High Sierra Topix

Last Friday, we spent the night at the Crabtree trailhead with plenty of mosquitoes!
On Saturday we joined the hordes of people going up the trail. There must have been at least 100 people going to Bear Lake!! However, once we passed the Bear Lake junction, the crowds thinned substantially. Piute was beautiful as ever and NO mosquitoes. I mean none!
Going up to Buck Lakes was beautiful. We met rangers checking permits. They told us that they were burying people's waste- GROSS. Really? Backpackers don't know to bury their waste? We picked up a ton of trash along the way. Bottles and various other trash along the trail and at the campsites. I usually pick up and haul out any trash that is not completely disgusting.
There was some water running at most of the streams that were dry last year.
Buck Lakes were spectacular!! Almost no one there and the lakes just BEG for exploration! The next day, we hiked back to Piute via Wood Lake and then cut over to Gem Lake and down to Piute. It was a lovely, scenic, mostly shaded trail. Buck creek had water, enough to filter if necessary.
Also, NO mosquitoes at Buck or Gem or anywhere on the trail in between!!!
Hope this is helpful.

Nice TR.

Love the Sierra wrote: If someone can tell me how to upload photos, I will be happy to do it.

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Very nice pictures. Thanks for posting them. I was always fond of Gianelli over Crabtree for entry into Emigrant. Glad the bugs weren't horrific. I've seen them really bad in August during big snow years out of Crabtree..

Russ

Nice. Planning on going to Buck Lakes in a couple weeks myself for a fishing trip. Which Buck Lakes was best to stay at? Any campsites to recommend?

We found a marvelous site south of upper, on the isthmus between upper and lower. We saw some very lovely sites on the east side of lower Buck. Search around and don't just take the first one you see. There are loads of wonderful spots amount the lakes.