TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

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TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by Flamingo »

Hi Everyone,

Over the holiday weekend I completed a 40-mile circuit starting and ending at the Pine Creek trailhead. I call this route The Great Mono Loop; it connects Italy Pass, Gabbot Pass, Mono Pass, and Morgan Pass. The circuit mixes on-trail and off-trail hiking; it includes a short section of the Sierra High Route. It's likely that other HST members have hiked variations of this route. Please feel free to post URLs to previous trip reports in the comments section of this thread.

ROUTE:
GreatMonoLoop.jpg
I planned to complete the trip in five days, but I was feeling strong and I finished in four days.

PHOTOS:
I posted photos below in the post. You can also view my entire photo album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHskDPYLU8

REPORT:
I departed the SF bay area at 4am and drove across the central valley, over Tioga Pass, and then south along Highway 395 to the Pine Creek trailhead. Along the way, I picked up two PCT thru-hikers hitchhiking from Tuolumne Meadows to Mammoth Lakes. They needed new shoes. We mostly talked about the evolution of the PCT over the past decade since my thru-hike in 2005.

The parking lot at Pine Creek trailhead was nearly full, perhaps not surprising because it was Saturday on a holiday weekend. I ate lunch and started hiking at 1pm. Following advice from previous HST posts, I found the actual Pine Creek trail by walking through the pack station; otherwise, this trailhead is not obvious from the parking lot. I climbed the switchbacks slowly under the hot afternoon sun. I was elated to be returning to the backcountry, but I also felt miserable in the heat with a full pack, and coming from sea-level.

As I climbed higher, I passed several dozen hikers returning from day trips to Pine Lakes. I eventually arrived at Upper Pine Lake (10,200’) and setup camp. I considered climbing higher to Honeymoon Lake, but I chose to rest because I felt fatigued from the heat and the altitude.

On the second day, I continued along the Pine Creek trail to Honeymoon Lake, and then followed the Italy Pass trail into Granite Basin. This section is fantastic; it passes through a seemingly endless chain of alpine meadows, waterfalls, and delicate tarns. A light breeze kept the mosquitos away, and the wildflowers were brilliant in the morning sunlight. The trail disappeared near the head of Granite Basin, but I found cross-country walking to be easy here. The route to Italy Pass was obvious. I arrived on Italy Pass at noon. I ate lunch and watched a party of climbers scramble up the western ridge of Mount Julius Caesar.

My descent from Italy Pass was relatively straightforward. Crossing the talus slowed me down, but I found a use trail above Jumble Lake and the walking became easy. The use trail ended at the shore of Lake Italy, and I returned to talus-hopping along the southern shore of the lake. [EDIT: I later learned that I should have gone clockwise around the lake and followed the northern shore]. This section around the south shore of Lake Italy was frustrating and my progress was slow. The talus here is large and unstable, and I frequently scrambled over car-sized boulders.

By mid-afternoon, I reached the sandy meadow between Lake Italy and Toe Lake. I setup camp in the shade of a large boulder. I was exhausted from all my talus scrambling, and it felt nice to splash around in the shallow water of Toe Lake. I took a nap in my tent. Later, I enjoyed the evening light dance in colorful patterns across Mount Dade and the Sierra Crest. Lake Italy is an amazing place to camp-–-it's a huge cathedral in the sky---and I felt lucky to have it all to myself for one night.

On day three, I climbed Gabbot Pass in the morning. Several feet of snow remained on the pass, but it had consolidated into the proverbial “Sierra cement” that made for easy crossing. Previous HST posts mentioned the talus was annoying on the north side of Gabbot Pass, but the snow cover worked to my advantage and I rapidly descended into the Mills Creek canyon.

The Mills Creek area is very scenic, with open pine forests under towering granite spires. I rested at Lower Mills Creek Lake, swam in the cold water, and sunbathed to dry. A light breeze kept mosquitos away and the conditions were practically perfect. It was challenging to find willpower to leave this beautiful spot.

My descent from Mills Creek into the Second Mono Recess was frustrating as I bushwhacked through thickets of aspen and cottonwood. [EDIT: see the comments for discussion of a better route]. Whereas the cross-country walking along upper Mills Creek was easy, here the canyon pours into a waterfall and I could not find an optimal route down into the Second Recess. I thought I was following a use trail, but it frequently disappeared and I had to fight through dense foliage. This passage seemed to take forever.

Near the bottom of the Mills Creek waterfall, I met HST members RoguePhotonic and AlpineMike. It’s nice to meet HST members in real life. We chatted about our trips and snow conditions. They shared with me useful advice about the Mono Creek ford. Rogue said the water was above his waist and the crossing was challenging. Mike, fortunately, found a log crossing fifty meters upstream. Rogue and Mike were climbing Gabbot Pass, so we said goodbye and I continued downstream.

