Day 3, Wednesday: Darwin Canyon to Evolution Lake

This wilderness does not feel big enough for me and another old man. A through-hiker accentuates my wussyness. Unsought for photographic advice is offered. I am scolded by a ranger. Finally I climb to a high place and encounter the Galactic Core.

I awoke feeling refreshed on a crisp Sierra dawn, alpenglow quickly giving way to a kiss of orange sunlight on the peak opposite me (Mount Stephen Jay Gould). I was resolved now to give up on my initial plan to hike into the Ionian Basin—that route would require me to finish the trip traversing back over the tortuous path I had just negotiated, and I had no stomach for it. I decided I would loop my way back via a northern route over Piute Pass. But first as a consolation prize I would hike to Evolution Lake (arguably out of my way), one of the finest jewels of the High Sierra.

After a breakfast of granola, re-hydrated milk, and a “mocha” of instant espresso and Swiss Miss, I took a little stroll around the vicinity of my camp. I was a little surprised to discover that there were many fine campsites in this area, somewhat hidden a bit off the trail. Something to note for “next time” if I ever came back this way, hard as that was to contemplate given what I’d just endured!

Then I was on my way again, looking forward to a much easier day of travel. My first waypoint was a spot known as Darwin Bench, a flat area by a high lake above a drop down into the high end of Evolution Valley. I decided to cut a corner of the trail here and traverse a bit higher above the small valley it dropped down into. That worked out ok, and before too long I was looking at the cascading stream dropping down from Darwin Bench. Sitting on a low granite bench by the cascade made for a nice lunch spot.

I considered an option for my route from here to Evolution Lake. I had an idea to camp high above Evolution Lake this night in order to have a spectacular spot to make some grand landscape images. Getting there by trail would require dropping five-hundred feet, and eventually having to climb that back up. Looking at my map it theoretically looked possible to traverse South East from where I was and stay practically level to such a spot. But forty-five minutes of probing exploration without my pack disabused me of the idea, as that cross country route quickly became snarled and difficult.

I came across a (another 😂) solitary old guy with a big camera who seemed to be scouting around. Chatting with him briefly, indeed he was looking for a similar photographic opportunity. I felt oddly competitive with him, as if this part of the Sierra wasn’t big enough for the two of us, absurd as I knew that was. Nonetheless I was gratified a few minutes later when I glimpsed him setting up his tent at Darwin Bench while I continued on to Evolution Lake.

The hike from Darwin Bench to Evolution Lake was easy (despite the five hundred foot elevation loss), and was effectively over before I knew it. I headed left along the lakeshore a bit, until I spotted a spur trail that headed up into a copse of trees. That turned out to be a perfectly pleasant camp spot. After doing a little basic camp setup, I grabbed my dromedary bag and water bottle and headed over to the outlet stream of Evolution Lake, maybe a quarter mile away. The view from the outlet down into Evolution Valley is one of those proverbial “breath taking” views, but I wasn’t able to figure out how to get any satisfactory photos of that (despite trying). Ultimately you just have to be there…

Turns out there were a group of PCT through hikers camped on a little peninsula jutting into the lake. One guy was like “Whew! That was a pretty tough twenty miles, particularly the last part!” which made me feel pretty much like a wuss, as I had just ground out all of, umm, two miles? One woman of the cadre noticed my big camera and suggested the best place for me to position myself for sunset pictures was on the promontory just south of the lake. When I told her that instead I was planning on climbing some ways up the slope north of the lake she let me know it was a rather misguided idea. But she looked forward to seeing my pictures anyway, which she just assumed I’d be posting in the PCT FB group. Hmmm.

Getting back towards my camp with my water I was intercepted by a ranger who told me he’d just checked out my campsite, and that I hadn’t tied the knot on my securing cord on my Ursak (a kevlar fabric bear bag for food storage) correctly. But he’d gone ahead and tied it correctly for me (for the record, I had and was using a regulation bear canister, and was just using the Ursak for some food overflow that didn’t fit in that). I kinda thought that Ursaks weren’t regulation in SEKI (Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks), but he brushed that off. After my scolding and getting back up to my camp I had to admit that his knot was indisputably more bomb (or bear) proof, so note to self to up my game there… or just carry less food!

I’ll close out this narrative of Day 3 with more of “present-tense” recounting:

Arriving at Evolution Lake late in the afternoon on day three of a seven day backpacking trip, I stash the gear and food I won’t need for the night in a pleasant campsite and begin a steep climb towards the Sierra Crest high above me. Late afternoon shadows lengthen on the lake below as I keep a steady pace up a rocky drainage path in a steep grassy draw. Finally I traverse left along some narrow granite ramps to a ledge perhaps five hundred feet above the lake. The view is glorious, an aerial panorama of Evolution Lake and its environs laid out below me. The Hermit and associated peaks rise above the lake directly across from me. To my left a bit further off is the pyramidal form of Mount Spencer. Beyond those even more distant peaks—I can see for miles and miles. I remember another afternoon thirty-four years ago when I climbed up here and took pictures, perhaps to this very spot!

Golden hour light highlights the edges of the peaks and ridges of this high Sierra basin. I quickly set up my tripod as close as I dare to the sloping cliff edge, and mount my full-frame digital camera to it. The light fades from gold to blue as I make exposures documenting the transition, while also just simply sitting soaking it all in, enjoying the dinner I prepared before beginning my climb.

Full night falls, and the core of the Milky Way reveals itself rising above the mountains opposite me. I make several exposures of this celestial/terrestrial scene over the course of the next hour, in awe of the absolute majesty of it all. Lights wink on and wander around a bit and then off next to the lake below me as folks do their evening campsite activities. Amazingly I see a bright light winking on and off from the summit of Mount Spencer—an even more precarious spot than my own to spend the night I think!

Finally I crawl into my sleeping bag on a narrow platform just big enough for it at the back of this ledge and drift off to sleep.