High Sierra Topix

BSquared, after leaving Charlotte Lake you will follow a climbers use trail that parallels Charlotte Creek a couple hundred ft above it. Don't leave the use trail too soon on your way to Gardiner Pass. There is a use trail on the north side of the pass (over on the east) to help you get down. On the steep slope down to Gardiner Creek I think we found a use trail for at least part of it. We didn't have time to explore the side basin holding Lake 3223, but on the map it looks like it is worth visiting. Mt Cotter is a nice scramble from Sixty Lakes Col and is far easier than Mt Gardiner or Mt Clarence King. Hope it isn't too dry for you this year after Labor Day.
-Scott

Ska-T,

Mt. Cotter was in our plans - but, we didn't end up having time to give it a shot. I kind of wish we would have, but also welcome the opportunity to go back - it was such a great spot!

Happy Hiking,
Shannon

I have done the loop twice going Onion Valley, Charlotte Lake, Gardiner Basin, 60 Lakes Basin, Rae Lakes, Glen Pass, and out. In 30+ years of backpacking the most dramatic camping spot I've found is by the outlet stream of the uppermost lake in Gardiner Basin. There are no level spots anywhere around the lake. The only level spots are the few small sandy spots that have silted in from the outlet stream runoff--maybe enough for 3 or 4 tents, no more. As the terrain drops off quite steeply to the west when you sit looking west with your back to the lake there is no foreground beyond the few twisted shrubs within the first 10'-15'. You feel like you are on the edge of the world. Best camping spot ever on a great loop!

Hi Leica69,

Welcome to HST! Any photo's or TR you would like to post, especially with the Leica name.

maverick wrote:...especially with the Leica name.

LOL@ Maverick

My thanks, too, especially for the camping-spot recommendation. If we do that trip this summer (one of two possibilities) we'll definitely try that campsite!

On which way around to do the loop, doing it clockwise lets you go up Sixty Lakes Col which seems to me to be easier than going down. On where to layover, I'd way Sixty Lakes Basin--less crowded than other parts of the loop. On pictures, I used to a lot but many dozens fell out of their carousel and wound up all mixed up on the floor. I had sequenced them carefully in the carousel so I knew which bit of trail or which lake I was looking at from recalling the trip. I failed to label any. When I picked them up off the floor and tried to re-sort them I gave up because I found that, for the most part, one trail looks like another, ditto lakes. So I tossed them. Nature photography was never my strong suit, anyway.

I'll be doing this route in the middle of August this year with my daughter starting at Kearsarge-> Charlotte -> Gardiner... We have 5/6 days to do this. Looks like a great route and thanks for the input from the prior posts.

dbogey,

Enjoy the hike - we had a blast with it! Just in case you didn't stumble across it, I also posted a trip report from the hike:

http://highsierratopix.com/community/vi ... =1&t=11703

Happy Hiking,
Shannon

I believe one needn´t be timid about hiking lower Charlotte Creek. I went down it with two rookies and they didn´t think it was too dificult at all. I went up and down it on a solo trip. I left roads end a little after 4PM and the next day I was fishing my favorite Gardner Basin lake at 3PM.
Also - I agree that Charlotte Lake is nothing special. I went there with Mike and Jim (6 and11yo) from Onion Valley.