MudNCrud Forums
Climbing and ... Climbing => Everywhere Else => Topic started by: Gavin on October 12, 2013, 12:29:03 PM
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Hey gang, back for the second half of the report of my 14-day backpacking trip in Sequoia National Park, up into and over the Kaweah Basin and peaks. I'll post somewhat smaller images in the hopes that the thread will open more quickly for viewers!
I began the 8th day much as I had the other days up to this point; I woke up before dawn and considered photo options at the lower lakes of the Kaweah Basin. In preparing for the trip, I had the brilliant idea of bringing a portable power pack I could use to charge camera batteries during the days of backpacking. Unfortunately, the battery charger that connected to the power pack crapped out at day 6... So I was stuck with the weight of the power pack but no way to charge my dwindling supply of working batteries! I tried to focus on maximizing use of the batteries, but that is hard to do when you are surrounding by the beauty of the High Sierra. I was hoping to at least make it to day 10 or 11 before the camera batteries died completely!
Here is an image from our campsite on the narrow channel between the lower lakes, looking southwest up canyon to the Kaweah Peaks:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/9991249056_3d60aec795_c.jpg)
Here is a photo of the campsite itself, still looking up canyon, with Alacia huddled out of sight in here sleeping bag:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/9991202395_15264faa19_c.jpg)
To simply keep our pack weight down to 70 pounds for me and 45-50 pounds for Alacia, we had to plan pretty carefully, especially in the realm of food. It ended up being a good process of researching lightweight foods, though... We discovered some dehydrated and freeze-dried options that worked quite well. Below is a goofball photo of me having just finished cooking home fries (from cubed, dehydrated potatoes) and scrambled eggs (from dehydrated eggs), with garlic powder, cajun seasoning, and cheese thrown in. Pretty damn good for being in the middle of nowhere in the backcountry!
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5455/9991199405_18684153d7_c.jpg)
After finishing breakfast and packing up, we continued hiking up through the Kaweah Basin. We ran into a pair of folks hiking cross-country in the other direction, much as Alacia and I were, saw a third guy hiking solo in the distance, but otherwise were alone, walking up canyon over granite slabs and scree. The upper canyon was as stunning as the lower basin, with Kaweah Creek cascading noisily, willow and pine in along the creek flow and the jagged Kaweah ridge in the background... Quite an idyllic area. Here are some photos of the hike up canyon, beginning with a look up canyon.:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/9991268986_145ce6e2ab_c.jpg)
Here is a photo of Alacia two-thirds of the way up Kaweah Basin... We particularly liked this area, and would have camped in the area if it had been a little closer to the col we planned to ascend over the next day.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3683/9991270726_1de0fa9320_c.jpg)
A couple more photos two-thirds of the way up the basin, looking back towards the eastern crags of the High Sierra, then back towards the Kaweah Peaks:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/9991224645_03f8c3df7e_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7380/9991226795_ce14cc267d_c.jpg)
More rock and water detail as we continued hiking, with the granite and metamorphic rock beginning to mix more prominently as we approached the Kaweah ridge:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3819/9991206654_5bc919e54e_c.jpg)
After some further navigating and scouting ahead, we approached the 3 largest lakes near the head of the Kaweah Basin, our destination for the night. Most of the glacial snow and ice had melted from the flanks of the peaks, but clearly served as the source for the brilliant, turquoise waters of the lakes. Here are a few images of the lakes as we approached, with clouds gathering on the horizon more substantially than during any other day of the trip:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7317/9991283436_e580209402_c.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/9991233104_5443735a97_c.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/9991279316_a5f9dbc064_c.jpg)
At around 11,700 feet, the air was cold and the plant life was reduced mostly to occasional swaths of grass. However, there were a few lines of wildflowers blooming in spectacular displays along the lake shores:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3772/9991236255_2d32d63351_c.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/9991364903_2a0c92ece5_c.jpg)
The approach to the lakes was slow and over scree piles; here is Alacia on the final approach:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/9991228555_8e99f036d5_c.jpg)
We set up camp just west of the smallest of the 3 lakes, and the light changed into the golden and orange hues of evening. Mt. Kaweah is in the photo below, the more gradual-looking, sunlit peak in the background to the left:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/9991366563_81a2175c61_c.jpg)
As the light faded, the clouds that seemed to be threatening a storm began to disperse, but stayed around long enough for some beautiful alpenglow effects. Here is a final image for the day that I quite liked:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7415/9991291946_f5a76b9d87_c.jpg)
More to come soon... Day 9 would mark our ascent over Pyra-Queen Col, and down in the upper Nine Lakes Basin!
