This trip plan had started with a plan to head up the PCT, turning off at Crabtree Lakes, and confirm my abilities (or lack thereof) on the north side of Crabtree Pass by doing it as a day hike. I even started an “advice” thread on it (thanks for the great info, cgundersen, wsp_scott, bobby49, and others … even if I didn’t get to use it).
Just before my start date, I wasn’t feeling great, causing me to cancel and re-book my trip a week later. Feeling some schedule pressure, I tried to save a day by driving that morning to the trailhead at Horseshoe Meadows and starting my hike right away. This didn’t turn out to be a great idea.
At the end of day 2, I had only reached the Guyot Creek crossing along the PCT. I was getting rained on, I was exhausted (out of shape; not acclimated) and grumpy. Luckily, a decent night’s sleep and better weather the next morning (Day 3) brightened my mood; I realized my plan was kind of dumb and I needed a new plan.
I decided on a return to Miter Basin; I had visited a tiny bit of it two years ago, but felt it needed more of my attention; if things went well, maybe I could go have a look at the pass from the south side. So I backtracked to the Rock Creek junction, took that trail along the creek, and made my way to Soldier Lake. Heading up the west shore, I took the use trail uphill - great view at the top !
Ridge-top View (after heading up the slope from Soldier Lake)I made my way to about the middle of the lower basin …
along Rock Creek in lower Miter Basin
afternoon view from my campsite … where I found a nice site to set up my tent for a couple of nights. MUCH better than my choices for the first two nights, even if it did happen to be entirely on a granite slab. The only sounds I heard from my tent were birds singing in the morning and my tent flapping in the wind at night.
my campsite for two nightsOn Day 4, I got a relatively early start, packing a few essentials (leaving camp set up) and headed off for Sky Blue Lake.
heading upstream toward the outlet of Sky Blue Lake
looking back down as I head up the slopeI had barely made it to SBL in 2019, leaving hardly any time to explore before needing to return to my more-distant base camp. This time, I had a bit of time to poke around the east side looking (not very successfully) for future tent sites and take a lot of photos, before heading to the inlet of the lake and proceeding beyond it.
Sky Blue Lake (view from the east shore)
looking back at Sky Blue Lake from above its inletThe use trail is easy to follow for a while, but eventually becomes intermittent; needing a bit more navigation effort. I found the route strenuous but very do-able for people (like me) having minimal cross-country experience, though I did have to backtrack/reroute my way at various points, to find an easier path.
easy travel just above SBL
not much of a trail in this sectionLots of interesting finds on the way ...
sun-bleached bonesAt this point, I realized that I was going too slow to make it to Crabtree Pass in one day (and still be able to make it back to camp), so figured I'd just go as far as I could and enjoy the day. Eventually, I got my first view of Lake 12,129; I got pretty close but still found myself about 60 feet above the surface, requiring a bit of looking around for an easy way down to the water so I could dip my hands in it. It is quite a beautiful lake, but I couldn’t see any bit of “beach” around it, and (feeling a bit vulnerable, being - seemingly - the only person in the region above SBL) I did not take a dip. But I did immensely enjoy just looking at it.
Lake 12,129’
Lake 12,129’
Lake 12,129’After I’d spent a nice break here, I realized it was about four hours since I’d started (due to lots of stops for photos, snacks, and camp scouting); I needed to allow time for the three mile return trip, so I started heading back.
heading back down toward Sky Blue LakeArriving back at Sky Blue Lake, I ran into Ranger Rob (he was fishing); he was here on his time off to meet his wife and some friends; we had a nice talk for a bit. He had been the Crabtree ranger for 20 years, and just switched to the Tyndall station. Letting him return to fishing, I continued on back down the basin to my camp site for the night. After getting water and eating dinner, I felt pretty good, though I had struggled to sleep due to the altitude; I contemplated hiking up to Iridescent Lake the next morning.
The next morning (Day 5), skies were cloudy and I got some sprinkles of rain. I saw the clouds start to look more threatening (but missed my wife’s InReach text that weather forecast had been revised from thunderstorms to clear and sunny); I packed up and headed down the basin toward the New Army Pass trail. An hour after I started, the skies were a beautiful, almost cloudless blue, but by then I had decided to take the win and just head out, considering the trouble my lack of conditioning had caused me. I headed over the pass, encountering a couple of trail runners who were doing the Cottonwood Pass / New Army Pass / Cottonwood Lakes loop in one day. Well, good for them !
Cruising down the main Cottonwood Lakes trail, I passed Lake #2 and noted a veritable convention (or family reunion or whatever) of 10 or so tents and I don’t know how many people bunched together on the rocky outcropping that’s just above the lake. Whether it was this - or just the fatigue I was experiencing - maybe both, but something just made me decide to walk all the way to the trailhead that day. About two miles before I got there, a ranger (of the “enforcement” variety) approached me and asked for my permit. All was in order, except she took exception to the fact that I was exiting at Cottonwood LAKES when my permit said Cottonwood PASS. I wanted to ask why bother me, when there is an entire convention to break up a couple more miles up the trail, but I kept that to myself and just mumbled that I’d try to exit at the correct trailhead next time. Sigh.
Just to add a "wildlife observation " report, I did see some nice stuff (especially the usual things like TONS of marmots, Clark's Nutcrackers, etc.); lots of places I heard grouse (but didn't see any, except for some babies), a few Rosy Finches (I think; I'm not a great birder), and various songbirds, but was skunked yet again on any Bighorn Sheep sightings. Having just left Lone Pine and driving south on the 395, I did see a curious thing; a large raptor, clearly laboring to gain altitude while carrying a large-ish snake it had just caught. Could have been a very large Redtail Hawk; you can call me crazy but I thought it looked suspiciously like a Golden Eagle. anyway, fun stuff !
