Day 3: Royce Lakes to Merriam Lake-
Initially the plan was to try and hike to Seven Gables/Vee Lake on Day 3. The plan was derailed by the beautiful, sandy, and solitary Merriam Lake. We followed the chain of Royce Lakes south, then headed down into French Canyon where a bald eagle watched us from his airy flight. Nothing particularly difficult, although it looks like it could get quite steep if you wait too long to desend into the canyon. There is an obvious use trail that breaks off of the French Canyon trail and heads towards Merriam. A nice climb, then a wide gentle valley, followed by a short scramble of to Merriam Lake led us to the east shore. A nice sloping granite bench invited a lot of sitting, and some swimming. Incredible sandy shoreline. It was approx 230 when we decided that we should either get moving again or stay for the night. In an example of backcountry diplomacy, we agreed that continuing up and over to Seven Gables Lakes didn't sound very enjoyable so we opted to stay for the night. This day had everything that makes the Sierra special... granite cliffs, clear water, and not another person in sight. Merriam treated us to a great sunset and sunrise.
- Shores of Merriam
- Merriam and Whitebark pines
Day 4: Merriam Lake to Granite Park-
Because we had already deviated from our planned itinerary, and we wanted to make it to Granite Park on Day 4, we decided to cut out the part of the trip to Vee Lake and instead headed up towards LaSalle Lake, with the intent to drop into Bear Lakes Basin and either head towards Italy Pass, or possibly go over the pass between Black Bear Lake and Granite Park. LaSalle Lake was beautiful, as clear and bright blue/green as a lake can be, with huge granite slabs resting just under the water. Or maybe they were way under the water but because of the clarity, they appeared to be near the surface. The scrambling wasn't bad and we aimed for the 2nd pass south of Feather Peak. We skirted the cliffs above Den Lake(there were a couple of hairy spots) and then an easy descent dropped us off in the small valley containing Bearpaw Lake. The effects of water and snow were evident here with huge areas of sandy deposits spread liberally about. After consulting our map and GPS, the mountain goat of the group(everyone seems to have one) suggested we just go up and over a small chute to Black Bear Lake. We agreed it was a decent idea, although it looked quite steep and away we went. It was an interesting choice, especially near the top when the soil was very sandy and difficult to get good traction. 4 point scrambling was needed to finish out the last 150 feet of climbing but we arrived unscathed. We may have been spurred to victory by the unusually lar ge crickets(?) that were hopping around our feet. A moderate sandy slog then took us to the top of Granite Bear Pass(please correct me if my naming is incorrect). The pass had a nice snow field but we were able to skirt it on the north side and hop down the large talus chunks. In retrospect, moving another 30-40 feet to the North would have made the descent easier because it was more sandy/small rocks instead of boulders. Next time. We set up camp near a small meadow/lake and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The chill arrived early due to the wind and high elevation and we were safely packed away soon after dusk.
- LaSalle Lake
- Feather Pass and the one we crossed to its left.
- View of the "chute" from bottom
- Seven Gables from a distance. Top of the "chute"
- Granite Park Afternoon
Day 5: Granite Park to Pine Creek TH-
Uneventful trip back to the TH, but it it worth noting that the terrain in and around Granite Park is stunning. Feather Peak is visible much of the time and some of the other jagged peaks frame all of the little lakes in tremendous fashion. It looks like a place that one could spend several days getting aquainted with.
- A Remnant of Time
All in all, a great trip. 31 lbs, including 8 lbs of SLR/Tripod/Lens/Batteries. I'm getting better at this lightweight stuff but need to shave my tripod weight...it's a tough call between rigidity and weight. As is normal, I overestimated my food needs by about 3 meals. Thanks for reading.
For the photo people -- Canon 5D, 17-40L, Olumpus OMD-10, Tripod with RRS ballhead.
Mark
