High Sierra Topix

Honestly, I appreciate the work the OP put in this, but I was holding my tongue on the "if you can't say something nice" mantra. I felt that if I posted, I would have to say something about how the OP made some really, really awful, and potentially fatal, decisions. To the OP, I'd say it's better to have a nice, dull, boring experience where you come back without permanent injuries. Tendons and ligaments from sprained muscles don't always heal correctly, and scar tissue has a nasty habit of forming at critical points in the arms and legs.

What year did this happen?

This was my first bonehead trip (in 1976) but it wasn't my last. One time on a day hike I wound up at dark at Grinnel Lake with a sleeping bag a insulated pad but no shelter. I was sick with a virus too. It started to snow and I kept wipeing off the snow. I was praying for it to stop snowing. My bag was a down bag. After a short time it stopped but shortly thereafter snowed again. I was truly afraid for my life - more than ever. Thank god it stopped at about 9:30. When I wanted to go BP I was really compulsive about it. One stupid thing I never did was swim out to a rock. Only once did I cross a creek that looked dangerous. Believe it or not it was Cliff Creek (Min King) on July 25 1996 I believe. It was the largest winter snowfall I ever remembered. One time (saint) Diane and I took a 15 day trip and hiked out with no food. We had breakfast.

Pics of the 15 day trip

Above Picket Lake
Below Kern Canyon

Diane pointing at and from the back of Mount Whitney

weird.. here it looks brown, but if I run a temp filter on it in photos on Win10, the sky is blue.. A nice update to your report though..

Strange trips makes things interesting. I think new experience good or bad is drinking the essence of life. Of course there is a point of diminishing returns.....

I went on several cross country trips solo but I at least didn't climb peaks or make dangerous creek crossings alone but I have to admit no one could have saved me at Cliff Creek. I told Mike that under no uncertain terms not to try to save me. I told him to hike down the creek and maybe (MAYBE!) help me. I was 53 and Mike was 14 and he was stronger crossing than I. He had lots of experience too.

We hiked up the creek coming down from the lake under Eagle Scout Lake. It was REALLY to bad I didn't take a camera because the hike up the creek had some really excellent photo shoots. I doubt than anybody on HST has ever been up that creek.