John Muir Wilderness
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Blue Lake John Muir Wilderness |
July 22, 2015
The trek over at Chocolate Lakes two days ago will be a tough act to follow. The weather reports are somewhat encouraging, but of course one cannot rely heavily upon those.
Starting out with Gary and Sharon
My companions live just a ten-minute drive from this trailhead, so it hardly is new to them. It's a first for me, though.
This is my tenth venture into the nation's busiest wilderness area
Lake Sabrina isn't nearly as depleted as nearby South Lake
Wild Rose
Sierra Columbine
Tall Angelica
Fireweed
Trekking alongside the reservoir
Later in the season, this would be considered a
"slog"; today, it's a non-stop garden
Judging from some of these photos, pretty much all that might be seen are trees and brush. One has to be on the actual path, I suppose, to appreciate the trailside floral displays.
Beaked Penstemon
Silver Lupine
White Phacelia
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush
There's a noisy cascade over there
North Fork Bishop Creek
As we approach a stream, a woman is sitting on a boulder reading a book. She is waiting for a companion that we passed about ten minutes ago.
Enjoying the sun by the babbling brook
Common Monkeyflower
Aged Fireweed
Now the climbing start for real, up the switchbacks
Lake Sabrina, looking northward
The book-reader's slow companion still is way back there
At the rate she's going, she might never reach her partner at the creek.
Dike
Stonewall Rim-lichen
We have climbed high enough now for some other views to appear:
The Piute Crags are quite photogenic
Across Owens Valley, the White Mountains are completely
cloud-covered. I am scheduled to climb the highest peak over
there soon, as training for a friend planning an assault of Mount Kilimanjaro.
I hope that the weather is better over there in early September.
Ahead of Gary is a long cobblestone staircase. This is such a
well-built trail that I suspect we'll see a lot more of this type of thing.
Stairway to Paradise
Sharon awaits us at a predictably scenic spot
That Bishop Creek cascade looks better from this angle
Gary says that we just need to get "up to those trees", so off we go
The clouds are building
That guy doesn't even have a name
The dikes are pink now
More stairs
That sounds like a good plan
There actually is a well-constructed route through
this maze of boulders and columbines
Dealing with switchbacks is something of a love-hate relationship.
Trudging back and forth through deep forest can become quite tedious;
but when the scenery is constantly changing, it isn't so bad.
In any case, neither we hikers nor the mule trains could survive without those
gradient-mitigating constructs; for the going would be prohibitively steep.
More columbines
More crags
More dikes
More cobblestones
Even the ordinary rocks are extraordinary around here
Do I see water ahead? Yes!
Approaching Blue Lake
At first, all the nearby water is green:
My favorite place on today's trail
Sharon has found a lunch spot across the creek, so Gary and I head over there.
Some of the logs move, and that's not good
Behind those tall peaks are Kings Canyon National Park and the best of the John Muir Trail.
This panhandler is not shy
After our snack, the three of us decide to press on upstream to Donkey Lake and let the weather do what it may. The trail parallels the shoreline of Blue Lake, which finally is living up to its name.
In the rear center is Mount Thompson, 13494', a popular
climbers' destination
Pioneer Sierra explorer Norman Clyde is well-known to have toted
cast-iron pots and pans in his pack, as well as an anvil for
repairing boots. Clyde is reputed to have climbed Mount Thompson
about twenty times. I wonder whether he carried all that stuff up there.
Nice lawn chairs at the campsite
Helpful instruction
Lodgepole Pine
Another no-name edifice
This unnamed creek is providing a lot of visual treats
Labrador Tea
Whitebark Pine
We reach a point where water is rushing all over the place.
It is time for exploration — and more photographs.
We stop at the brink of a waterfall above a lovely section of creek; this is Gary's favorite spot of the day. Sharon also has not seen it previously, and she has been up the nearby trail many times over the decades.
This photo does not do justice to this place
Attaching a camera to the top of my walking stick enables a group selfie:
The motley crew
Heading out
An overlook of Donkey Lake is nearby, so we amble over there.
A portion of Donkey Lake is barely visible
I would like to scramble down to a better viewpoint; but the weather is really threatening now. It seems prudent to start back without further delay.
The clouds are moving in
This guy is unconcerned about the weather
Surely enough, within a few minutes a hailstorm hits us, accompanied by a couple of loud thunderclaps. I am ready, though, with the great new raincoat that Gary gave me two days ago.
There will be many more puddles as well
Doubtless being caught in such a downpour is routine to my companions; but it is relatively new to me. Up in the northern Sierra, a storm rarely materializes in midsummer. It is not unpleasant, though; in fact, the water feels good as I run my fingers through my hair.
Quite a ways to go yet
The storm does seriously hamper my photographic efforts, however.
I did not bring my waterproof camera today, and the one I do have
needs to remain in a dry jacket pocket most of the time. Whenever the
rain lets up a little bit, though, I sneak the camera out for a photo or two.
I like this one
The only boat on the lake today
When the sun comes out briefly, Gary opts to doff his rain gear, because
it is rather warm inside our jackets. Within a hundred feet of walking,
however, the deluge recommences, forcing Gary to scurry back into his
protective clothing while uttering something self-deprecating.
The weather isn't getting any better
The remainder of the walk, albeit just a stroll overlooking the reservoir, is delightful. Every foot of the path is lined with damp flowers, and the dappled sunlight and the smell of wet sage serve as reminders of why I so dearly love the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.
Phlox garden
Shooting Star
Waiting for the slowpoke
I note with interest that despite the mud and all those potentially slippery cobblestones, I did not slip or slide a single time. My boots took good care of me.
Small-leaf Creambush
Crevice Alumroot
Our trek is ending none too soon
§: This relatively grueling outing wore me out.
Today's scenery was outstanding, of course, and the company was
great. We were somewhat lucky, too; for had we left the cabin any
later, much of the good stuff we did today would not have been possible.
I am most anxious to explore some of the other Sabrina Basin trails, but I
hope that it doesn't rain on those walks. Although my friends took today's
downpour in stride, I'll always be a fair-weather hiker at heart.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Flowers |  |
| Personality | |
| Solitude | |
