
What an adventure, man! I’m catching up with your posts and this is pretty impressive. Sounds a bit scary at times but very cool. It has to be visceral experience.
I’ve been going through a number of your posts and now want to hike the JMT. When is the big question but that landscape sure speaks to me,.
Leigh, I’m glad you’re inspired by our JMT series. One of the wonderful things about this trail is that — while rigorous and demanding — everyday people hike it every year. You don’t need to be an extreme athlete, just someone who prepares and is up for the adventure.
Hahaha..ol’ metzger just had to let you know didn’t he…”I think I should let you know who I am”… did he have a chance to tell you all about the good old days of hiking whitney in combat boots carrying him and his wife’s pack? What an odd fella for sure…but way to pound out those miles!
I believe it’s spelled “Messner”. And yes, he may be the strongest hiker/climber who ever lived. He used to hike/train in the Wind River range back in the early 1980’s. As a young man, I worked as a backcountry ranger in the north section of the Winds and I remember Messner day hiked from the Elkhart Park trailhead to the top of Gannett Peak and back out, which is a 40 mile roundtrip plus a lot of elevation gain. It was no big deal for him.
@Steve – Despite similar sounding names, Reinhold Messner (the famous mountaineer) and Reinhold Metzger (the JMT record-holder) are in fact, two different people. Metzger isn’t a mountaineer (that I’m aware of). His claim to fame is holding the FKT for the JMT for a while.