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WOW- looks like a great trip Gavin. Beautiful pictures and I bet even THEY don't do the colors justice.
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Nice Gavin! How goes the rehab?
I've been told that when the water is that beautiful green it is because the lake bottom is rich in clay minerals - that would make sense considering there are substantial amounts of weathering feldspar in the granitic rocks. Great shadows, light and reflections. The thread loaded without any delays this time - thanks :)
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Squiddo: yeah, the sunrise and sunset colors were pretty stunning. I was really glad that we got some clouds near dusk... Often they seem to disappear in the Sierras just as the alpenglow is really kicking in.
JC: that makes sense about the green of the water due to clay minerals. Rehab goes well... I'm officially able walk (with a reinforced boot) without any crutches or other supports, now that I'm 5 weeks post surgery. (By walking of course, I mean slow hobbling!)
Oh, and good to hear the thread is loading more quickly. I can't promise that will be the case after I continue adding more photos, but we'll see!
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nice pictures.
What camera are you using?
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Thanks, F4. In regards to photo gear, I tend to schlep around a DSLR (usually a Canon 5D Mark II body) plus a wide-angle zoom lens, a tilt-shift lens, a tripod and ballhead... Anyway, you get the picture. It's usually a fair bit of weight on top of everything else, but I feel more satisfied with the results, so for me it is worth the effort!
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I woke up on the 9th day even earlier than normal, to try to see and photograph the sunrise light just as it was first touching the jagged toothy ridge of the Kaweah Peaks. Here is an image of the central Kaweah Peaks... I really like the way the morning light enhanced the already-reddish color of the rock:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/10212119373_ed2578e9eb_c.jpg)
Alacia and I were planning to hike no more than 3 miles or so because we knew the cross-country venture would take a long time and involve some punishing ascending and descending over endless scree slopes. There are a few cols in and out of Kaweah Basin and none of them are easy. We decided to try for Pyra-Queen Col, a very narrow slot between Kaweah Queen and Black Kaweah that would drop us down to the Nine Lakes Basin.
This was the other part of the trip I was a bit anxious about, getting out of the Kaweah Basin... I had read a few online reports about the route online but didn't know how demanding it would really be in practice. As the sun continued to rise, I photographed some more mountain ridge reflections. Here are a couple images looking back towards our camp (notice my red sleeping bag in the mid-ground of the second image, just below the long shadow), and towards Pyra-Queen Col beyond. The col is located left (or south) upslope of Kaweah Queen, the peak to the right... In the second image the col is just left up ridge from the central, reddish rock outcrop in the middle of the ridge line:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8407/10212015985_e865db66b7_c.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8125/10212035806_990159e81f_c.jpg)
After a quick breakfast, Alacia and I packed up and began the slow ascent. Granite scree changed to a looser jumble of metamorphic shingles as we proceeded up towards the col, just shy of 13,000 feet. The vegetation mostly disappeared, with infrequent flowers and bunch grass popping up irregularly. Here is a photo of Alacia during the slow ascent over scree and boulders:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/10212063206_a02a9b8fe1_c.jpg)
Another photo of Alacia resting as we near the col, with jagged outcrops between Red Kaweah and Black Kaweah in the background:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5337/10212037965_94e6861726_c.jpg)
Very close to the col, the sharp spire of Kaweah Queen (in the background) rose to prominence:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/10212132483_4064a9491f_c.jpg)
And finally by late morning, we reached Pyra-Queen Col itself. There are actually a couple of narrow slots forming the col, one about 15 feet wide and the other about 8 feet wide. Here are views from the col, first looking at Black Kaweah, then at Kaweah Queen, then down to the highest and longest lake of the Nine Lakes Basin, a half mile long from end to end:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3730/10212135933_bf4ea73a5e_c.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2885/10211932314_52ae0dd2fc_c.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5456/10212117033_de3b6d69de_c.jpg)
Looking down at the upper Nine Lakes Basin, we decided to try for a camp site on the north (or right side of the next lake down from the highest lake, the smaller one above and just right of the high lake in the photo above. The small tarn (just visible above and left of the high lake) looked interesting too, perched right on the cliff edge overlooking Big Arroyo, the massive river cut leading southeast down from the Nine Lakes Basin.
