Our group consist 5 people and I am the only one with backpacking experience. Our initial plan was camping at Ediza Lake and Thousand Island Lake. But our group keep facing difficulty on the trail, we end up stop at Garnet Lake instead of Thousand Island Lake.
Day One:
River Trail -> Shadow Creek Trail -> Ediza Lake. The starting section has a lot of dust/sand. There was also a very steep section with little to no shade that was about 400 ft up vertically. Then you will reach Shadow Lake which is the first taste of High Sierra Lake for us, and it was indeed beautiful. Ediza Lake is absolutely stunning. The most beautiful view can only be seen in the entrance section of the trail with view of amazing rocky pointy mountain (minaret?). Too bad we can't camp there. Ofc I might be wrong since I was only on the bottom section of the lake.
Shadow Lake by Tianyu Yang, on Flickr
Ediza Lake by Tianyu Yang, on FlickrDay Two:
Ediza Lake -> JMT -> Garnet Lake Our initial goal is TIL. In my opinion the trail is pretty mild. But my group was exhausted from the first day trip. After consulting the map I realize if we want to reach TIL we would climb at least another steep 500 ft, so we decide to stay at Garnet Lake. I don't regret the decision at all, it is very beautiful. The best thing is we have a very nice view where we camp. I swam to one of the center island at 4 o'clock, and it was very cold. I am glad I visited Canada for studying which sort of give me some cold resistance.
Garnet Lake by Tianyu Yang, on Flickr
On Route to Garnet Lake by Tianyu Yang, on Flickr
Milky Way Picture at Garnet Lake by Tianyu Yang, on Flickr
Garnet Lake by Tianyu Yang, on FlickrDay Three:
Garnet Lake -> River Trail -> Agnew Meadow Campground. Last day of the trip. We missed the trail in the beginning so we went cross country a bit. So I can't comment on the trail condition. People in my group is extremely motivated to eat some nice dinner at Bay Area, we were almost running on the way out. The result: we finished our trip before 12 and at Bay area by 7. and nothing beat a hotpot filled with meat after this kind of journey.
Garnet Lake by Tianyu Yang, on Flickr
Ediza Lake / Garnet Lake by Tianyu Yang, on Flickr
HotPot Feast after Ediza/Garnet Lake Trip by Tianyu Yang, on FlickrIn conclusion, this trip is awesome and I really glad I did this before I leave California at end of this month. I would like the thank all you guys again for the help I received when I was planning this trip. One day I accidentally sent out a PM which asked a bunch of questions about this trip as a group message. out of my expectation, although knowing this message is not for them, many people actually replied with very useful informations while many others wished me good luck. This truly showed how awesome people on this forum is. Thanks!
