High Sierra Topix

Yes, Lower Ottoway had a lot of fish jumping. I had heard that it was a good fishing destination, and I suspect that to be true!

Beautiful TR and pictures KP. I am sure your hiking partner/colleague will have a good story to tell at home/work and hopefully is hooked on backpacking and the Sierra.
Thank you again for spending the time and effort to make the Meet-up, your presence made the whole experience that much more special.

KP, thanks for a great trip report and photos.

I'm sorry you found the High Trail between the Triple Peak Fork and the Lyell Fork to be boring. If you had more time, a really scenic cross-country alternative goes up that first creeklet you hit going north on the High Trail. After a short distance in open forest, you emerge on open alpine meadows and slabs for easy class 1 hiking for several miles north, passing small lakes tucked under Isberg Peak and Long Mountain (camping available), until you reach Harriet Lake in its completely open above-timberline basin. Oh, and you have constant views of the Clark and Cathedral Ranges the whole way. Then you follow Harriet Lake's outlet stream down to Foerster Creek and from there contour/angle up to "Foerster Lake" (unnamed on the topo) and then over to pick up the High Trail again. I've hiked all over the Yosemite backcountry and I think this is one of the prettiest areas. I've never seen anyone else in this area during the three times I have visited it over the years.

I hope you have time to visit this area again. Come in from the Granite Creek area on the Sierra National Forest and you can get to Sadler Lake in one day, and then over Isberg Pass to the high meadows I described above the next day. The Isberg Pass region is also very scenic.

-Phil

wildhiker wrote:KP, thanks for a great trip report and photos.

I'm sorry you found the High Trail between the Triple Peak Fork and the Lyell Fork to be boring. If you had more time, a really scenic cross-country alternative goes up that first creeklet you hit going north on the High Trail. After a short distance in open forest, you emerge on open alpine meadows and slabs for easy class 1 hiking for several miles north, passing small lakes tucked under Isberg Peak and Long Mountain (camping available), until you reach Harriet Lake in its completely open above-timberline basin. Oh, and you have constant views of the Clark and Cathedral Ranges the whole way. Then you follow Harriet Lake's outlet stream down to Foerster Creek and from there contour/angle up to "Foerster Lake" (unnamed on the topo) and then over to pick up the High Trail again. I've hiked all over the Yosemite backcountry and I think this is one of the prettiest areas. I've never seen anyone else in this area during the three times I have visited it over the years.

I hope you have time to visit this area again. Come in from the Granite Creek area on the Sierra National Forest and you can get to Sadler Lake in one day, and then over Isberg Pass to the high meadows I described above the next day. The Isberg Pass region is also very scenic.

-Phil

Your suggestion sounds like a superb idea! I originally hoped to get over to Harriet lake or what you have termed Foerster Lake, but the imperative of the circle loop limited what we could do. I would indeed be interested in coming in over Isberg and having the time to explore. Another area I would really like to return to explore is the whole Merced Peak Fork valley, although Edna Lake itself might be out of the cards for me.

I'm sorry you found the High Trail between the Triple Peak Fork and the Lyell Fork to be boring. If you had more time, a really scenic cross-country alternative goes up that first creeklet you hit going north on the High Trail. After a short distance in open forest, you emerge on open alpine meadows and slabs for easy class 1 hiking for several miles north, passing small lakes tucked under Isberg Peak and Long Mountain (camping available), until you reach Harriet Lake in its completely open above-timberline basin. Oh, and you have constant views of the Clark and Cathedral Ranges the whole way. Then you follow Harriet Lake's outlet stream down to Foerster Creek and from there contour/angle up to "Foerster Lake" (unnamed on the topo) and then over to pick up the High Trail again. I've hiked all over the Yosemite backcountry and I think this is one of the prettiest areas. I've never seen anyone else in this area during the three times I have visited it over the years.

I hope you have time to visit this area again. Come in from the Granite Creek area on the Sierra National Forest and you can get to Sadler Lake in one day, and then over Isberg Pass to the high meadows I described above the next day. The Isberg Pass region is also very scenic.

The meadow along Foerster Creek is quite pretty, Harriet Lake Basin had an outstanding wildflower displays, the best I have seen in 3 visits to this area, just outstanding. The lake in the middle of the crosshairs is very pretty with outstanding views towards the Clark Range, good sunrise photography, also good sunset photo opps from the western end of the lake looking back towards the ridgeline.



Also there looks like a shortcut across the ridge to the Sadler Lake region, class 2 on both sides, little easier from the south, we did not do this route because Lisa was worried that we would miss Jim. The Isberg Trail is way to long and windy, we did a short cut, a class 2 ascent on the northern side to reach the pass and also used a granite ramp south of the trail to cut down on all the unnecessary switchbacks.

Pass on ridgeline to access Sadler in crosshairs, will use this route in and out the next time:

Very nice trip report. It brings back a lot of memories - the burnt forest near Mono Meadows, the campsites near Illilouette Creek, passing by Lower Merced Pass Lake and our final destination, Lower Ottoway. In case you were wondering what Lower Merced Pass Lake looks like, we found it on the way back.

My trip report if you are interested:
http://sierrafish.com/lakes/lower-merce ... mobile.php

Lake mention in the previous post at sunrise looking across towards the Clark Range:

Ken,

It was great to meet you at Gerek at the meet-up!

Your photos of Red Devil Lake in the evening, and the cascade at Lyell Fork, are outstanding.

I hope to do a trip focused on the Clark Range in a future year. Glad you got to experience it, even if the lead-up to it was long and slow.

Yes, Maverick, Viki and I avoided the disappointing boringness of that particular section of the Isberg Trail by returning to Isberg Pass via Foerster Creek (which is mostly a giant, beautiful meadow!), Harriet Lake, and the other high lakes leading back to Lake 10,005. Harriet and environs, especially with the unusual paintbrush display, exceeded my expectations, and the walking was all very easy (99% Class 1). Well worth the diversion.

- Oleander

KP,
Thanks for sharing this fantastic trip report. Your photos are excellent. It was great to meet you and your friend at the meetup. I hope our paths cross again in the near future. . .