Route: McGee Creek to Tully Lake to Grinnell Lake to Big McGee Lake
Distance: 32 miles
Elevation Gain: 10,000 feet
Duration: 3.5 days, 3 nights
Trip Report
As usual, I learned a lot on a recent backpacking trip through California's John Muir Wilderness. The trip has become a tradition with my partner, another couple, and a guest couple that’s going five years strong. This year, the guest couple who came along had very extensive knowledge of the Eastern Sierra and John Muir Wilderness, so they did the trail planning. Alas, this would be my first trip where a majority of it was spent bushwhacking off-trail and on undeveloped trails.
The first day of any backpacking trip is always the hardest day, at least for me. My legs aren’t really warmed up yet, I’m not used to the pain, I still feel too clean, and, because I’m always in charge of carrying the food, my bag is at its heaviest. This trip started out with a doozy too: 11.5 miles and roughly 4,500 feet of elevation gain through McGee Pass at 11,895 feet. Following the pass, there was a fairly steep decline and then a meandering trail that brought us to Tully Lake for our first night.