John Muir Wilderness
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Big Pine Lakes John Muir Wilderness |
July 18, 2017
As is the case with many Eastern-Sierra destinations, this hike has been
high on my bucket list for many years; so I am excited. A winding road
leading west from Big Pine up into the mountains terminates at the
Day-Use parking lot. Backpackers must begin their treks about
half a mile farther from the trails.
Getting started
The nearby Glacier Lodge is open, I guess, with a few cabins available for rental. Over the years it burned down three times, the last being in 1998. That old lodge has a lot of history attached to it, having been popular with a number of movie stars such as John Wayne and Rita Hayworth.
The two major forks of Big Pine Creek converge right here. My companions Gary and Sharon, who live nearby, have been up here previously. The plan is to explore the North Fork today, which drains an area that hosts a dozen lakes of various shapes and sizes.
The North Fork is booming in this high-water season
Gary's camera is busy, as usual
After climbing some four hundred vertical feet of switchbacks beside First Falls, which is quite difficult to photograph, the three of us embark upon a lengthy traverse up the side of a canyon.
Buckwheat flowers line the trail
Our near-term objective is another waterfall at the top of the canyon. Its presence makes this slog more enjoyable than would otherwise have been the case.
Heading for Second Falls
Getting closer
The route is becoming more interesting
Approaching the top of Second Falls
A fun place to be
Leopard Lily
Golden Chinquapin
Those flower shots are not particularly good photos.
For reasons too silly to explain, I have left my normal hiking
camera — the one that excels at close-ups of
flowers — at the cabin. I have two other units
with me, however; and as an experiment, I have decided to use
#1 on the first half of the hike, then switch to #2
and compare the results later.
Looking north
Having reached an area known as Cienega Mirth Flats, Sharon
and Gary veer left from the trail over to a famous landmark
that I had been anticipating. This old cabin was built
by the famous silent-film star Lon Chaney in 1929-30,
who claimed that camping here was much more enjoyable than
working in horror movies (see Addendum).
Lon Chaney's cabin is permanently closed to the public
I would like to remain here for a while; but the mosquitoes are driving us nuts, so we press on.
Heading for the 'good stuff'
The Creek is messy in places
Beaked Penstemon
Gary is stopped ahead at a muddy section of trail, where dozens of butterflies have congregated. My initial identification as California Sister proves incorrect, for I have not logged this species previously:
Lorquin's Admiral
What a treat
A nifty crossing
We're headed for the numbered ones
A short distance from the junction is the first lake on today's route, which fact explains its name:
First Lake
A great campsite
Of course, the included fire pit no longer can be used. Open flames in the Sierra have been more or less outlawed outside of monitored campgrounds, due to the increasing occurrence of forest fires.
The mountain beckons
Just ahead is one of the finest scenes in my hiking experience. Oh, my!
Second Lake and Temple Crag, 12982'
This being our planned destination, it is time for lunch
as well as a switch to Camera #2. As the three
of us are resting, my new-and-improved, cataract-free
eye spots something moving in the snow on the far side of the lake.
A lone hiker is on a mission
Now he is headed steeply upward
Close-ups of Temple Crag and the Inconsolable Range
Climbing ever higher (center of photo) ⇔
The lake's inlet
A wispy little cloud is covering the moon directly above us:
I wonder what a 30× zoom can do with it.
Not bad for a hand-held daylight shot
Attaching the camera to the top of my walking stick enables a group photo:
Gary, Sharon and Ted at Second Lake
Gary observes that I might have done better with a fill-flash,
and he's right. I'll try that later.
Second Lake reprise
It is suggested that we continue up the trail. Completing the entire loop would be more mileage than we would care to incur today; but according to Gary, Third Lake is only ten minutes away. That sounds good to me.
This leg actually takes about 30 minutes
The extra walk proves well-worth the effort:
Third Lake, and a different face of Temple Crag
Lakeside attractions
A second group shot, using a flash this time, works out nicely
The camera cut off the top of the mountain, though; it seems to need more training.
Two camps are set up nearby
Starting back, we run into a local packer doing his thing.
Someone will eat well tonight
Back at Second Lake
This is why I go hiking
We've four miles more to walk. Gary, who is feeling stronger these days after having taken off some weight, decides to try to keep up with Sharon, which is easier said than done.
Moving right along
Woods' Rose
Some Rein Orchids are in there
Because stopping to shoot flowers takes time, I fall behind frequently. Walking this fast is not that much fun for me, but I struggle to keep up.
Looking back
These lilies are much nicer
Paintbrush
Sharon suggest an "apple break" atop a big boulder, so we do that.
Apple Rock
Aspen thicket
Back beside the North Fork, just above Second Falls
Sharon says that that far trail is boring
That long slog along the hillside remains. This time, it is less interesting, because the pretty waterfall is at our backs.
It's all behind us now
Some people prefer to deface the landscape
Looking south toward the Palisade Crest
We manage to finish the hike in seven hours.
Back at First Falls
§: Well, what more need be said? Day-hiking in the
Eastern Sierra doesn't get much better than this. Completing the
lollipop loop would have entailed less than two miles of additional walking;
but I am happy with what we did.
I also am going to send Camera #1, a Panasonic TZ70,
off to my brother. Albeit highly rated and quite popular,
it just doesn't fit my style. Camera #2, a diminutive
Sony HX80, will remain my hiking backup unit.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Solitude |  |
ADDENDUM
Read more about Lon Chaney's cabin here:
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jun/07/local/me-outthere7
