Old TR: 2004 Minarets
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2024 7:47 pm
Devils Postpile to Silver Lake Peak Bagging Adventures
July 16-23, 2004 8 days, 43 miles
Hard to believe I did this trip 20 years ago. 2003-4 was a slightly less than normal snowpack year. This is one of the trips I worked on this winter, putting all my trips in a consistent format. I do not think I have posted this before. I have a vague memory of posting this but really tried to find it to no avail. Sorry if this is a reapeat.
Day1. 7/16/04: JMT at Devils Postpile to Minaret Lake
6.7 miles, about 5 hours, 2315 feet elevation gain, 140 feet loss
I parked my car at the Mammoth Lodge and took shuttles to the JMT trailhead in Devils Postpile. The trail to Minaret Lake was good; mosquitoes were bad! I hesitated to stop so made it to Minaret Lake by 1:30PM.
Day2. 7/17/04: Minaret Lake to Tarn below Mt Ritter
3.2 miles, about 4 hours, 1340 feet elevation gain, 1030 loss
Yesterday I met a couple with a baby who had come back from a Cecile Lake day hike. Obviously they did not use the class-3 “slot” cited in the guidebook! I took their easier route to Cecile Lake and hopped a lot of rocks to reach the outlet of the lake. The descent to Iceberg Lake was scary on steep hard snow. Not sure why I did not put on crampons, but used my ice axe the entire descent. The wildflowers at Iceberg Lake were at their peak. A good trail dropped to Ediza Lake, where I ascended on a faint use-trail to the small tarn below the SE Glacier route on Mt. Ritter. From this point on I was high enough to avoid mosquitoes and set up camp.
Day3. 7/18/04: Climb Mt Ritter
About 3 miles, 3120 feet elevation gain/loss
Come morning, I studied the route, got confused, and just followed my nose. A few class-3 stretches and much elevation gain I reached the edge of the glacier just in time for a huge rock to come sliding down ahead of me. No rest stops here! I picked one of the many variations up the chute to the summit plateau. Then it was a long slog to the top. After a rest on top, I headed down hugging the east side of the glacier. Rocks were shooting off the steep icy glacier as the sun melted the ice. I was back in camp by 3PM and took a quick refreshing bath and walked uphill a bit to photograph my route before it fell into shadows. Camp was becoming crowded! Another group wanted to discuss my route details. I went into the tent early for a bit of peace and quiet.
July 16-23, 2004 8 days, 43 miles
Hard to believe I did this trip 20 years ago. 2003-4 was a slightly less than normal snowpack year. This is one of the trips I worked on this winter, putting all my trips in a consistent format. I do not think I have posted this before. I have a vague memory of posting this but really tried to find it to no avail. Sorry if this is a reapeat.
Day1. 7/16/04: JMT at Devils Postpile to Minaret Lake
6.7 miles, about 5 hours, 2315 feet elevation gain, 140 feet loss
I parked my car at the Mammoth Lodge and took shuttles to the JMT trailhead in Devils Postpile. The trail to Minaret Lake was good; mosquitoes were bad! I hesitated to stop so made it to Minaret Lake by 1:30PM.
Day2. 7/17/04: Minaret Lake to Tarn below Mt Ritter
3.2 miles, about 4 hours, 1340 feet elevation gain, 1030 loss
Yesterday I met a couple with a baby who had come back from a Cecile Lake day hike. Obviously they did not use the class-3 “slot” cited in the guidebook! I took their easier route to Cecile Lake and hopped a lot of rocks to reach the outlet of the lake. The descent to Iceberg Lake was scary on steep hard snow. Not sure why I did not put on crampons, but used my ice axe the entire descent. The wildflowers at Iceberg Lake were at their peak. A good trail dropped to Ediza Lake, where I ascended on a faint use-trail to the small tarn below the SE Glacier route on Mt. Ritter. From this point on I was high enough to avoid mosquitoes and set up camp.
Day3. 7/18/04: Climb Mt Ritter
About 3 miles, 3120 feet elevation gain/loss
Come morning, I studied the route, got confused, and just followed my nose. A few class-3 stretches and much elevation gain I reached the edge of the glacier just in time for a huge rock to come sliding down ahead of me. No rest stops here! I picked one of the many variations up the chute to the summit plateau. Then it was a long slog to the top. After a rest on top, I headed down hugging the east side of the glacier. Rocks were shooting off the steep icy glacier as the sun melted the ice. I was back in camp by 3PM and took a quick refreshing bath and walked uphill a bit to photograph my route before it fell into shadows. Camp was becoming crowded! Another group wanted to discuss my route details. I went into the tent early for a bit of peace and quiet.