R03/R01 TR: Miter Basin August 11th through 18th 2018
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 6:40 am
I live on the East Coast (upstate South Carolina) so Sierra trips are a special treat to me. Years ago I was fortunate enough to get up into the Miter Basin and decided to revisit the area. A colleague from work had never been so he was all in. We arrived in Las Vegas, rented a car, ate lunch, bought gas canisters, a couple of gallons of water and left to drive through Death Valley in the late afternoon. High temperature observed was 119F. We arrived in Lone Pine late and instead of sleeping up in the Horseshoe Meadow decided to cowboy camp down at the Tuttle Creek Campground. That gave us the opportunity to get up early, buy breakfast and get our permit at the Inyo Forest Visitors Center south of town.
After driving up to the parking lot we left the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead about 11:00AM and got to Muir Lake mid-afternoon. Muir Lake is gorgeous. It’s also uncrowded. I hate to even say that for I fear it will get popular. Two guys were leaving when we got there and one nice lady from above LA camped with us the second night. If you’re reading this Jamie thanks again for sending out text messages through your In-reach. I don’t know if there are any trout in the lake as I didn’t see any rises but it looked like a great place to fish.
We left Muir on Tuesday mid-morning and were on top of New Army Pass by 1:30PM. My friend had a problem with altitude sickness (nausea but no headache) so we had to go slow. I didn’t have any problems.
From the pass we hiked to Soldier Lake. We arrived in the afternoon and found it crowded. After backtracking a tolerable tent site was found near the bear box. This was our basecamp for two nights.
On Wednesday we day hiked up into the basin. It was more rugged and spectacular than I remember. There were two parties camped, both up near the bench to Sky Blue Lake. Instead of that clear blue color the lake had taken on a cold and foreboding hue as the clouds had rolled in. It sprinkled and some pea sized hail came down for a short time. We beat a retreat home.
The next day we packed and headed towards Chicken Springs Lake on the Siberian Pass trail and then the PCT. I have to say that the PCT is a very well maintained walk and we made very good time. When we arrived around 1:00PM the question of the day was should we camp and eat out of a pouch or …? The sirens of pizza and cold brew were beckoning strongly. Since it was only a short distance to Cottonwood Pass and the trailhead parking lot we couldn’t resist. Lone Pine won out. The pizza was fine but the house brand IPA ……hmmmm? I’ve had better. Note that the best beer selection was at the gas station convenience store very near the Carl’s Jr. on the north side of town. We stayed at the Dow Villa and ate breakfast at the Alabama Hills Café. If you’re going to do breakfast, eat there. Huge hash browns. First rate and it’s a bakery too.
All-in-all a great hike. Weather conditions - highs maybe to the low 80s. I don’t think it ever got below 40 at night. Cumulus clouds came up around ten with mild showers and small hail after Noon most days. No smoke, nada, zero. No mosquitoes except a few at Soldier Lakes but didn't have to put on any repellant. Can’t wait ‘til next time.
After driving up to the parking lot we left the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead about 11:00AM and got to Muir Lake mid-afternoon. Muir Lake is gorgeous. It’s also uncrowded. I hate to even say that for I fear it will get popular. Two guys were leaving when we got there and one nice lady from above LA camped with us the second night. If you’re reading this Jamie thanks again for sending out text messages through your In-reach. I don’t know if there are any trout in the lake as I didn’t see any rises but it looked like a great place to fish.
We left Muir on Tuesday mid-morning and were on top of New Army Pass by 1:30PM. My friend had a problem with altitude sickness (nausea but no headache) so we had to go slow. I didn’t have any problems.
From the pass we hiked to Soldier Lake. We arrived in the afternoon and found it crowded. After backtracking a tolerable tent site was found near the bear box. This was our basecamp for two nights.
On Wednesday we day hiked up into the basin. It was more rugged and spectacular than I remember. There were two parties camped, both up near the bench to Sky Blue Lake. Instead of that clear blue color the lake had taken on a cold and foreboding hue as the clouds had rolled in. It sprinkled and some pea sized hail came down for a short time. We beat a retreat home.
The next day we packed and headed towards Chicken Springs Lake on the Siberian Pass trail and then the PCT. I have to say that the PCT is a very well maintained walk and we made very good time. When we arrived around 1:00PM the question of the day was should we camp and eat out of a pouch or …? The sirens of pizza and cold brew were beckoning strongly. Since it was only a short distance to Cottonwood Pass and the trailhead parking lot we couldn’t resist. Lone Pine won out. The pizza was fine but the house brand IPA ……hmmmm? I’ve had better. Note that the best beer selection was at the gas station convenience store very near the Carl’s Jr. on the north side of town. We stayed at the Dow Villa and ate breakfast at the Alabama Hills Café. If you’re going to do breakfast, eat there. Huge hash browns. First rate and it’s a bakery too.
All-in-all a great hike. Weather conditions - highs maybe to the low 80s. I don’t think it ever got below 40 at night. Cumulus clouds came up around ten with mild showers and small hail after Noon most days. No smoke, nada, zero. No mosquitoes except a few at Soldier Lakes but didn't have to put on any repellant. Can’t wait ‘til next time.