We travelled to Blackrock Pass the second day after a nice night under the stars at Pinto Lake and decided that instead of pushing ourselves to the limit in descending to the HST/climbing Mt. Kaweah, we’d enjoy a long lunch on the pass and then take a side trip to Spring Lake on the way out. Snow and ice on the backside of Sawtooth Pass was visible as well as on the northern side of Blackrock Pass through Little Five Lakes, even Spring Lake had some residual ice, though that just made for even more appealing scenery at this pleasant lake.
Also of note were the persistent marmots at the trailhead, I learned that the old groundsheet I used to cover the engine block was likely not large enough, though thankfully the Cirque de Soleil moves that this marmot had to have achieved only lead to some damage to the heat shield on the bottom of my hood. Lesson learned, though graciously not the hard way!
All in all it was a great trip. Big mountain scenery and the chance to view the High Sierra with what little snow remains in this drought year. Hope the links to the photos below function, that way maybe sharing the spherical panoramas will justify the weight of carrying all the equipment up with me.
View en route to Blackrock Pass:
Blackrock Pass:
Spring Lake:
Above Timber Gap:
