Day 25
Part 1
Morning was still and silent. After photographing sunrise, I made myself breakfast. As I was eating, the click-clack of carbide tipped hiking poles and boots upon rocks broke the silence mingled with the sound of breathing. Looking up I saw a lone backpacker pass by my campsite from a distance, he rounded the lake and continued over the horizon. He never saw me and not a word was spoken. Then the silence returned. You never notice how quiet morning is in the mountains until an unnatural sound breaks the silence.
After packing up I took one last picture of Cotton Lake, one that surpassed the photos I got of the alpine glow. Then, I began hiking, I rounded the lake following the route the other backpacker took.

Tags:   lake wilderness landscape mountains mountain high sierra reflection granite cotton lake

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Day 23
When I woke up this morning I counted 27 mosquitoes siting on the outside of my tent's mesh netting. My campsite is still in shadow. I lied in my tent waiting for suntouch to arrive and chase off the mosquitoes. Once they were gone I got out and made myself breakfast. After eating I started on trail.
I reached the trail junction to Grinnell Lake, on the opposite side of the valley from where the hanging valley of the Second Recess connects. A hanging valley is a secondary valley that joins a main valley where the latter has been deepened by glacial erosion, resulting in a steep drop from the floor of the secondary valley to the floor of the main valley. In this area there are four hanging valleys on the southern slope called recesses, first through fourth, and three on the northern slope, Pioneer Basin, Hopkins Creek and Laurel Creek.
Had I not needed to exit with Carl four days ago due to a leaky pack cover and wet toilet paper, I would have climbed down from White Bear Pass (11800), passed by Brown Bear Lake (11000) and Lake Italy (11202), climbed over Gabbot Pass (12240), and camped at one of the two Mills Creek Lakes (11167 or 10851) in the Second Recess, then I would have intersected my current position here at the trail junction of the Laurel Creek Trail (8795) that up goes to Grinnell lake (10805).
From here I turned north and began climbing steep switchbacks out of the main valley of Mono Creek. As I climbed I left the lush forest behind and manzanita, with its brilliant red branches and deep green leaves covered the mountainside with an occasional pine tree pushing its way through. To the right of the trail Laurel Creek tumbled down in cascades and the babbling of water mingled with the buzzing of the bees in the manzanita.
After a while the trail began to level out and the switchbacks ended as the trail became more direct. The creek was now in less of a hurry to go downhill. Forest closed back in around me, though not as lush as the one I had left behind, this was more open. As soon as the opportunity presented itself I refilled my water bottles. I was going to sit and rest here next to the creek in the shade but after having to swat at more than a few mosquitoes I changed my mind.
I continued following the trail that followed the creek. The trees then opened up again and gave way to meadowland, the creek now lazily meandered it's way across the terrain and the trail disappeared into the grasses. Now, I was finally cross country-ing again.
According to my map all I have to do is follow the creek and I would be good. After making my way across the meadow I came to the forest on the other side. The creek was now impossible to follow due to thick willows growing up around its steep banks. Back into the forest I went. The trail reappeared soon after entering the treeline so I continued following it. The trail soon became impossible to follow as well, due to numerous fallen trees littering the forest floor and blocking the path. The ones I could walk around I did, but it became such a interwoven mess of branches and logs that going around became much more difficult unless I strayed father and father away from the trail and the creek to where the terrain began sloping up to the mountains bordering the eastern side of this hanging valley. So I did the best I could to navigate through the sharp mess of pointy branches. As I made my way through, I broke off branches where I could to make a path I could easily follow out if I needed to.
The glimpses I got of the other side of the creek looked open and free of trees, so I aimed to find a route that would take me over to the creek where I could easily cross. That is easier said than done. In my attempts to reach the creek I had to double back more that a few times. By the time I finally reached the creek I had emerged on the other side of all the fallen trees. The lazy stream had awoken and was now crashing over rocks and a waterfall lay ahead of me. On the far side is a cliff face with black stains that indicate that it is a waterfall at times, right now it is just a trickle.
The trail was again nowhere to be seen. According to my map there are two smaller creeks that converge with the main one. The first flows down from a small tarn that I looked at on Google Earth before I left and that looked interesting for photography opportunities. The second smaller creek intersected at the same place as a trail junction, one way takes the backpacker to Grinnell Lake and the other to Laurel Lake. There is no trail that I can see and since I wasn’t able to follow the creek as closely as I had wanted to, I don’t know if this is the first or second smaller creek. I'm not sure if I want to stay at Grinnell Lake, Laurel Lake or the small tarn tonight. It won't really make a difference because all three will get me to tomorrow's destination, Cotton Lake.
After much deliberation I have decided to take a chance and climb up the dry waterfall on the far side then follow that creek to where ever it goes. Hopefully I wont get lost and have to double back. I began free climbing up the cliff face, it's not as steep as it looked. After reaching the top of that the terrain sloped steeply up, then the slope became more gradual. I followed the creek that was flowing in some places and not others. Finally the slope leveled out and shortly after I reach a rock-ringed tarn. A short distance away was a lake. This must be Laurel Lake, its too big to be the small tarn.
I dropped pack here and ate lunch; cheese, salami, a slice of dried chilli mango, and a handful of smoked almonds. Then I laid down on some soft grass in the shade of a crooked pine tree and took a nap.
After waking up I walked back to the rock-ringed tarn, took a few pictures *1 and continued back to where the terrain began to slope down. Here, there was a spectacular view, *2 one that rivals and far surpasses the tunnel view that greets visitors to Yosemite. Immensity in all it's grandeur. I could see the hanging valley of the Second Recess far off in the distance on the other side of Mono canyon, with Mt. Hilgard (13361) and Mt. Gabb (13741) rising beyond it. The hanging valley I had just hiked through stretched out below me and then rose up to where I sat as I took in the view. (Much later, after I returned home and I was talking to one of my backpacking companions, who was unable to join me on this journey, I described the view as better than the tunnel view in Yosemite, he argued against it, saying that that was a very bold statement, because from there one can see all the major landmarks, Half Dome, El Capitan, the sisters, etc. I explained that when I am at the tunnel view in Yosemite, its hard to really enjoy the experience because you are surrounded by a hundred people all talking and making tons of noise, being disrespectful and leaving their trash just lying around and sometimes blasting music from their cars. While on the road just behind you cars are constantly rushing by and the smell of their exhaust fills the air. But when I was here, I was alone, no one to spoil the silence, no car exhaust to breathe in, no trash, no man made anything. It was just me with the wind, the rocks, the trees, the mountains, the sky, a chipmunk, and a falcon circling overhead eyeballing that chipmunk.)
As the sun sank lower in the sky and the shadows grew longer a cold wind swirled up from the valley below. I then retreated back to the lake and my pack and made some tea. Then I headed back to the rock-ringed tarn to photograph sunset while sipping on hot jasmine tea.
I didn't see a single person all day, and since there are no mosquitoes up here I will not be using my tent.

