High Sierra Topix

As one grows older, things come more into perspective. And with the Sierra as my second love, perspectives really become important.

In 2004, I had a cancer battle, which I somehow beat. Since then, I've thought about a place in the Sierra that I'd go to if i only had one more chance to go.

For me, I'd go over Kearsarge and hang in that area for as long as I could.

Easy answer.. Virginia Lk out of Glen Aulin, if they didn't remove my fish. Nowadays, Hanging Basket Lk.

One trip only?
Have to be Yosemite - a good 10-day fishing adventure.
Probably Tuolumne to...(Had a great trip to mention here but then I thought about all the trollers and decided not.), so...

Any backcountry lake that holds big trout, somewhere Sierra, above 9,000 feet, between Horseshoe Meadows and Tahoe.

Wow. Horseshoe Mdw to Tahoe... Now that's the ticket. I guess I'd just do the whole dern thing if I had the time. But I might get stuck just over Glenn Pass somewhere...

...and that wouldn't be bad at all. I think I'd do something that involved at least a few days in Evolution Valley. I've always thought of that as the "heart" of the Sierra, I guess at least partly because it's hard to get to in less than a couple of days but beautiful in a very gentle, habitable way. There are places that are more remote and lots of places that are more rugged, but Evolution Valley is unique.

I'd go to Vogelsang pass and take in the views of the Clark range. Beautiful.

Hasn't change for years, Lakes of Red Spur Basin.

Sheesh - tough one! Either the Ionian Basin & close vicinity (as this zone has become a recent fasination & future destination) or anywhere in the Yosemite Valley - Tuolumne Meadows!

Dinkey Lakes Wilderness. Yeah, I know it's nothing special in terms of scenery or fishing, but if I really had only one more chance to go out there, I'd want to revisit a place where I've had some of my fondest backcountry memories spanning back through my very first backpacking trip. I've since seen much grander sights and caught much larger fish, so with the need for superlatives no longer paramount I'd instead like to use my last trip to wander around and see if I couldn't recapture some of the wonder and awe that led me to fall in love with the Sierra in the first place.

How many days do we have for this fantasy excursion?

Assuming it's at least 8, I would probably replay a trip I did two years ago:

Lamarck Col to Wanda Lake, taking in Mt. Spencer along the way; circling back into the McGee Lakes basin then back to the Muir Trail down to the junction with Goddard. Since this is a fantasy, I would then have a helicopter carry me up the JMT, close to Selden Pass (so I could avoid the one (relatively) dull part of this trip), leaving the trail at Marie Lake, through the "music" lakes, over Gemini Pass into Bear Lakes Basin, over Feather Pass and Puppet Pass and exiting (although if this were my last hike, I guess there would be no exit) over Piute Pass and back to North Lake.