First we needed to get down, though. The passage from the col was 4th class for about 20 feet, then eased off to 45-degree scree slopes after that. It was definitely slow going, though... neither of us wanted to bust an ankle out here! Here is Alacia on the cautious descent:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3803/10212053616_e4085df392_c.jpg)
After more hours of unending scree, we finally dropped our packs for a rest, halfway around the highest lake of the basin. In hindsight we were definitely glad to have hiked down from the col to the Nine Lakes Basin... Hiking the route in reverse would have been brutal. It was bad enough on our knees hiking the way we did! Here is Alacia dozing in the sun, with Pyra-Queen Col at the low point of the ridge, just above the tiny twin snow spots.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8122/10212142803_d9c743c4a6_c.jpg)
Here is a view of the high lake looking in the other direction (west):
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10212114463_476c819498_c.jpg)
After a late lunch, we strapped the packs back on and found a nice camping site near the outlet of the eighth lake of the Nine Lakes Basin. Vegetation was still limited mostly to grasses and high-altitude ferns. Nevertheless, there were signs of life, with American dippers bobbing along the lake shore, and groups of American pipits flying among the rocks in loose territorial groups.
After setting up camp and scarfing down a well-earned dinner, I eyed the evening color and saw some good possibilities for evening photos. Now that we were back on the west side of the Kaweah Peaks, I looked forward to making use of the sunset color upon the rock faces. Fortunately, the color deepened from gold to orange to a deep red as dusk descended... Here are a couple of reflection photos I quite liked, with Lawson Peak in the first (the smaller peak second from the right), and Kaweah Queen in the second (on the left, with Pyra-Queen Col again in the middle):
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5487/9791852443_2678b7f7d2_c.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5461/9791766565_14e21b7550_c.jpg)
Night descended and we burrowed into our sleeping bags, with brilliant starry skies overhead... Another good day!
More to come!
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Great trip!
I had to laugh ironically though at not wanting to "bust an ankle" out there. Little did you know that instead of busting one out there, you were saving it for a basketball game at home!
Per chance did you take a photo of either of the slots at the crest of the Pyra-Queen col?
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Well that nice of a setup sure makes a difference. Those pictures are amazing.
I have a 4/3, but recently tried the 5DIII and the 6D. Now I'm scheming on how to justify buying a 6D when I already have a setup.
Keep posting up.
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real shame you didn't see anything purty out there.
maybe next time?
don't give up hope!
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I am amazed at how dirty the high sierras are.
Just look at all that loose scree lying around.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/10212063206_a02a9b8fe1_c.jpg)
In some countries, they'd clean up and re-purpose the scree for walkways and counter tops.
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Great trip!
I had to laugh ironically though at not wanting to "bust an ankle" out there. Little did you know that instead of busting one out there, you were saving it for a basketball game at home!
Per chance did you take a photo of either of the slots at the crest of the Pyra-Queen col?
About the injury: yeah, I suppose there is irony there. All things considered, if it had to happen, I'm glad it was in the front country!
About the slots at the crest of Pyra-Queen Col: for some reason I spaced and forgot to photograph those clearly! However, there are a couple photos of the more narrow slot on other online trip reports I've seen. (...And the 7th, 8th, and 9th photos for the 9th day show the south, north, and west edges of the slot respectively, at the base of the images... I just forgot to photograph the whole slot clearly in my focus on the peaks!) Coming from the Kaweah Basin, the main thing to keep in mind is that the slots are just upslope left (south) of the reddish, ridgeline knob mentioned in association with the 2nd and 3rd photos of the 9th day in the report. That reddish knob has a steep, smooth chute of rock heading up right... At first I looked at it and thought (with anxiety) that was the col, but thankfully the slots of the col are further upslope and definitely more easily accessed.
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Well that nice of a setup sure makes a difference. Those pictures are amazing.
I have a 4/3, but recently tried the 5DIII and the 6D. Now I'm scheming on how to justify buying a 6D when I already have a setup.
Keep posting up.
Yeah, the 5DIII and 6D are very nice. (I actually just replaced my 5DII with the 5DIII, for more effective use with wildlife and action photos.) I also noticed that Sony just announced a mirrorless interchangeable lens full-frame camera - the A7r - that will accept lenses from many different companies via adapters. Looks like a potentially promising camera body for landscape images.
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Yeah, those little Sony ones are great for taking climbing and travel (I used the Nex5). But man, the 6D is pretty nice.
I use the OMD EM5 and love it. But the glass and ISO that the 6D has can't be beat.
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Very enjoyable shots Gavin. I love the blue/green water shot. I also love seeing all that glacially sculpted landscape. It looks like maybe the metamorphic peaks are slate? Thanks for the share.
