Roads End to Onion Valley - Day and Section Hikes - page 90

per lake. From here, it's a 2-mile grunt up nearly 1,500 feet to the top of Glen Pass,
and you should get water before starting the climb. Ignore the rough trail heading
northwest toward Sixty Lake Basin, and continue south toward the pass.
Mount an initial set of steep switchbacks before the trail levels out briefly to fol-
low a surprising lush brook among willows into a meadow swale worthy of an Andy
Goldsworthy project.
A second set of switchbacks leads to a more desolate landscape of turquoise
tarns and rocky ridgelines. There is little vegetation here, save for the occasional
stunted white-bark pine. Limited camping is available here if you're willing to sleep
on a granite bed.
Continue on a final series of gratifying zigzags up the talus slope to the narrow
ridge of Glen Pass (11,978 feet). Admire southwestern views of snow-covered
Mount Brewer and the reddish slopes of Mount Bago, as well as other Great Western
Divide peaks.
Descend serpentine switchbacks past an unnamed lake. The descending trail can
be hard to pinpoint amid snow and scree, but look for helpful cairns and continue
heading southwest. Eventually the switchbacks become more defined. Head down
gravelly angled paths toward treeline and a number of lovely tarns, an excellent
place to fill up on water. Continue down, bump up a small rise, then enjoy a long,
gradual descent along the ridgeline above Charlotte Lake as white-bark and foxtail
pines come into view. Admire views of looming Charlotte Dome hovering above the
distant lake. Descend into an open wash with lots of junctions. Hikers continuing to
Mount Whitney would continue straight, ignoring the side trails to Kearsarge Pass
and Bullfrog Lake over the next mile.
Instead, veer left at the first junction following Glen Pass to leave the JMT and
head east toward Kearsarge Pass. Traverse a rocky slope high above Bullfrog and
Kearsarge lakes to ascend the 2.7 miles to Kearsarge Pass (11,823 feet). Catch your
breath and admire epic views of Kearsarge Pinnacles and Lakes. Descend east a
grueling 5 miles, with close to 3,000 feet of elevation loss, to the Onion Valley Trail-
head (9,180 feet).
P ERMIT INFORMATION: Reservations are available in Kings Canyon National Park
from May 21 through September 21. Mail or fax your application to Wilderness Per-
mit Reservations, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 47050 Generals High-
way, #60, Three Rivers, CA 93271. For more information, call [phone]. Ap-
plications can be downloaded at www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/wilder-
ness_permits.htm , or you can furnish the following information with your written
request: name; address; daytime phone number; number of people in the party;
method of travel (foot); number of stock (if applicable); start and end dates; pro-