The trail from Crabtree Lake descended as we went toward Crabtree Ranger Station, the midpoint of this day's hike. The troop broke up into two groups. The lead group had Hal within its ranks,
From the Ranger station, we made our way upward toward Guitar Lake, some 3mi's away. The trail was unrelenting in its vertical tendency. We stopped at Timberline Lake, 1mi short of Guitar Lake, for lunch and a well earned rest.
I kept telling Marshall that the terrain around Guitar Lake was flat, an easy walk from here on. Only one problem, I had made this observation from 15,000ft on the top of Whitney a couple years prior. The view from that altitude flattens anything. The real story, which I learned the hard way, is that the terrain leading up to and surrounding Guitar Lake is anything but flat! The climb from Timberline Lake to Guitar lake was tiring to say the least. So much for the plan that this day be a day of rest.
On the way to Guitar Lake from Timberline Lake we ran into the Crabtree Ranger coming the other direction. She had passed us somehow on an alternate route... still can't figure out how she did it... but she gave us good advice as to where the best tent sites were at Guitar Lake. We arrived and captured the spots she described and they were perfect, right on the lake shore and sheltered from others camped nearby.
We still had plenty of daylight left so we spent some time washing up, unlaxing, and making dinner. The specter of Whitney hung over the camp site... The next day was going to be tough.
Day 4 Trail Map