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After a delay (due to the backlog of work after the government shutdown ended), I'm back for some more for the trip report. Glad to hear folks are enjoying the photos and trip details.
I woke up with the crisp air before dawn on the 10th day and hiked a bit upslope from the 8th lake of the Nine Lakes Basin, to the small pond or tarn just west of the lake. The tarn sat on the edge of the cliff drop down to Big Arroyo, and offered some neat, abstract reflections in early morning hours. Here is one photo from just before dawn, with Eagle Scout Peak (the central summit) in the distance:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3834/10211929704_31d36a541a_c.jpg)
After a few photos I climbed back into the sleeping bag to sleep off some of the weariness from the crossing of Pyra-Queen Col the day before. After a leisurely breakfast, Alacia and I packed and hiked slowly down north, past the various lakes of the Nine Lakes Basin. Here is a view of the 7th lake, with Lion Rock the leftmost peak on the horizon line:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2817/10235109173_4aab73bfed_c.jpg)
Here is the outlet from the 7th lake, before it cascades downslope west. (The tarn from the morning is located on top of the background bluff, out of sight.)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/10234918475_1e9857f23c_c.jpg)
As the day proceeded on, we began to experience the only real negative aspect of the whole trip: we noticed with annoyed frustration that there was a steady stream of jet flyovers. We had heard a few planes and jets flying overhead for the past several days, but today the flyovers were predominantly from military jets, as frequent as one over 10 minutes. The noise pollution was pretty irritating and continued throughout most of the day (and into the next couple of days as well). It seemed particularly out of place as we hiked through such a remote and (otherwise) beautiful lake basin up in the middle of the High Sierra.
Despite the jet noise, the beauty of alpine country of the Nine Lakes Basin filled our spirits. We continued downslope past the 4th and 5th lakes, along the shore of the large 2nd lake, and found a gorgeous spot near the southern outlet of the 1st lake to camp. Here are views looking north at the 1st lake, then down to the beginning of the Big Arroyo (fed by the waters of the Nine Lakes):
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/10234926124_dceeeb8fa6_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/10235031556_1722ce201b_c.jpg)
After 5 days of hiking off trail and cross-country, we began to see a few more hikers again, passing back and forth along the High Sierra Trail southwest of the 1st lake of the Nine Lakes Basin. We hadn't hiked with backpacks too far today, partly because I wanted to check out Precipice Lake, just over Kaweah Gap to the west. Ansel Adams took a famous image of the lake and I was interested to see the location. After setting up camp, Alacia and I hiked west over the gap, switchbacking down for views of the lake, the south side of which is a sheer cliff wall.
The timing wasn't the greatest - in the morning, if the air is still, one can photograph some pretty cool reflections - but the sun did enhance the blue-green of the water. Here is one image I liked:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/10235020036_76e187ed08_z.jpg)
I decided to try my luck at some lake reflections at Precipice Lake on a return the following morning... For now we hiked back to the Nine Lakes Basin, settled into camp, and watched the afternoon light create its magic on the cliff walls and peaks. Here are some images from our campsite I was able to capture:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/10235028696_fdf6bc1e3b_c.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/10235024755_9997cb28fd_c.jpg)
And here's a parting shot for the day at sunset... The pre-dawn photo at the tarn was taken at the top of the central, sunlit bluff, 1,000 feet higher up:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7415/9791854053_f7ee79b6c6_c.jpg)
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Precipice looks great!
Famous stuff there. nice!
It's a funny thing. There is a way of talking about end of day light by a lot folks that have been in the Sierra a lot. They always describe it as "the show"... "what time do you think the show will start?" "let's get the camp chairs set up for the show."
Is this just me projecting or has anyone else noticed that?
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Wow, some really good ones
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I'm starting to admire Alacia's willingness to get some sleep in the morning...
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That one big boulder looks like you might be able to rock it.
I like the pre dawn and the one preceding the blue/green water.
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You two took a most worthy walk! I admire your energy both early and late to discover what the light might reveal - wonders for sure.
Please allow me to add my belated commiserations about your injury to the many others you've received. I was a passionate b-ball player until a strained achilles and a knee injury I acquired on Son of Dawn convinced me that my hoops expiration date had passed. I hope all continues to go well for you!
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Can't play guard worth a crud, but I'd shoot a round of horse with the gimp players (oh and of course I crush on the Defense).
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...oh and of course I crush on the Defense).
Can't be true. You wear any old clothes when you're climbing. In contrast, what does J.C. wear? Yep, exactly. And everyone knows that only orange crushes. ;)
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You two took a most worthy walk! I admire your energy both early and late to discover what the light might reveal - wonders for sure.
