Trip Report-Sunset Lake, June 2013
Posted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 8:52 pm
I haven't posted on High Sierra Topix since last summer, and I have missed reading and posting on what I believe is one of the best sites out there for the wilderness traveler. Unfortunately, my High Sierra hiking season was limited to 4 weekend trips last year. I injured my back in June, and ended up having 2 back surgeries in the fall. Back to work for a couple of months, thank the Lord, but a long ways off from being able to backpack. But with spring just around the corner, I have been thinking much about the mountains, like I normally do, and hope to do a few day trips this year, to places like Yosemite valley, Kings Canyon floor, Tuolomne Meadows, etc; but serious backpacking will have to wait until 2015. Anyway, I thought I would post this weekend trip from last year to the Baboon Lakes/Sunset Lake with a few pictures.
I met my friend, climber Randy Powers, at the Sabrina Basin trailhead on Saturday morning. We made our way up to Blue Lake, seeing noone, and after catching a few trout, headed around the lake until we reached a junction with a trail going off to Baboon Lakes. This trail makes its way to the head of Blue Lake, and as we climbed above the lake, we hit snow, and the faint trail was not in sight. We kept heading up, and a little to the left, and eventually reached the outlet stream and first Baboon Lake, probably about midday.
After hanging out there awhile, and finding a couple of decent campsites, we decided to push on ahead to Sunset Lake, and make our camp there. We fished selectively and made our way with occasional signs of a trail, staying to the left, around the Baboon lakes, heading for the obvious inlet creek of the upper lake. We followed this inlet creek up a beautiful little valley, crossing back and forth, in snow much of the time until we hit the outlet stream and shores of 11000+ Sunset Lake.
Sunset Lake was about half iced out. Fortunately for us, the ice was on the opposite side of the outlet stream, and we fanatically fished for a few hours the abundant ravenous brookies. There was adequate room to camp on the rocky knoll above the lake shore.
During the night it was interesting to listen to the wind and ice. We woke up the next morning to find that the ice had coalesced during the night and the open water was now iced over. Quite beautiful, and if we had stayed past midday, I think it might have opened back up again.
We left Sunset Lake about 10am, quickly traveling down to the Baboons, wandering, and fishing for half a day or so before traveling back down to the trailhead. We left the High Sierra about 6pm, to make the long drive back home. A great weekend trip, seeing about 4-5 people in the area the whole weekend. For fishermen, no lunkers, but the brookies were not what you would call stunted either. A lot of fun, in a beautiful setting.
I met my friend, climber Randy Powers, at the Sabrina Basin trailhead on Saturday morning. We made our way up to Blue Lake, seeing noone, and after catching a few trout, headed around the lake until we reached a junction with a trail going off to Baboon Lakes. This trail makes its way to the head of Blue Lake, and as we climbed above the lake, we hit snow, and the faint trail was not in sight. We kept heading up, and a little to the left, and eventually reached the outlet stream and first Baboon Lake, probably about midday.
After hanging out there awhile, and finding a couple of decent campsites, we decided to push on ahead to Sunset Lake, and make our camp there. We fished selectively and made our way with occasional signs of a trail, staying to the left, around the Baboon lakes, heading for the obvious inlet creek of the upper lake. We followed this inlet creek up a beautiful little valley, crossing back and forth, in snow much of the time until we hit the outlet stream and shores of 11000+ Sunset Lake.
Sunset Lake was about half iced out. Fortunately for us, the ice was on the opposite side of the outlet stream, and we fanatically fished for a few hours the abundant ravenous brookies. There was adequate room to camp on the rocky knoll above the lake shore.
During the night it was interesting to listen to the wind and ice. We woke up the next morning to find that the ice had coalesced during the night and the open water was now iced over. Quite beautiful, and if we had stayed past midday, I think it might have opened back up again.
We left Sunset Lake about 10am, quickly traveling down to the Baboons, wandering, and fishing for half a day or so before traveling back down to the trailhead. We left the High Sierra about 6pm, to make the long drive back home. A great weekend trip, seeing about 4-5 people in the area the whole weekend. For fishermen, no lunkers, but the brookies were not what you would call stunted either. A lot of fun, in a beautiful setting.
