R03/R04/R01 TR: South Lake to North Lake to South Lake complete loop July 27-August 2, 2011

[maverick]

Hi KP

The route is not difficult from the JMT just stay away from the outlet stream on the way up and down because there are small cliffs and bush that can make thing slow going. Just head up towards the falls (outlet of Ladder in you pic), and yes you are correct, Ladder Lake is on the bench above the falls, and there is no lake under Ladder Lake.
You can either climb up the northern wall and come around to the northern side of Ladder Lake which was my route up, or climb up the narrow chute which will put you directly at the eastern shore of the lake which was the route that was take on my way back down.
The small lake just west of Ladder is very pretty, as is the route WD used from the north to get to Ladder, especially the narrow lake area.
The Citadel is well worth the climb, class 2, and has great views.
Also following WD's route back you can access Hester by climbing a rocky pass
which is quite easy to get to Hester.

[DoyleWDonehoo]

Thanks for the info Maverick. I especially liked this picture:
http://wildernessapertures.com/p1003266 ... #h2cd62b67" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I have always assumed the best camps would be to the left in the picture (with nice views down the canyon), but from my readings, the trees to the right (under the watermark) is where most people camp (peakbaggers).
In Phil Arnot's book "High Sierra" in the "Black Divide" chapter, he waxes rhapsodic about Ladder Lake and the little nearby lake, but his info is vague on routes except to say there used to be a horse trail from the JMT to Ladder Lake which is still visible in places and roughly follows WD's map route.

[kpeter]

Thanks, Maverick, stunning photos, all. I'm particularly fond of the black and white, but you have captured some of the deepest blue in the Ladder Lake shot that I've seen since I saw Royce Lakes on a sunny day! Thank you for sharing.

By the way, is there a preferred place to cross the Kings River when leaving the JMT before heading up to Ladder Lake?

[maverick]

Kpeter wrote:
Thanks, Maverick, stunning photos, all. I'm particularly fond of the black and
white, but you have captured some of the deepest blue in the Ladder Lake shot
that I've seen since I saw Royce Lakes on a sunny day! Thank you for sharing.

By the way, is there a preferred place to cross the Kings River when leaving the JMT
before heading up to Ladder Lake?

Thanks, and your welcome, happy to help.
No preference on crossing point, just be north of where Ladder Creek meets the Kings so to avoid the cliff/bush on the way up. There were several places were the water levels were quite low, and since I always carry water shoes, did not waste a lot of time trying to find a dry crossing. Water levels will be even lower this year so crossing will be a none issue.

[juscro]

That was a great TR. Thanks for taking the time.

Also checked out those amazing photos from Maverick on the wildernessaperture additional gallery pages. I felt my hair crackling looking at that matthes crest lighting shot