king lake and rollins pass

This was our first hike out of Hessie trailhead. I'm not fond of this trailhead, nor am i fond of the first 5 miles of this trail. We couldn't drive to the real trailhead because some jackass decided to park his car smack in the middle of the stream/road. So we had to park on the dirt road and hike the extra 1/2 mile. That was okay, but the next mile or so leading to the junction with the Lost Lake trail is essentially an abandoned stream bed/old road. Beyond that, the trail follows the valley under cover of forest for four miles. But when you emerge from the first 5 miles of trail, you are rewarded with splendid alpine views, bursting wildflowers, and a pretty sweet trail.

Not far beyond the junction with the Betty and Bob Lakes trail, you climb a short distance over a hill to see King Lake. The trail continues past King Lake to the horizon, which we thought was Rollins Pass. It is actually the junction with the Corona Trail which is part of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). It was very windy, but we decided to amble along the top over to Rollins Pass which is a parking lot at the end of a dirt road (very disappointing). We let Kaweah swim around in King Lake while we stopped for snacks. The hike back was pleasant enough, but it sort of goes on forever.

start: 7:30 am
end: 1:30 pm