Northward Over the John Muir Trail 



35 



adventures of the days when routes were uncharted. It is to 

 their ardent spirits, to the fine skill of the members of the 

 United States Geological Survey who mapped the intricate 

 topography, and to the thorough labors of the trail-builders 

 under direction of the United States Forest Service and the 

 State engineers, that we owe thanks today for the conditions 

 that make it possible to behold in comparative comfort the 

 wonders of this incomparable region. 



The route of the John Muir Trail as originally planned in- 

 cluded a section from the head of Bubbs Creek in the Kings 

 River region via Glenn Pass and Rae Lake to the extreme head- 

 waters of the South Fork of Kings River, and thence over the 

 divide to the head of PaHsade Creek and down to Grouse Val- 

 ley in the Middle Fork of Kings River. This section is not yet 

 open for travel with animals. For the present, therefore, the 

 John Muir Trail may be considered as following the lower 

 route down Bubbs Creek to the main canon of the South Fork 

 of Kings River, thence ascending to Granite Basin by the Cop- 

 per Creek Trail, over Granite Pass and down to Simpson Mead- 

 ow. From this point a trail has been built up the Middle Fork 

 to Grouse Valley, connecting there with the permanent route 

 of the memorial trail. There are other sections of the trail that 

 have not yet been improved to the standards established for 

 the memorial, but they are passable and they follow substan- 

 tially the ultimate route. During the past summer a party led 

 by Mr. Herbert W. Gleason, of Boston, traveled the entire 

 length of the route from Mount Whitney to Yosemite, taking 

 the Granite Pass detour. Another party, of which I was the 

 leader, picked up the trail at Kings River Canon and, following 

 almost literally in Mr. Gleason's footsteps, arrived at Yosem- 

 ite about a week later. In the hope that the experiences of 

 these two parties may be of benefit to subsequent travelers, 

 particularly in respect to trail and feed conditions and prac- 

 ticable schedules of day's journeys, I offer the following com- 

 ments on the route. 



The section from Mount Whitney to Bubbs Creek was cov- 

 ered in the club's outing in the summer of 1916. Starting from 

 Crabtree Meadow, at the base of Mount Whitney, it is an easy 

 day's journey to good camping-ground in Tyndall Creek basin. 