Tags:   landscape mountains wilderness tarn rocks high sierra reflection water alpine hiking backpacking camping California

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this is a photo of tully hole not horse heaven where the #2 is in the description. i didn't get a good enough photo of horse heaven, so this will have to do.

Day 25
Part 2
The meadowlands became lightly forested. The few trees then dissolved into glacier polished, slab covered mountainside. Dark clouds moved in and filled the bowl of the sky; a gentle breeze rose up and the scent of rain danced upon the air. In the valley below me lay a meadow (named Horse Heaven, 9680, on my map) surrounded by thick forest, hewn in two by Fish Creek snaking through the middle, glinting in rays of sun that spilled though a hole in the clouds. #2
The glacial polished slabs were smooth and slippery, even when dry. I tried to find a route down the slabs that mostly avoided the smooth, shiny sections where a slip was guaranteed. The clouds were struggling to rain, and I got a few brief moments of sprinkles, but none of it lasted. Then off in the distance, a faint, low rumble of thunder resonated, fully and deeply within the granite landscape.
As I navigated the slabs, forest once again closed in, this time thicker than before. The slabs became steeper and more broken, until the slabs ended and soil and pine needles took their place with a few boulders strewn about.
I then reached a gorge with a babbling creek flowing through it. I walked along the edge looking for a way down to the bottom. Upstream from me, a waterfall cascaded down over multiple levels. I worked my way towards it, still looking for a way down to the creek. I finally found a place that provided an easy, safe climb down, but I still had to use all four limbs.
Once at the bottom, I crossed the creek and followed it downstream towards the meadow. I wove my way between trees and through ferns and flowers, around thorny goose berry bushes, snacking on their berries as I went. The pine trees gathered thicker the further downstream I traveled. Then out of the random chaos of trees appeared order; the trees grew up arranged in a circle, the ground cleared of all vegetation in the middle.
Here I stopped, I dropped my pack, sat down in the middle of the circle and took a moment to meditate. Time slowed down and a deeper peace fell over me. The nearby creek murmured, a breeze whispered through the branches, a few more brief moments of rain fell gently upon my skin and a second distant low rumble of thunder rolled.
Then in that moment inspiration struck, I pulled out my notebook and wrote:
...
The Sacred Grove

