Day 4: Kern Hot Springs to Crabtree Meadow

Distance: 20 miles Elevation Gain: 5,500 ft

We left Kern Hot Springs around 8am after a chill breakfast listening to the river—it was one of those peaceful moments you want to bottle up. The first 8 miles to Junction Meadow flew by, even though the first few miles were cluttered with downed trees we had to climb over or detour around.

By 11:30am we reached the junction, and the mosquitos were brutal—definitely one of the worst patches so far. We had to cross the river on this huge log, which added a bit of excitement (and mild anxiety) to the morning.

From there, it was a long, exposed uphill climb toward the JMT junction, and the sun was relentless. With no water sources along that stretch, we were stopping every 45 minutes just to cool down and catch our breath.

Getting back to Crabtree Meadow stirred up some nostalgia for me—I'd camped here on my first big backpacking trip four years ago. It felt grounding to return to a spot that holds so many firsts. Thankfully, the mosquitos here weren’t nearly as bad, which was a nice break.

We’d originally planned to push on to Guitar Lake, but we were feeling pretty spent. It was one of those days where the elevation gain and heat wore us down, so we decided to call it early and start winding down. Dinner, rest, and getting ready for summit day ahead.

Camp at Crabtree Meadow (10,300ft)