The trail through the Second Recess is lovely and easy to follow; I soon arrived at the Mono Creek crossing. Rogue and Mike were correct: the ford appeared too dangerous. I followed Mike’s advice and found the log upstream. The log was somewhat hidden in bushes, though, and I doubt I would have found it without Mike's suggestion.

[Edit: see cgundersen's 2011 photo on Flickr of the log crossing: https://www.flickr.com/photos/10845599@ ... 392180095/]

Across Mono creek, I boiled a pot of soup and refueled at Fish Camp. I then enjoyed the afternoon following the well-maintained trail up the Mono Recess. After walking cross-country for the past few days, it felt luxurious to return to an engineered trail. I was able to silence my brain and simply cruise through the forest. I saw no one else all day. I camped at Fourth Recess Lake in a lovely site on the northeast shore. The alpenglow was incredible on the peaks above Fourth Recess Lake.

On the fourth day, I continued up the Mono Creek trail and reached Mono Pass at noon. I love the stark landscape at Mono Pass; it’s just rock, ice, and blue sky. Two backpacking groups passed me headed the opposite direction, presumably they were hiking from Mosquito Flat trailhead into the Mono Recesses.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. I descended Mono Pass and hiked up the Little Lakes Valley and then over Morgan Pass. The Little Lakes Valley is outrageously beautiful, but also I think crowded because Mosquito Flat trailhead is nearby. The crowds didn’t bother me. After several days of solo travel, I found it oddly charming to see all these families, fishermen, and climbers enjoying themselves.

Over Morgan Pass, the crowds disappeared and I seemed to have the mountains to myself once again. I really connected with the Morgan Lakes area: deep blue lakes, huge vistas, and colorful geology. I’m surprised I haven’t seen more trip reports from these lakes. This area has a long history of mining, and the “trail” here is an abandoned jeep track. I followed the track down the canyon, and enjoyed the afternoon sun casting long shadows across the rusted mineral landscape. I returned to Pine Creek trailhead as sunset peaked, just in time to watch Mount Tom glow in the evening light.

Overall, I feel this trip was a fantastic success.

Photos from Day One. . .

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The Pine Creek Tungsten Mine, seen from the switchbacks ascending Pine Creek.

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Entering the John Muir Wilderness along Pine Creek

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Lower Pine Lake with a view of Mount Tom.

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The outlet of Upper Pine Lake

Image
My camp near Upper Pine Lake
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Last edited by Flamingo on Wed Jun 10, 2020 5:38 pm, edited 16 times in total.
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop -- July 2-5, 2016

Post by Flamingo »

Photos from Day Two. . .

Image
The Italy Pass trail climbs past a seemingly endless chain of wildflower gardens and waterfalls.

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Welcome to Granite Park

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Italy Pass, pictured in the center, is an easy off-trail pass.

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On Italy Pass, looking south over Granite Park

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On Italy Pass, looking north towards Jumble Lake

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Spot the climbers on the west ridge of Mount Julius Ceaser.

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I camped in the shade of a boulder above Lake Italy. Notice the steep talus on the south shore of Lake Italy (left side of photo); it was extremely tedious and slow to traverse.

Image
Mount Dade and Sierra Crest towers over the Lake Italy basin.

Image
The Milky Way rises over the Sierra Crest above Lake Italy.
Last edited by Flamingo on Fri Jul 08, 2016 1:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop -- July 2-5, 2016

Post by Flamingo »

Photos from Day Three. . .

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Follow the waterfalls up to Gabbot Pass, pictured in the upper left of the image.

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Detail on Bear Creek Spire, seen from Gabbot Pass

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Sun cups on Gabbot Pass

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On Gabbot Pass, looking north into the Mills Creek canyon

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Upper Mills Creek Lake

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Cross-country travel is easy through the open pine forests of the Upper Mills Creek canyon, pictured here.

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An alpine garden in the Mills Creek canyon

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A waterfall tumbles from the Mills Creek canyon into the Second Mono Recess. Route-finding through this steep section was tricky.

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Wildflowers, creeks, and easy hiking through the Second Mono Recess

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This log crossing is approximately fifty meters upstream from the Mono Creek ford.

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Fourth Recess Lake

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The Milky Way rises over Fourth Recess.
Last edited by Flamingo on Fri Jul 08, 2016 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop -- July 2-5, 2016

Post by Flamingo »

Photos from Day Four. . .

Image
My ULA Circuit backpack at Mono Pass

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On Mono Pass looking south

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Welcome to the Little Lakes Valley

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Shooting Stars at Long Lake

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Easy hiking through the Little Lakes Valley

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On Morgan Pass looking west

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On Morgan Pass looking east

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Lower Morgan Lake

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An unnamed tarn along Morgan Creek

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Goodbye John Muir Wilderness

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A scene along the jeep track from Morgan Pass to Pine Creek Trailhead. Mount Tom is the highest peak in the background. The geology in this region is incredibly diverse, and it seems like every mountain is a different color.