Please allow me to add my belated commiserations about your injury to the many others you've received. I was a passionate b-ball player until a strained achilles and a knee injury I acquired on Son of Dawn convinced me that my hoops expiration date had passed. I hope all continues to go well for you!
Thanks for the good wishes. The recovery goes well, but slowly. I think my b-ball days may have to come to an end, too. I've always really enjoyed playing (shooting guard or point guard), but it seems my body is finally demanding a choice, and I'd certainly rather be walking, hiking, and climbing, if I have to choose.
A week ago I was cleared for full weight-bearing without crutches, so that's a huge improvement. Running is still a couple months away at least, but I should be able to start climbing seriously again by early next year.
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Oh, and glad to hear everyone is enjoying the photos and report. I'll try to post Day 11 by tomorrow... I have my final post-op appointment in the morning with the surgeon that reconnected my Achilles tendon, but more trip details to come after that!
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Orange crush.... Wah wah wahhhnnnnnn.
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Hey gang, I'm back to report on Day 11 of our High Sierra trip.
As mentioned in the last post, I decided (again) to wake up early... I was keen to check out Precipice Lake in the early morning hours after seeing it in the afternoon the day before. I hiked back up to Kaweah Gap at pre-dawn; here is a view looking down the High Sierra Trail west, in the direction of Precipice Lake and Hamilton Lakes, with a bit of reflection off of a high tarn in the photo, and the slopes of Eagle Scout Peak up and out of sight to the left:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/10339221745_b51dd12d9a_c.jpg)
Hiking down to Precipice Lake, I saw the body of water in shadow and fairly still in the early morning hours. The water wasn't as green, and the shadows created a cooler feel to the scene, but the relative stillness and quiet was wonderful to experience... Definitely no other people around at that time of day! Here is an image of the lake reflections I liked:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5488/9791762105_e6a2dd9cea_c.jpg)
I stayed near Precipice Lake for an hour or so, then hiked back over Kaweah Gap to the Nine Lakes Basin. Alacia was up at that point and packing up our gear. After a relaxed breakfast we began the hike down Big Arroyo. Originating from the source of the Nine Lakes, Big Arroyo is a large creek canyon that eventually feeds into the Kern River. It is quite scenic along its length. We hiked halfway down the canyon to the old patrol cabin junction; here are a few photos along the way, respectively looking east, then north, then south:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5544/10339423733_9c3fc99644_c.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/10339255416_cf6ce51e5d_c.jpg)
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2863/10339228325_8f22b257ef_c.jpg)
From the patrol cabin (now unused and vacant), we crossed the Big Arroyo and began the 1,000-foot trail ascent, up through coniferous forest, occasional views of the lower reaches of the Big Arroyo and the Kaweah Peaks showing through the trees. Our destination for the night was the Little Five Lakes, a collection of 2 lake basins that collectively feed into a creek that drains into the Big Arroyo. We decided to camp in the basin of the two, north-most lakes, as they were off trail and appeared a bit less travelled, at least on the map.
Sure enough, there were very few signs of people in the lake basin. We decided to hike uphill of the main lakes to a smaller, unnamed lake in the basin that overlooked the others and provided nice view of the Kaweah Peaks. The lake was hidden from view until we were right upon it, and quite beautiful. We saw one partial boot print and no other recent signs of people at or near the lake. Needless to say, we had the site completely to ourselves, in a cozy little grove of pine and hemlock near the lake shore. Here is a photo of Alacia, on a low granite ridge above the lake, with the jagged Kaweah ridge in the background:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5535/10339428933_f257395688_c.jpg)
Given the secluded nature of the lake, we decided to call it Hideaway Lake. We both felt that it rivaled Crown Jewel Lake as one of the best camping locations of the trip. The quiet, pristine feeling of the place was wonderful, with foxtail pines all around, the Great Western Divide to the west, and the Kaweah Peaks rising to the east. Here are a couple of images with foxtail pines, the latter looking down to the lowest, northern lake of the Little Five Lakes, with the canyon side of the Big Arroyo beyond:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7456/10339250776_d0c4dc9934_c.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5477/10339219555_fc46ed2787_c.jpg)
Here is a parting image for the day, with sunset light on the Kaweah Peaks reflected in the mirror of Hideaway Lake:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/10339223754_95e53ba978_c.jpg)
More to come soon!
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Boy, no luck again... shame it was so crowded. Next time for sure! I know I would go back.