The ancient elders gather
Encircled in a sacred grove
Rain falls entwined with thunder
Roots below, branches above
The murmuring creek, the whispering wind
Ancient wisdom spoken
For those who know how to listen
...
After writing that down I took a little more time to sit and take in the energy of the place. Then I stood back up, put my pack back on, thanked the trees and continued on my way.
Not long after leaving the "sacred" grove behind, the gorge opened and the trees spilled out into a flat open area, then they suddenly ended. I crossed the tree line and entered into the meadow called Horse Heaven. The creek I was following slowed down and spread out into many rivulets, lazily drifting their way over to merged with Fish Creek. Wild onions lined the creek, their wonderful sent wafting to my nose. I pick some to munch on now and tie a bundle to my pack for later. I also refilled my water bottles.
Navigating my way across the many rivulets while trying to keep my shoes dry was challenging, so I decided to just take them off and path-find barefoot. The soft, cushiony grass and cool flowing water felt refreshing on my feet. Once I reach the far side of the meadow and crossed Fish Creek a trail appeared. Here I put my shoes back on and followed the trail on a northwesterly route back into the forest on the opposite end of where I entered the meadow.
A bit later I reached a camping area and a group of people. They had entered at Mcgee Creek trailhead a few days ago, and had just come over mcgee pass. They asked me about the onions tied to my pack and I offered them some, but only one of them was adventurous enough to try one. After saying goodbye and happy trails I continued on.
A short distance later another meadow opened up on the right side of the trail, this one is called Tully Hole. On the far end of Tully Hole this trail merged with the Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails (9520). From here I took the right fork and began climbing long switchbacks up towards lake Virginia. As I climbed higher the gentle breeze grew stronger, gusting fiercely, becoming a rushing, roaring wind, that with each breath whipped the grasses bordering the trail and the branches of the trees that lined a creek that tumbled down from above. The clouds began to break, and where now rolling across the sky with their shadows chasing after them. This section of trail was heavily traveled and I came across many interesting people.
I can now retire my Mono Divide map and being using my Ansel Adams Wilderness map.

Tags:   forest meadow grass mountains valley landscape green trail backpacking hiking camping high sierra yosemite pacific crest trail john muir trail wilderness

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I did a four day hike up into the High Sierra back on September 9 - 13. This was taken just below Banner Peak, Elevation: 12,936 feet, from a little pond above 1000 Island Lake.
There were a few wildfires burning along the western slope of the Sierra, and all the smoke was blowing to the east. This was the best light while at 1000 Island Lake, just this small fleeting glimpse of sun, the rest of the day was all hazy and smokey.

Thank you for all your views, favorites,and comments. Please take time to check out the rest of my photos on Flickr.

Tags:   banner peak 1000 island lake Sierra Nevada mountains mountains mountain landscape panoramic water reflection alpine thousand island lake thousand island lake ansel Adams wilderness wilderness

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Day 19
I woke up this morning around 630 and walked over to the laundry room. The washing machines only take quarters and there is no change machine. The office doesn’t open until 800 so I’m going to have to wait. A few people are up and walking around so I asked them if they had any quarters, none of them spoke English, they were all German and French. Finally the office opened and I could get some quarters. After all my clothes were washed I checked out and walked over to the Vons. I bought a box of dried chili mangos and some bananas. Then I headed to Mammoth Mountaineering where I got a new pack cover. The receipt gave me 50% off at the restaurant downstairs so I got breakfast there. After that I walked over to Stella Brew coffee and ordered an ice blended Chai. I hung out there for a while and finally I found a ride to the Davidson Street Guest House, a hostel where I have stayed before. When I arrived I paid for a bed. One of the owners was making pizza from scratch out on the patio as usual and was sharing it with every one.
I got a call from my friend Rick and he told me he was in Tahoe right now and would be in mammoth on Saturday, today was Thursday. (I had to ask what day it was.) I will wait until then before heading back into the mountains. There is another guy, Gary, staying here who is from my home town.