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I returned to the Pine Creek Tungsten Mine, where I started.

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The Milky Way rises over Mount Tom at the Pine Creek trailhead
Last edited by Flamingo on Fri Jul 08, 2016 1:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by maverick »

I would love to hear if other HST members have advice on the best route through this steep section.
From LMCL descend on the southern side of the creek, as you get down to Lake 10,700 jump the creek and descend on it northern side down into Second Recess. There is a faint use trail but it can be annoying to try and follow, it is better to just remember to switch to the other side of the creek at or near Lake 10,700.

Fun TR and pretty pictures, love the LMCL and UMCL area, thanks for sharing.
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I don't give out specific route information, my belief is that it takes away from the whole adventure spirit of a trip, if you need every inch planned out, you'll have to get that from someone else.

Have a safer backcountry experience by using the HST ReConn Form 2.0, named after Larry Conn, a HST member: http://reconn.org
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by wildhiker »

Great trip report and photos. Thanks for sharing.

I've always wondered about walking down from Morgan Pass to Pine Creek, but thought it would be too ugly with the tungsten mine and its operations. Is the mine closed now? Is the jeep road closed to vehicles?

-Phil
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by Flamingo »

@wildhiker -- The road is closed to vehicles. There's a couple rock slides along the way that are easy to hike over, but are impossible for a jeep. Overall, the walk from Morgan Pass down to Pine Creek was surprisingly beautiful. The geology here is incredible, and the sense of vertical was thrilling. If you had a car shuttle, hiking from Mosquito Flat over Morgan Pass to Pine Creek would be an A+ day hike.
Last edited by Flamingo on Fri Jul 08, 2016 3:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by copeg »

Thanks for sharing. Loved scrolling down the page from one pic to the next. Looks like a fun route
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by SSSdave »

Been through all those areas except the end mining road from lower Morgan Lakes to Pine Creek. The east end of the south shore of Lake Italy has a long history of sucking in cross country travelers because mileage wise dropping down via Italy Pass and Jumble Lake, it is otherwise much longer to go all around the lake in order to reach Gabbot Pass. Seem to recall reading in an early edition of Sierra South not to go that way for reasons you mentioned. Large talus carrying a backpack is not only unpleasant but also dangerous. During my own experiences, we followed the north shore that I seem to recall as mostly just walking.

Significant numbers of Pine Creek horse packing customers are plopped down at the much touted Honeymoon Lake with advice to spend a day going over Italy Pass to famous Lake Italy. Of course very popular Honeymoon Lake is also a prime destination for backpackers. More scenic than Upper Pine Lake but less so than Pine Lake or most everything above in Granite Park. Thus whenever we've camped about spectacular Granite Park sometime after mid morning most days would be a chain of day hikers making their way up towards the pass. And then a few hours later mid to late afternoon somewhat bedraggled the reverse on their return.

As a photographer not a fan Lake Italy itself . The big barren devoid of trees lake sits down in a giant hole between some of the tallest Sierra peaks, with sunlight blocked by those peaks till mid morning or too early in the pm getting shadows while light is still rather blah. The one time it shines is when it is calm and reflecting during dawn or early morning light bouncing off high cirrus clouds above as there is much in the big bowl of a barren basin to reflect sky light.

As for the area below Lower Mills Creek Lake, I seem to recall my route through that zone on my first trip as a learning experience I made a point of not repeating on following visits haha. Exceptional zone to base camp at for a couple to three days as setting light during summer shines late on its spectacular avalanche chute white granite walls.
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Re: TR: The Great Mono Loop - July 2-5, 2016

Post by Bluewater »

I really enjoyed your trip report and photos. The format was easy to read and I looked forward to seeing each section of photos after the route description. The Google Earth map and elevation profile made a nice overview.

I've hiked most of your route with the he exception of the Morgan Pass section back to the Pine Creek trailhead. I was surprised to read that the mosquitos were not an issue at the Pine Lakes (good news!).

I also took the trailed route around Italy Lake, it's much longer than the x/c route but I avoided that based on Ropers description. Great pxts of the waterfalls and view of Bear Creek Spire on the climb to Gabbot Pass.

LMCL is one of my favorite spots on the SHR and I also spent some time swimming and relaxing there before reluctantly moving on. I remember the bushwhacking below LMCL (and before the steep descent into the 2nd recess) being unpleasant due to the very dense foliage. Once past that the route finding along the north side of the creek was steep but straightforward, I remember being happy to finally discover the mostly flat use trail along the 2nd recess.

Thanks for a fun read!
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