Tfpu
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Gavin, have you thought about submitting photos to Banff, or one of the other mountain festivals? Most of them have competitions and I think that your images deserve a world-wide venue.
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Gavin, have you thought about submitting photos to Banff, or one of the other mountain festivals? Most of them have competitions and I think that your images deserve a world-wide venue.
Waldo, thanks for the compliment; I hadn't considered some of the mountain festivals for submission... That's a good idea and I'll have to look into what categories they have for stills photography, if any. I do contribute photos and articles and have had worked published in a few magazines, but it is hard committing time to the effort when I already have a full-time job!
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Well at least give Mr Mud a cheezy picture of the Pinnacles for the MoM Mug v2.0
I can't seem to find jack for pictures and won't be getting down there anytime soon.
Now that the Mud Casa is 99.5% completed....it's time for the new MoM mug.
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Well at least give Mr Mud a cheezy picture of the Pinnacles for the MoM Mug v2.0
I can't seem to find jack for pictures and won't be getting down there anytime soon.
Now that the Mud Casa is 99.5% completed....it's time for the new MoM mug.
Actually, I'd love to contribute a photo of the Pinnacles for the MoM Mug.
Mr. Mud, if you're reading, look through the Pinnacles galleries at my website (www.gavinemmons.com) and pick whatever tickles your fancy!
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what do you all think. Do you have a preference? I would probably have to crop the heighth a bit for a mug shot.
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/birds/condor-perched-in-high-peaks/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/birds/two-prairie-falcon-fledglings/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/high-peaks-sunset/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/high-peaks-and-poppies/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/goat-rock-sunset/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/high-peaks-from-condor-gulch-trail/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/west-side-pinnacles/
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the high peaks sunset was nice.
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what do you all think. Do you have a preference? I would probably have to crop the heighth a bit for a mug shot.
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/birds/condor-perched-in-high-peaks/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/birds/two-prairie-falcon-fledglings/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/high-peaks-sunset/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/high-peaks-and-poppies/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/goat-rock-sunset/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/high-peaks-from-condor-gulch-trail/
http://www.gavinemmons.com/#/gallery/pinnacles-years-2009-2013/west-side-pinnacles/
Mud, if you want / need any help on resizing an image, let me know in the next couple days and I can send you an optimized file of whatever you decide on.
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I’m back for the final installment here… I finally finished processing my remaining images from the Sierra trip, so here with go with the last few days’ worth of the trip report.
After a nice night’s rest in the quiet pine grove on the shores of Hideaway Lake, I again rose early on the 12th day to see what the early light would bring. The peaks of the Great Western Divide were about a thousand feet lower than the Kaweah peaks, so no reddish alpenglow greeted me in the morning. Nevertheless, still air made for some nice reflections when the golden light finally touched on the ridgeline:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3748/10523205544_ea1d2ca91f_c.jpg)
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/10523393223_936a4382cc_c.jpg)
Another relaxed start after breakfast and packing up, and Alacia and I were off, hiking down to the lower and north-most Little Five Lakes. The route along the feeder creek seemed virtually unused, but became a faint path as we approached the maintained trail. Here is a photo of the lower lake as we neared the trail:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2883/10465355204_caa7173929_c.jpg)
The trail wove through more pine forest before opening onto views of the southern Little Five Lakes. The rocky ridges forming the head of the basin were more gradual than the crags of the Nine Lakes and Kaweah Basins, but still solitary and scenic. We stopped for a brief snack, tracing the trail switchbacks up to Black Rock Pass to the west. Here are a few photos of the area:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/10465357106_6eabe4b9a5_c.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/10465349654_429f7d70b7_c.jpg)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7361/10465529283_e2959cfbf3_c.jpg)
From the Little Five Lakes we threw our packs back on and continued towards the Big Five Lakes, our camping destination for the day. Views of the Kaweah ridge and the middle stretch of the Big Arroyo occasionally peeked into view, as in this photo:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7309/10523240974_3aeb3c7f5d_c.jpg)
Otherwise, the mixed conifer forests surrounded us, with very few people sharing the trail, just a couple hikers and a small, backcountry trail crew team passing through. We hiked upslope, then saw the Big Five Lakes basin beginning to break into view, with the broad waters of the lowest, fifth lake sparkling with reflected light 600 feet below. We decided to take the spur trail west towards the upper lakes. Originally we planned to camp up at one of the highest lakes in the basin, but the fourth lake was so pretty – and again, unoccupied by any other people – that we decided to drop our packs there. The fourth lake was a bit higher than the others, and afforded nice views of the lower lake as well as the peaks of the Great Western Divide up canyon. Here is an initial photo from near our campsite, looking west up canyon:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/10465547543_d1c006d864_c.jpg)
After setting up our tent and supplies, we day-hiked further up canyon, checking out the massive third and second lakes. The midday light was bright and not ideal for photography, with some high clouds overhead but with no threat of storms… Here is a photo of the east end of the second lake:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/10465549613_76be8179d1_c.jpg)
As afternoon wore on we backtracked to the fourth lake and settled in to our campsite. Evening light brought some nice color to the area… I had managed to eke out more life from my camera batteries than I had imagined, but I was down to one more battery and fairly confident my ability to capture photographs would disappear sometime on the next day. Nevertheless, I took a few images of compositions I liked. Here is one of the shore of the fourth lake, looking south, with an unnamed peak in the background:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/10465359954_eef70a3755_c.jpg)
And here is a final image looking down at the fifth lake, with the Big Arroyo in the distance, and the sky showing a pink glow after sunset:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/9791879246_01be75fd29_c.jpg)
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But how did it end? It can't be a final installment without an ending!!
