Quick overnighter trip to Minaret Lake, a spot I've been wanting to visit for so long.
Smoke: We could smell the slightest trace of smoke in the air, and the sunset Saturday night was actually quite incredible because of the smokey conditions. The light rays behind the mountain were enhanced and threw some nice color into the sky.
Mosquitoes: None
Trail Stats: We clocked in at 13 miles roundtrip with 2,586 feet total of elevation gain.
Starting at 7,562 ft, we headed south from the parking lot onto the JMT, crossed a bridge over the Middle Fork San Joaquin River, and then headed north through the trees. After 0.75 miles, we passed the North/South junction for the PCT. After heading left here, the trail steadily climbs up through the trees, gaining some slight elevation the entire time.
After rock hopping across Minaret Creek for the first time of the day, we reached our first lake of the day.. Johnston Lake (8,127')! The lake was quite marshy, but there were some nice spots in the shade to relax and watch the dragonflies flying low across the meadows.
- A particularly lush section of Minaret Creek
After lunch we steadily climbed another ~600 feet over another two miles before turning a bend and seeing an enormous waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain!
This entire time we hadn't had a single glimpse of the Minarets that we would be camping beneath. It wasn't until we turned a bend late in afternoon that we finally saw the tips of the jagged peaks in the distance above the nearby trees. After gaining a little more elevation, we finally saw the entire Ritter Range in all of its glory.
The final mile to Minaret Lake was the hardest and the steepest. Since we didn't get to acclimate by sleeping at elevation the night before, we were feeling the altitude and had to take a break every 15 minutes on the final climb to catch our breath. Finally we started seeing pools of water, and eventually we arrived on the shore of gorgeous Minaret Lake!
We found a nice, well-protected campsite on the southeast shore of the lake that still had views of the tops of the mountains. After pitching our tent, we headed down to the shore to pump some water and take an afternoon dip.
As the sun started to set, the light rays created by the shadows of the peaks became more and more pronounced. All day we could detect the faintest trace of smoke in the air from all the wildfires California has been battling, and as late afternoon rolled around, we could visibly see the haze settling into the basin, even up here at 9,800 ft.
That sunset ended up being one of the most memorable I've experienced in the backcountry. We watched the final light rays radiating up from behind the mountains glow from yellow to orange before the sky darkened and blue hour set in.
Although smokey conditions can be considered a drawback for many, there is a silver lining of having smoke in the air - sunsets are so much more unique and colorful.
We headed to bed early in normal backcountry fashion, and woke at dawn to catch the sunrise. Although we didn't get glassy lake conditions because of a slight wind in the air, we were treated to smoke-free, crystal clear skies. I scaled the ridge on the eastern shore to get a better vantage point of the multi-lobed lake and enjoyed some peaceful moments watching a fly fisherman steadily cast his line back and forth.
The hike back took us 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace - the perfect weekend excursion from the Bay Area. Can't wait to go back to explore more of the lakes and peaks in the area!
More photos and GPS route in my blog post here:
http://www.backcountrycow.com/blog/back ... ke-mammoth
