21 July 2020
Evolution Lake to Florence Lake Trail
(14.6 miles, +800/-3,900 feet).
Today was another monsoon day in the Sierra, but we were far from any peaks and our only job was down, down, down, so we stayed dry. We made great time (Bee’s Knees loves “bonus miles!”) and set ourselves up nicely to get our resupply at Muir Trail Ranch tomorrow.
The air was calm as we rounded Evolution Lake this morning. It was perfect hiking weather to enjoy not only the lake but a vast mountain called “The Hermit.”
We descended below tree line and walked through McClure Meadow where we encountered a friendly ranger.
We knew we had a wet crossing today at Evolution Creek but I wasn’t too worried. The low snow year meant it was likely to be pretty easy, and when we got there we saw that it was.
I swam at the crossing and we all enjoyed a hearty lunch while our shoes dried.
The hike down Evolution Creek to Goddard Canyon was pretty dramatic.
And at Piute Creek we would say goodbye to Kings Canyon.
Near the end of the day we came across a memorial to John Muir, in the form of a hut.
And soon after that we found a spot by the South Fork San Joaquin to camp for the night.
The JimmyJam Hiking Club 