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Hold you horses, Brad; I'm still posting! ;D I just wanted to separate days with individual posts.
Day 13 dawned cool and clear. We planned to hike down to the lowest of the Big Five Lakes, up out of the basin, around to Lost Canyon Creek, and up to Columbine Lake for the night. Anticipating more miles and elevation loss and again for the day, I took a few quick morning photos (with the single working battery I still had), then we ate a quick breakfast and packed promptly to get onto the trail while the air was still cool. Here are a couple of early morning shots from the 4th of the Big Five Lakes:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7365/10523894013_72195c07b0_c.jpg)
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3713/10523194095_1220a0e6a4_c.jpg)
We were looking at about 1,100 feet down and another 1,100 feet of hiking up over 8 miles or so through the course of the day, to get to Columbine Lake. This far into the trip, our packs were definitely lighter, and our supplies were looking good: enough to get through the next couple of days, and not much otherwise left over. Here is an image of the lowest of the Big Five Lakes as we passed around it and onto the trail to Lost Canyon:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3670/10523183204_98331fa306_c.jpg)
Hiking up out of the Big Five Lakes basin, we passed through cool and quiet pine forests, next to a small pond, and to the edge of Lost Canyon, looking down into the lower depths where the creek canyon met up with the Big Arroyo. Again, there were very few people on trail. Weaving down switchbacks to Lost Canyon Creek, we saw willows and other deciduous trees starting to appear again, a few hikers, and a trail camp with pack horses blissfully chomping away at vegetation just back from the creek. As we ascended higher up through Lost Canyon, the ponderosa and lodgepole pine gave way to foxtail pine and more expansive views looking up canyon. Here is an open view of the upper canyon, with the sharp spire of Sawtooth Peak on the central horizon... The switchbacking trail up to Columbine Lake lies near the low point of the ridge, down and right of Sawtooth Peak:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3709/10523371733_ef81d001fb_c.jpg)
The upper stretch of Lost Canyon was beautiful, with clouds gathering to shade our progress, but never quite threatening rain. The switchbacks passed over fine grit and scree, and the quality of the trail abruptly diminished as we neared the pass to Columbine Lake... Almost as if the trail crews had decided, "This is good enough; if hikers have made it this far, they can figure it on from here!" Here is a photo of Alacia nearing the top of the canyon, with the lower canyon stretching back towards the Big Arroyo in the distance:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/10523418493_9c0dbf0aed_c.jpg)
Turning around, we had our first views of Columbine Lake. Sitting at 10,770 feet, the lake had a rather bleak and austere feel to it, dominated by an amphitheater of granite and little vegetation. Again, there were few people around... Besides a couple that camped out of sight at the far end of the lake, we had the area to ourselves. We decided to camp near the outlet to the lake, at the north end, near the right edge of the following photo in the mid-ground:
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/10523187395_c3d40b5f99_c.jpg)
Here's the view from our campsite, looking south, with Needham Mountain to the left. The low cliff face down and right of Needham Mountain served as a hunting perch for an osprey that was frequenting the area. After being briefly harassed by a peregrine falcon flying through, the osprey succeeded in diving into the lake, catching a trout, and flyng off north out of view, no doubt to a lower and more forested habitat.
