IMG_7111 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
Day 1: Hiked from Mineral King trailhead over Glacier Pass (very straightforward class 3) to Spring Lake. 8.2 miles
Starts out steep and stays that way with a few more moderate sections. Took a dip in Monarch Lake. Sand and scree was tiring near the top and coming in from sea level without acclimatizing definitely was having an impact on a couple in our party of 4. Continued up nearly to Sawtooth pass and then traversed left about 100-200 yards at the level of Glacier Pass. The down climb from Glacier was mostly class 2 with a few short class 3 sections and followed a pretty clear use trail through the steepest part. The trail started about 50 ft right of the low point in the notch.
Untitled by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_2116 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
Beautiful granite dihedrals on the right coming down that I thought looked ripe for climbing routes. Turns out there are a few rarely climbed routes on this rock face.
IMG_8744 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
Day 2: Spring Lake to Lake 10410 (beautiful cross country section from main trail to get to the lake). 7.4 miles
Cross country from Spring Lake to Blackrock Pass trail. Heard coyotes howling from across the canyon, but couldn't spot them. Unfortunately, an ankle ligament was sacrificed to the talus slope. One member of our party rolled an ankle and had immediate swelling and instability of his left ankle. However, after some aggressive duct tape and high dose ibuprofen, we decided to cautiously press on with the help of poles and trading footwear. It was slower going, but he was confident he could make it with the use of poles and hiking boots. The last segment off trail up to Lake 10410 was gorgeous and we were the only party at the lake that night. Best campsite is on the south side of the lake with views of the Kaweahs.
Untitled by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_8762 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_8780 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_8776 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_8802 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
Day 3: Lake 10410 to Lost Canyon. 11 miles
Easier terrain made for a very pleasant day. Backtracking through Little Five Lakes was a pleasure and descending to lower Big Five and Lost Canyon was also beautiful. Lots of marmots in Lost Canyon.
IMG_8849 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
Day 4: Lost Canyon over Sawtooth Pass to Mineral King trailhead. 9.5 miles
IMG_8870 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_8895 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
IMG_8883 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
Fun scree/sand skiing on the way down. Spotted a some pika and what I think was a long tailed weasel on the way down.
IMG_8900 by John Hartmann, on Flickr
