Here is another Yosemite glaciated granite country no name lake at 7040+ that has rarely if ever been reached. Yes no one may have ever been there like a few others in that zone that is one of the least explored regions of Yosemite and southern Sierra...the middle Rancheria Creek and Breeze Creek labyrinths.
And below is a possible 8 day loop trip maybe some of you with some imagination can help adjust my initial itinerary below and float some options of your own for the group to mull over. An ultralighter might do a 5 day 4 night roundtrip with a layover. My route would require an early August date in order to be able to cross Falls Creek on the return.
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=38.02010,-119.63073&z=15&t=T" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Reaching the lake for ultralight backpackers would be doable by backpacking from 3800 feet at Hetch Hetch dam the first day to Titill Valley climbing to 5800 feet over a strenuous 9.3 miles up 2100 feet. And then the second day to this no name lake has to climb 2900 feet to reach the top of the ridge at 8600 or a 3000 footer over about 9 or 10 miles. Going north on the trail from Tiltill Valley one could turn off trail near lake 8576 northeast towards Tilden Canyon. Those unfamiliar with these landscapes could get into lots of trouble because of unpleasant brush, especially manzanita. That is where Google Earth ( GE ) can help a lot.
The lake at 8160+ looks like a real beauty on GE. Wow what a place to camp! After dropping 600 feet onto the bench, at 8000 my route would either follow the less brushy stream bed or go south-southeast towards the knob at 7600 feet about 1000 feet south of the creek andthen would descend obvious less gradients slopes south arcing southeast around that knob down to the canyon bottom. However GE shows the knob route rather brushy along the big granite joint cracks. From the canyon bottom would move south down to the southeast end of lake 7040+ where some green shows. Likely a very pleasant zone with a significant mile long stretch of stream that never gets fished. Heck maybe the lake has fish? Someone may have put stream fish into the lake they are so close. A really deep bony granitoid canyon that probably looks alot like some of the deep canyon terrain along Cherry Creek.
If I did this trip with my usual heavy load it would not be two days. Instead this 8 day loop trip. The YNP Mather Station blocked gate doesn't open till 8am so one would likely just get across the dam by a late 9am. Instead would likely do the 6.5 miles up 800 feet to Rancheria Falls at 4500 by early afternoon and be satisfied to set up camp there. The next day at dawn would climb the 2.7 miles up 1300 feet over the 5800 dome to Tiltill Vally by 9am and then take an hour break. From there would climb the trail about 2 miles up 1500 feet to 7120 leave the trail and continue up over the easy 7200+ saddle with a small pond and then down a bit to where the stream comes off the slope due north at 7160+ to make camp. Would be some interesting Rancheria Creek views just east where the bench drops off. About a 5 mile day and 2800 feet of vertical. The third day would continue on to the lake 8576 area noted above, a climb of 1500 foot and then descend to lake 7040+ noted above or about 6 miles. An option on the layover day five would be to cross Rancheria Creek, climb the obvious ramp, and visit also very remote lake 7471.
After a layover day would climb back up and camp on day five at the 8160+ lake. From there on day 6 instead of reversing my route taking a certain brutal foot bruiser back to Rancheria Creek, would intercept the trail due north of the lake that passes between two domes at 8520+ and follow it into the Falls Creek drainage down into the wonderful juniper land of Jack Main Canyon. There might camp at lake 7643. Then next day 7 about noon after a good morning fishing the Falls Creek and making a fat rainbow trout lunch would continue on to Bee Hive Meadow to commune with some bears. Then the final day 8 do the 6 miles out to the trailhead.