Here is another photo, looking northeast from the outlet of Columbine Lake; note the craggy ridgeline of the Great Western Divide in the distance:
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5532/10523178914_802968fff9_c.jpg)
We briefly considered hiking up to Sawtooth Pass, then down to the Monarch Lakes, but quickly decided against it... The high mountain scenery and solitude at Columbine Lake we quite beautiful, and neither of us had the energy for the ascent up to the pass. So, we settled in for a leisurely afternoon.
By this point my remaining camera battery was just about exhausted... As evening fell, I managed a few more images of mountain twilight, anticipating that the morning light display wouldn't be as stunning given our current orientation. Here are the last few images I could manage before the camera battery died completely, first of Columbine Lake at sunset:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/10523180645_9029792a8f_c.jpg)
Here is a bit of alpenglow off the ridge line northeast of the lake:
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/10523177955_c84cfee141_c.jpg)
And here is a view of Cyclamen Lake down canyon from Columbine Lake, just after sunset. Not bad for a final image:
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7408/10523587184_87f8094e36_c.jpg)
After finishing up with my photography obsession, Alacia and I settled into sleeping bags, staring up at the constellations and occasional shooting stars, breathing in the crisp air. One final effort tomorrow and we would be back down at the Mineral King area.
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And now for the FINAL final trip report post!
Day 14 arrived and we ate through our remaining breakfast supplies, just some gorp and bars at this point. We said our farewells to Columbine Lake and began the ascent up to Sawtooth Pass. We quickly realized that staying at Columbine Lake the night before had been a really good idea: the ascent up to the pass was another 1,000 feet, and the "trail" was an obscure braiding of paths marked by cairns that took some time to navigate past. By mid-morning we reached the top of Sawtooth Pass, dropped our packs, and took in the views, of granite mixed with metamorphic reddish rocks, and looked way, way down to the Mineral King trailhead below. We hadn't quite realized until that point that it was a nearly 4,000-foot drop from the top of Sawtooth Pass to Mineral King trailhead, over the course of 6 to 7 miles. We both fervently agreed -again - that the way we had planned this loop trip was definitely the preferred route.
A group of young guys met us at the pass, having just run up (pretty much literally) from the Mineral King trailhead, with the plan to summit Sawtooth Peak. They had minimal extra gear but seemed to know what they were doing, so we wished them good luck and began schlepping our packs down the scree slopes towards the Monarch Lakes. Again, we were struck by the lack of maintained trails... There was a haphazard criss-cross of paths descending downhill, but no obvious and preferred trail. We both felt it would be hard to tell exactly where you were going, hiking up the steep scree slope to the pass from the Monarch Lakes.
Nearing the lower Monarch Lake, we finally found the established trail, and were again glad to have stayed at Columbine Lake the night before. The lower Monarch Lake was a bit anticlimactic after we had been spoiled with the more remote splendor of lake basins from the days before... It seemed a long (and steep) way to come from the Mineral King trailhead, the lake was rather small and packed with campers, and the pit toilet right next to the lake didn't exactly add to the ambience! I actually didn't feel too bad about being denied photo options for this last day.
Still, I did wish I could have photographed some of the strong reddish tones in the rocky slopes near the Monarch Lakes outlet, extending north to Empire Mountain, as the color was quite striking.
From there we continued downward, through pine and Douglas fir forest, sneaking in views of the peaks and canyon leading up to that Franklin Lakes that we had hiked on so many days ago. At this point we definitely saw a number of people hiking on trail, mostly day hikers or those looking for weekend overnight trips at the Monarch Lakes. The descent was sustained and steep the whole way.
By early afternoon, we finally reached the base of the trail, dropped our packs in the shade near the trailhead, and smiled wearily, craning our heads back up and squinting towards Sawtooth Pass. We had that familiar feeling of accomplishment after completing a long trip, with no injuries sustained and many beautiful memories made. It is amazing how 2 weeks of backpacking can feel compressed and drawn out in time simultaneously, full of the intensity of the wild world.
I retrieved our car - with no signs of marmot damage, thankfully - and we said our farewells to the Mineral King trailhead. As we rolled off of the Mineral King road and began cruising back west, we saw the storm clouds and thunderheads finally and ominously gathering above the High Sierra. We were glad to leave for now, having experienced a full and enjoyable trip. But we'll be back for more!
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Horses held, and (now) map put away.
Great trip. Even though it's nine months away, it leaves me very eager to do our next (seven day) section of the PCT!
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Yeah, I know what you mean, Brad. I'm eagerly thinking about getting to the Evolution Basin this coming year, especially after seeing your photos moving through that area.
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sigh, want more.