First on the docket: an overnight backpack to Stanford Lake.
Monday, August 26, 2024
I parked along the side of the road near the Lower Pine Grove Campground, and headed up the steep but short trail to connect with the main trail that leads to the Hilton Lakes. I had never been on this trail before, and as I trudged up the very sandy path, kicking up dust with each step thanks to the horse packers that frequently ply their trade here, I thought to myself that I hadn't been missing much.
As I climbed higher though the scenery started to improve, and I managed to find enough room to walk alongside the actual trail to avoid much of the sand. Eventually I was greeted with views over Hilton Lake #2 and Davis Lakes.
From here I turned left off the trail and headed directly to Hilton Lake #3. A quick talus scramble later and I was walking around the northern shore. Fish jumped frequently, making rises across the lake, but I didn't stop to fish and instead headed higher up into the drainage.
Continuing on, I arrived at Hilton Lake #4 (10353) and passed a group that had been packed in via horse, fishing near the outlet. As I walked along the lake shore I could see many small brookies flitting in and out near the surface. Upon reaching the west end of the lake, I continued west and found a use trail on the east side of the inlet creek entering the lake from the northeast. The use trail climbed efficiently, affording me quick passage through a brushy stretch of the slope and excellent views back out over Hilton Lake #4.
I lost the use trail in some sections, but the route forward was clear -- keep following the stream up. At one point I had to make a few class 3 moves to climb a steep rock wall. Thick brush on both sides made this path seem slightly more appealing.
Higher up, the terrain leveled out and I was treated to an easy stroll through a peaceful alpine valley.
Finally after climbing nearly a thousand feet, the pass ahead of me became visible. I was now above the treeline, so a jumble of talus stretched before me but most of it was low angle so it didn't slow my forward progress much.
Making the final approach to the pass:
Upon cresting the pass, I descended another jumble of talus on the other side before finding a boulder-free sandy path to step down. Soon I had a view of my destination for the day: lonely Stanford Lake.
It only took me 13 minutes to descend from the pass to the southern end of Stanford Lake. I hadn't seen any fishing reports from this lake, but I had heard rumors of goldens so I wanted to find out for myself.
I set up camp, stashed a Firestone Walker Mind Haze Imperial IPA in the lake nearby, then got down to business fishing for the rest of the day.
I stopped fishing in the late afternoon, retrieved my beer, and enjoyed the High Sierra happy hour before eating dinner: a carne asada burrito from Salsa's Tacqueria in Bishop.
Tuesday, August 27, 2024
The next morning I slept in until the sun warmed my tent, then fished for a few hours. The lake surface was calm -- much better fishing conditions than most of my previous trip.
I made a quick detour to check out a possible alternate route to access Stanford Lake -- the lip of the drainage to the north. Would it be passable? It looked pretty steep. Probably doable, but the route I took in seemed much easier.
Later that morning I packed up camp, then headed out the way I had come in the day before.
The descent down the canyon was predictably much faster than the previous day's ascent -- in less than an hour after reaching the pass, I had arrived at the western shore of Hilton Lake #4 (10353). Dozens of brookies cruised along the edge of the wide, shallow inlet shelf, rising freely. It was a great opportunity to practice my longer range casting and accuracy as I targeted individual rises. Whenever I could get a hopper close enough, it was gobbled up by a willing fish.
There were several groups fishing at Hilton Lake #4 and although everyone I encountered was friendly, it was starting to feel crowded in stark contrast to Stanford Lake the day before. So after chatting with a few of the fishermen, I made the quick scramble up to Hilton Lake #5. There I found no people but more eager brookies.
I finished my survey by dropping down to Hilton Lake #3, where I found more selective rainbows that were larger than the brookies. I hooked a handful but most came off. The only photo evidence I have is this blurry shot of a feisty rainbow.
And a clear shot of Hilton Lake #3:
After fishing Hilton Lake #3 for a bit, I retraced my steps back to my car. The trail was just as sandy as it had been earlier, but going in the downhill direction made it feel more more pleasant.
I drove into Mammoth to grab dinner (Carl's Jr.), then doubled back up Hwy 395 to park my rental car at a site along McGee Creek and sleep there for the night. The next morning I planned to head up to Golden Lake to spend a few days there.
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
I figured I didn't need to get an early start on my next trip, but I was up early (I'm not one of those people who sleeps well in a car) so I returned to Mammoth to get coffee and use the internet at Starbucks for a few hours. Properly re-caffeinated, I drove back down Hwy 395 and again headed up Rock Creek Road, this time parking in the Little Lakes Valley trailhead parking lot. As a testament to how popular this trailhead is, the parking lot was already almost full at 10am on a Wednesday morning. I re-packed my backpack, adding another couple of beers and 3 days worth of food including some frontcountry treats from Mammoth (macaroni salad and chicken strips), and headed off toward Mono Pass. The views over Little Lakes Valley along the way never fail to impress.
Majestic Ruby Lake:
I'd never been over Mono Pass, but it turns out that it's mostly underwhelming -- simply a portal to access the High Sierra beyond.
However, the view of Golden Lake on the other side of the pass is worth the hike:
I headed down to Golden Lake, following the inlet creek down. Once I was closer to the lake I realized there was a distinct use trail off to the west. Oh well. The terrain was straightforward even without a trail, and soon I was at the pretty beach at the inlet.
I saw some fish rising off the near shore, so I dropped my gear at a good campsite on the low ridge just to the southeast of the inlet and began fishing. I fished for a few hours, then returned to camp where I set up my tent and filtered water and wolfed down some snacks. Camp chores done, I returned to fishing for the rest of the afternoon.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Thursday was a layover day. I fished, explored, circumnavigated the lake, relaxed, and fished some more. Some photos here:
Friday, August 30, 2024
I packed up camp in the morning and fished a bit more before heading up to Half Moon Pass.
The climb up was steep but very short. I timed myself, found a use trail and followed it up, and the ascent ended up only taking 21 minutes from the lake shore to the pass.
Soon after passing over the top, I ran across a quartet of backpackers heading up the east side. The descent on this side was quick, and soon I was on the use trail winding my way down toward the pack station corrals.
It only took me 1 hour and 7 minutes to reach the road from Golden Lake, and then another 20 minutes of walking on the road took me back to the parking lot.
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In addition to the aforementioned brookies and rainbows, I ran into a good handful of goldens of various sizes on this trip. All were robust and hard fighters, even the smaller ones.
They hit a few lures, but mostly they were on the pickier side and would only fall for a select few hopper/dropper rigs. Especially the bigger ones:
