Mammoth Lakes Vacation, TR

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sheperd80
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Mammoth Lakes Vacation, TR

Post by sheperd80 »

After almost a year of anticipation our vacation finally came, and totally exceeded our expectations. We spent 4 days and 3 nights, cramming as much touristy family action in as we possibly could.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to my Advice Request thread. It was incredibly helpful. Theres so much to do in Mammoth that its overwhelmimg but thanks to HST and a long time to plan, i feel that we made the best of our first of many trips to come.

And thank you to Snow Nymph for renting us her condo. The price, and comfort of having such a place to stay really made this trip what it was. As a result we ate-in alot so didnt really experience alot of the restaurants, but imho that was a good thing.

Because i know many of you have been, and because this wasnt really a backpacking trip, I'll do my best to keep this report under control and just show the scenery pics.

And finally...if youve never been.....GO! Its an outdoorsmans Disneyland.

Day 1
Tenaya Lake (Yosemite)
Mono Lake
Adventure Center
Panorama Gondola to Mammoth Mtn
Dinner at Gomez

Day 2
Horseback to Panorama Dome
DPP
Rainbow Falls
Reds Meadow

Day 3
Lake Mcleod
New York Bagel Shop
Earthquake Fault
Lake George

Day 4
Twin Lakes
Barret Lake
TJ Lake
Grumpys
Sad drive back to 105 degree Fresno



OK here we go....

Brief stop at Tenaya Lake on 120 on the way there.
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From atop Mammoth Mtn via the Panorama Gondola. My phone failed to capture the breathtaking views of the Minarets but u get the idea.
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From Panorama Dome via Pack Outfitters Horseback Ride
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Devils Postpile
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Rainbow Falls. I decided to jump in and swim up near the falls.
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We hiked Ranger Station>Postpile>Rainbow>Reds Meadow. A beautiful hike, but the milkshakes do not live up to the hype! It was an insanely busy weekend though so I'll give them a pass for now.

Next morning as my non-hiker family slept in recovering from the strenuous 4 mile mostly downhill hike ;-) ... I snuck off for a shorty to Mcleod Lake. C&R with single barbless hooks only because its full of Lahontan Cutthroats. I came ill prepared and had no luck but saw a school of them circling the shallows.
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Earthquake Fault. A must see simply because its so quick and easy and quite interesting.
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I squeezed down into a small cave inside the fissure (its not actually a fault).
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Lake George
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Twin Lakes... Hard to believe a phone took this pic
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Next day i ran off solo again for another short but steep hike up to Barret (pond)
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..and TJ. A beautiful lake full of feisty little rainbows. Caught a few but just kept 1. Ive decided not to waste time photographing throwbacks anymore (even good ones) as its not conducive to their survival.
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Last edited by sheperd80 on Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:07 am, edited 14 times in total.
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sheperd80
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Post by sheperd80 »

Ive left out hundreds of photos. My GFs camera got the best of them, this is just what i grabbed with my phone. Also left out the less outdoorsy stuff which i may add later along with reviews of restaurants and the like if anyone is interested.

We will definitely be returning in a year or two since theres still so much to do as a family. And i plan to go back for some real backpacking at some point.

Im more than happy to ramble about this place for hours if anyone is interested or has questions.

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Last edited by sheperd80 on Wed Jul 09, 2014 11:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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SweetSierra
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Re: Mammoth Lakes Vacation, TR

Post by SweetSierra »

Beautiful photos. I like the cleft shots. Must have been fun to crawl down in there. The Mammoth area is gorgeous.
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Vaca Russ
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Mammoth

Post by Vaca Russ »

Shep,

You have just begun to scratch the surface.
sheperd80 wrote:And i plan to go back for some real backpacking at some point.
Real backpacking is where its really at. :nod: :nod:

-Russ
"...Or have you only comfort, and the lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host and then a master?"

Kahil Gibran.
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sheperd80
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Re: Mammoth Lakes Vacation, TR

Post by sheperd80 »

I almost forgot to upload these, taken from the car on the way home through Yosemite near the 41 gate. Hes quite photogenic dont you think? :-)

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Last edited by sheperd80 on Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sheperd80
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Re: Mammoth Lakes Vacation, TR

Post by sheperd80 »

Vaca Russ wrote:Shep,

You have just begun to scratch the surface.
sheperd80 wrote:And i plan to go back for some real backpacking at some point.
Real backpacking is where its really at. :nod: :nod:

-Russ
Yeah though i had a great time doing the tourist thing, i was in bed each night drooling on my trail map. Looking out at the Minarets was almost painful.

Theres so much to do just out of Mammoth alone, not to mention the endless must-do hikes and fishing in a 100 mile radius.

Maybe I'll just move there ;-)

Anyone in Mammoth need a carpenter/multi-tradesman??? Oh and an RDA... couldnt go without her :-)

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