Cottonwood / Sabrina 6/3/17

[overheadx2]

Car camped by lone pine and did some dayhikes with some friends. Brutal heat this weekend (at least seventy + at sabrina) hiked around Sabrina on Friday. Not much snow around the lake, but full coverage as the trail crosses the far inlet creek on the south west side. To much work, so we attempted to head up to George lake. Same issue, not much snow down lower, but full coverage in the canyon leading up to George.
Hiked to Cottonwood lakes today. Very littl snow to the lakes, but at the lakes almost 50/50. Lowest lake was still mostly frozen. Above the lowest lake snow looked 100%.

[maverick]

Any pictures?

[Harlen]

Just returned from a trip up there myself. I went in Wed. the 31st, and had to leave my car behind the gate, about a half mile walk to the Cottonwood Lakes TH. I came out after a 5 day trip over New Army Pass - Miter Basin - Whitney - and out Cottonwood Pass, and found that all the THs were open. So it's wide open up there now and beautiful.

The road is fine, but they did a lot of work on it, and there is loose rock/boulders perched over the road. There was a sign that said "rock removal done at ---- I believe it said beginning in the early evening. Had to maneuver around a few rocks, and one live snake- a Great Basin gopher snake, P.c. deserticola. I placed it nicely off the road before a raven or a tire picked him off.

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On the road

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Off the road

[John Harper]

Thanks for saving the gopher snake, so many people are fearful of snakes, weird. Great report. You did all that in 5 days, wow!!! How was going over New Army Pass? Any photos of the Lakes basin? Headed up there for the GT opener at the Cottonwoods on July 1. We'll be camping at the the SF Lakes, hopefully some more water opens up. I have not snow camped, nor snowshoe travelled, so props to you!

John

[Harlen]

Hi John,

I do have some summer photos of the Cottonwood Lakes, I'll try to find them.

Snakes are brilliant creatures, aren't they? I must say though, when I traveled with my young boys in Australia, where some species are really deadly, I became, if not ****-scared, then at least very wary.

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My boys were happy to handle snakes from an early age. They were very kind to them too. Nathan is holding first a garter snake, of which there are very many in the lowest of the Rae Lakes, and in the second photo, a Mt. King Snake we found in Paradise Valley/Woods Creek. Some studies seem to show that many animals (monkeys for example) exhibit an elemental fear of snakes, but we, of all primates, can surely rise above the irrational fear of every snake, harmless or otherwise.

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Cottonwood Lakes in summer