High Sierra Topix

Finally getting around to my first trip report...

Husband and I started out of North Lake. We got to Bishop and picked up our permits and head to North Lake to find a campground. We ended up at the campground just before Lake Sabrina. Being in that canyon was FREEZING. We had ice on our picnic table in the morning. After a warm bowl of porridge we hopped in the car and head over to the big parking lot past North Lake. Parking was easy and convenient. We did drop our packs at the trailhead three miles up and then went and parked. Our first day we hiked to Upper Lamarck Lake.

Photo of walking the three miles from the parking lot to the trailhead.



Photo of the trailhead. We went to the lakes.



Nice view 1/2 way to Lower Lamarck Lake.



Lower Lamarck Lake - amazing fishing. They were biting just the lures.







Upper Lamarck Lake. By the time we got there the smoke was rolling in.



There are a couple of places to camp just away from the lake sort of near the stream. We were the only ones there and then at around midnight we heard a couple of folks bed down somewhere nearby. When we woke up at dawn they were already gone. Hard core! We enjoyed a cup of joe and moved on to the Col.

Pictures along the way...













When we got to Lamarck Col we were surprised to see the lake completely dried up.





Fortunately, we found some water. We got almost 2 liters from it.



My husband was struggling with the altitude so we took a break.



He fell asleep. While he was sleeping I scrambled up the "wrong" way - to the left - and peaked over the edge out of curiosity.





If you want to go OVER the Col, definitely don't go that way. It cliffs out where I peaked over.

By the time I got back down to Husband he really wasn't doing so hot. He had brain surgery 8 years ago and isn't as tough and rumble as he once was. We made the executive decision to turn back. He was in no shape for scrambling up to the Col and over. It was a good thing. Ever 1,000 feet we dropped his mood improved and by the time we got back to Upper Lamarck Lake he was a bit more chipper. Phew. Nothing to really stress over, but we're pretty cautious with him.

So, we cut our trip (way) short and had some other fun instead. Husband beat me every damned time.



We'll be back for more. That's the bummer part of living at 200 foot elevation... love the beach, but get spoiled by all that oxygen.

htrout,

Welcome to the HST!

If you parked where I think you did at North Lake, it's actually about .7 miles to the TH from the parking lot to the pit toilets in the campground, but that's neither here nor there. As I'm usually the driver, I get to do that little trip twice to shuttle those with me. We drop the gear off at the "toilets", and then I park the truck and walk back up.

Sorry to hear about your husbands issue with the altitude. I too live at 200' on the coast, and I find that I need at least a day now to even be ready to do something North Lake..

Bowling would be the last thing I'd be thinking of, but I do understand how altitude sickness or the lack thereof feels less when you come back off the mountain. Glad he's ok.

Thanks for the TR..

Russ

You are absolutely correct about the 0.7 miles. My brain broke for a minute there. No clue why I thought it was 3 miles. :-)

Glad to read your husband is alright! Thank you for sharing you first TR and pictures with us.
Lamarck Col is the only pass that I have experienced a light bought of altitude sickness a couple of decades ago. Not sleeping well the night before because of a heatwave in the Bay Area, getting up at 2:30 am to get to Bishop to get a permit, starting my hike from the trailhead at around 10 am, and then hiking over Lamarck and down to the lake the first night, all contributed to a less than fun night.

Terrific TR of a gorgeous area. Thanks for the pics. I have to admit that I don't think I've ever seen the col without any snow. It was sun cups from top to bottom the one time I crossed it. Surprisingly, they made the trek to the col pretty easy. Good choice to move lower. Lamarck Col is just under 13,000 feet. Again, thanks for the great TR!

Since I always liked cross country routes better than trail routes I always lamented that I never passed Lamarck. It was one of the VERY few places I wanted to go and did not. I went to fish in the Colby area and always went in from Florence because it looked easier and just as fast as Lamarck. Somebody who did both routes please chime in and tell me which is better to Colby Meadow.

I never passed Lamarck

You've gotta do it! The view of Darwin Basin is outstanding. It really isn't tough to scramble up, even without snow . I was bummed my husband wasn't acclimating well. He's never been up to the Col to see it with his own eyes. He's just seen my pictures.

It was truly shocking to have so little snow/ice up there and no water. Come on El Nino!