On the way up to Mather Pass. Looks bad, but actually was an excellent trail: well-designed and well-maintained. It was around this point that we met a guy who had been in the last group of hikers escorted through the Deer Meadows fire by a crew of rangers. He told a harrowing tale of trees exploding into flame, and running through fallen logs to get past the worst of the fire zone. No wonder Kings Canyon decided to close that part of the trail.