TR: Thousand Island Lake, Ediza Lake (6/5 - 6/8 2015)

[pakoR]

4 day trip to Thousand Island Lake from Agnew Meadows. Here is the route taken. The GPX data was recorded using my watch, so the mileages may be a bit off due to loss of GPS signal. The Reds Meadow/Devils Postpile Shuttle had not started running yet for the season, so we drove into the park and parked at the trailhead. The trailhead has bear lockers for overnight storage of food and other smellables.

Last year over the Memorial Day Weekend, I visited Thousand Island Lake but starting at the Rush Creek TH. The hike in from Agnew Meadows is a much easier hike, more mellow ascent. From Rush Creek, you immediately start climbing, and ascend about 3000' over 3.5 miles.

Day 01
10 miles from Agnew Meadows to Thousand Island Lake on the High Trail. The day started off with clear sunny skies, but quickly turned dark gray. Eventually, it rained, it hailed, and it snowed at various points along the trail. When we reached Thousand Island Lake, it had stopped raining and the sky cleared up a bit for an awesome sunset. Most of the High Trail is exposed. There were several streams with water along the way. Temps probably in the 60s and 40s.

High Trail to Thousand Island Lake


Mammoth Mountain


Sticky cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa)


Exposed terrain


Shadow Lake


Some kind of lupine ???


Thousand Island Lake, Banner Peak


Sunrise at Thousand Island Lake*



Day 02
9 mile day hike to Davis Lakes. The weather during the day was sunny and with clear skies; temps in the 60s. The surface of the upper of the lakes was mostly frozen over. In the early evening, the sky clouded over, and then it hailed for about 15 minutes, and snowed a bit. Just as quickly, the sky cleared up, and the temperature rose a few degrees. Just enough to be comfortable to go swimming in the lake for a bit.

Davis Lakes, Rodgers Peak


Davis Lakes, lower


Snow on the north-facing slopes


Davis Lakes, upper


Lake near Island Pass


Island Pass, Koip Crest


Banner Peak shrouded in fog



Day 03
8 miles from Thousand Island Lake to Ediza Lake. The day started off with wonderful views of Emerald, Ruby, and Garnet Lakes. And then the trail descended into an awesome looking meadow. There were some patches of snow near Emerald Lake. The weather was actually warm though a bit windy through the day. Once we entered the forest and neared the junction to Ediza Lake, the mosquitoes were out for blood. Fortunately there weren't that many, but I guess that in a few weeks, it'll be unbearable. No precipitation today, and the low temperature for the night was probably in the mid 40s.

Emerald Lake


Ruby Lake


Garnet Lake


Switchbacks into a meadow


Mountain Heather (Phyllodoce breweri)


Ediza Lake



Day 04
7 miles from Ediza Lake to Agnew Meadows. Started off early to avoid the holiday weekend traffic back to the Bay Area. Along the way, stopped at Shadow Lake to enjoy a swim. The water was cold, but the sun was already warming up the granite on the shore. The mosquitoes were out and about in the forested areas of the trail. After the trail passes Shadow Lake, the views open up, and the High Trail is visible across the valley. Lots of wildflowers at this elevation range dotting the hillsides.

Sunrise at Ediza Lake


Reflections


Two Teats???


Sierra stickseed (Hackelia nervosa)


Arrowleaf groundsel (Senecio triangularis)


Wavyleaf Indian paintbrush (Castilleja applegatei)


Footbridge near Shadow Creek and San Joaquin River


Olaine Lake


Agnew Meadows

[The Other Tom]

Nice TR and photos. Thanks for posting.

[exodus]

Really awesome report and pictures. This will hopefully be a pretty rare sight in terms of the time of year and how much things were melted out. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime early season opportunity, and absolutely beautiful!

[SSSdave]

Enjoyed your post, thanks pakoR for taking the time to write up a report. Shows landscapes before things green and wildflower up. A couple of trivial corrections.

"10 miles from Agnew Meadows to Thousand Island Lake on the High Trail. "

Actually roughly 8.0 to 8.5 miles via High Trail (PCT) to lake outlet while the River Trail is about 3/4 miles shorter. Of course there is lots of info on the web about why GPS measurements are often inaccurate.

Caption for 20150606_019.jpg "Sunset at Thousand Island Lake"

should be:
Sunrise at Thousand Island Lake

At this time near the solstice at this latitude, the sun rises about 30 degrees north of due east. Your camera position relative to Banner is about 70 degrees north of due east. Per topo, shadows about sunlit areas perfectly fit that sunrise angle.

[old and slow]

Wow, beautiful pictures! Looks like you had great weather (gorgeous clouds!) and just beat the skeeters. Thanks for sharing.

[pakoR]

Thanks for the comments.

SSSdave:
You're right about the distances. The recorded mileage was from the TH to where we camped, plus some side trips and backtracking along the way. The caption was a typo Thanks for the corrections!

[Ikan Mas]

Thanks for the post. You helped me identify some of the flowers I've been seeing along the trail in other places. Very helpful for us amateurs.

[tie]

Great photos. I haven't been to that area for years... but will have to go back soon!

[mello]

Thanks for an excellent report and photos!