Day 20
Today Gary and I went to the hot springs just outside of town. While we were there we watched another thunderstorm rage over the area I would have been in, had I continued hiking instead of exiting. I am kind of disappointed I am missing out on it. Then we went to a food and music festival in the town square. We saw a Led Zeppelin tribute band and we ate a whole bunch of food.
...
I’ve been studying my map to figure out where I'm going to re-enter and continue on my journey. I really don’t want to go back in at pine creek trailhead where I exited, because over the 6.4 miles from the trailhead to Italy Pass the trail ascends 4995 ft in elevation. No thanks. So the other option is to enter at Rock Creek which ascends 2170 ft over 5.3 miles. I wont be going to the Mills Creek Lakes if I do that but it is my best and easiest option. So that’s what I'll do.


Day 21
Today is Saturday. I waited for Rick to arrive. He finally got here around 330 and we went to a pizza place just down the street. I got a large pizza, ate half and saved the other half for later. After pizza I asked him if he could drive me to the trail head at Rock Creek, but he had to be back in Ventura in a few hours to catch a plane at LAX, so he was unable to. He then took me back to the hostel. I gave him my tripod, and some other gear I no longer wanted to carry, we said goodbye, and then he drove away. Now I need to find another ride to the trailhead.
I'm in luck, Gary can take me to Pine Creek tonight. There are a few other backpackers that arrived today that will be tagging along for the ride, but before I get dropped off at the trailhead we will be stopping at the hot springs again.
After an hour long soak we all got back in the car and took the windy road up to the parking lot at the trailhead (10255). There is a campground here too, Mosquito Flats, I will spend the night here to acclimate. After they dropped me off I put my leftover pizza and other food items in the bear box and found myself a campsite next to the creek. I have the entire campground to myself tonight.

Day 22
I slept in today. Once I was awake, I finished the pizza for breakfast, packed up my stuff and started back on trail.
It was a fairly easy hike up to the top of Mono Pass (12045), I passed quite a few people hiking out, and just before I reached the top a mule train passed me by.
I reached the top of the pass and started back down the other side. By the time I had reached Summit Lake, just a short ways away from the top, I was running low on water and I had planed on filling up there. The mule train was watering at the lake and once the mules had drunk their fill the rider walked them through the shallow water. I had my first water bottle an inch from the surface when the first mule began to urinate in the lake, two more mules followed suit, and one began to defecate in the lake while letting out a long drawn-out fart. It looks like I won't be filling up my water bottles here. I'll wait until I make it to Trail Lakes (11200).
After a while longer I reached Trail Lakes. These lakes are farther off the trail so there is a far less chance of mule contamination. I filled up my water bottles here and I met a group of three that were fishing. I asked them where they were headed. They said that they were headed out today. I asked if they might have any extra food that they didn't want to carry out, and I scored a full jar of peanut butter and a bag of trail mix. I thanked them for the food and they thanked me for lightening their load and I continued on.
From here I attempted to cross country my way to Fourth Recess Lake (10132) by following the stream that flowed from Trail Lakes. At first it was easy going, a beautiful area of open meadow, but then the stream dropped steeply and the openess turned into thick shrub and I had to give up on cross county-ing it and I headed back to the trail.
The trail was steep and dusty, as it switch-backed down to cross Golden Creek. I stopped here to rest and soak my feet in the cool water. I then continued on with a group of four down to the trail intersection to Fourth Recess Lake, where I would have emerged had I been able to cross country it. Here they continued to the lake and I continued on the trail that followed Mono Creek.
This area is covered in a thick, lush forest, and this is the first place the goose berries have been plentiful enough that I am able to snack on them as I hike. I saw some strawberry plants too, but it is too late in the season for any berries to be left.
Without realizing it I have already gone almost eleven miles today and I haven’t seen a place to camp yet. The first place I see I'm stopping, its getting late and I'm getting tired.
I finally saw a nice camping area but there was no water close by so I kept going. I passed two more sites but once again there was no water close by. Finally I found a good spot with a creek a short walk way.
I dropped pack here and layed down for a short nap. When I woke up the sun had almost sunk behind the mountains. I prepared to re-hydrate my dinner while sitting in the last remaining spot of sunlight. Mosquitoes are coming out so I set up my tent as my dinner was re-hydrating. While eating I was swatting at mosquitoes the whole time. After finishing dinner I retreated to my tent early to escape the little blood suckers.

Tags:   mountains mules mule horse trail high sierra landscape people snow rocks wilderness

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