It’s been awhile since I have posted on this blog but rest assured I have been busy with adventures virtually every weekend. This post provides an update on a project I started in 2018 to catalog the glacial lakes of the High Sierra (see here for more details on the project and why I started it). These lakes have wonderful colors that are modulated by the type and volume of silt contained in the runoff from the last vestiges of glacial ice in the Sierra Nevada. The lakes are almost exclusively  at very high elevations either near or above the tree line.  These elevations realized a much above average snowpack last winter which produced a very late thaw. In fact, some of the lakes only melted in mid August before refreezing in late September! Despite the short window to see these lakes in their full colorful glory, the project went into high gear this season as it became a focus for this summer’s adventures. All told, I visited over a couple dozen new (to me) colorful lakes over a two month span.

With over a decade of adventures and exploration in the High Sierra, I thought I new the range very well but this project has spurred me to visit new places that I otherwise would not have thought to visit. I have learned that there are many stunning spots that are not “on the way” to a peak, pass or trail and consequently get overlooked. It has been a real treat to visit these gems that are not only off the beaten path, but off any path or route. I greatly appreciate a pristine, unspoiled setting with no evidence of human impacts, whether it be usetrails, campsites or fire rings.  Due to the extremely sensitive habitat in which some of these lakes reside I have deliberately chosen to not reveal any locations. I am also a believer that the sense of adventure should be preserved for the next visitor. While there are wonderful colorful lakes that are trail accessible and popular, it’s the sense of adventure to reach the hidden gems that affords another layer of satisfaction. As always, leave no trace and respect these beautiful places!

It should be noted that not all of these lakes receive their color from glaciation in a sense that most would imagine.  I have chosen to include colorful lakes in the project even if there is no evidence of present glaciation on the surface. When no glacier is visible the most common process to deposit unique minerals into the lakes involves “rock glaciers” which are not true glaciers.  Rock glaciers have little or no ice visible on the surface and don’t look like a glacier at all when viewed from above. Instead, they consist of a mass of ice either covered by rock debris or ice between the rocks. In either case, most of the ice is found well beneath the surface talus and is consequently sheltered from the sun’s warm rays. Similar to normal glaciers, gravity causes the mass of rock and ice to move downhill, but unlike glaciers the movement is often VERY slow often amounting to only a few centimeters per year.  During the summer when ice underneath or between the rocks melts it percolates through the rock debris picking up silt which flows into the lakes producing lovely color.

I also found further evidence that many of the colorful lakes produce a more vivid color in dry years when sources of clear snowmelt have completely melted and the only remaining water sources comes from remanent ice patches, either at the surface or underneath rock glaciers.  However, when the ice source completely melts away than there is no further input of silty water into the lakes and the color is lost as the suspended mineral particles eventually settle on the floor of the lake. In other words a heavy snowpack may not be ideal for viewing color on the following summer, but is ultimately needed long term to maintain the ice. This is unfortunately a transition that I expect to become more common in a warming climate where the remnant patches of ice can no longer be sustained.  There remains a few lakes left for next year which I look forward to visiting.  After that it’s on to the next project! Until then, here are photos of many of the lakes visited last summer.

Kaiser Peak is the 10,310 ft high point of a 10 mile long ridge that extends west from Kaiser Pass. The ridge is unusually alpine for being so far west of the Sierra Crest and several small glacier-carved lakes are nestled on the north side of the ridge. Much of this area is located within the 21,986 ft Kaiser Wilderness, an island of wilderness separated from the contiguous wilderness that straddles the Sierra Crest. As the ridge is far removed from the crest, the summit provides a stellar and broad view of the central and southern Sierra region including the Clark Range, Ritter Range, Silver Divide, Mono Divide, Evolution region and south to the Great Western Divide.  The peak is located above the Huntington Lake Reservoir, which is road accessible year to provide access to China Peak ski resort and several snow parks that are popular with snowmobilers. Fortunately, the wilderness is closed to motorized vehicles. During the summer the Kaiser Peak Loop Trail is fairly popular and provides straightforward trail access from the Deer Creek Trailhead to the summit.  Of course, during the summer one is also more likely to continue driving past Huntington Lake and Kaiser Pass to the excellent mountain terrain accessible from Florence Lake or Lake Edison. Since Kaiser Peak is accessible in the winter it makes for an excellent backcountry snowshoe objective when mountains farther east are not easily accessible. When covered in snow, this becomes a true off-trail adventure as there are no blazes on the trees to guide direction. It’s best to use a GPS device or app for navigation when it’s snow covered. The following describes the shortest route to the summit via the Huntington Lake sno-park. Full photo album here.

While the Deer Creek Trailhead and packstation is the typical starting spot in the summer, the access road is not plowed and is likely covered in steep snow and ice making the Huntington Lake sno-park at 6,900 ft the logical and safer starting point. This adds about a half mile each way. Once on the Kaiser Peak loop trail the direction of the path through the forest is fairly obvious (even when covered in several feet of snow) as it makes an ascending traverse and then follows the west side of Deer Creek up to the junction with the Potter Creek Trail. After this junction lies of the crux of the route when snow covered. The trail makes a series of switchbacks here and it’s carved into the steep hillside, but when covered in snow the trail virtually disappears. Thus, it’s best to take a more direct line and intersect the switchbacks.  The result is a fairly steep snow climb for several hundred feet. Depending on snow conditions and comfort level ice axe and crampons may be advisable on this section if the snow has consolidated.

Beneath College Rock at about 8,400 feet the slope angle eases. Traverse west and then ascend to the west side of College Rock. From here the route generally follows the trail even though it may be covered in several feet of snow. Continue ascending above College Rock and then enter a beautiful flat meadowy area on the upper part of Bear Creek. Prior to this point the forest was mainly red fir, but here it transitions to whitebark pine with some mountain hemlock.  Follow the Bear Creek drainage up to its headwaters and ascend to a high pass that separates the Bear Creek and East Fork Line Creek drainages. From this pass traverse to another slightly lower pass on Kaiser Ridge proper. From this pass, the route generally follows the ridge up to the summit of Kaiser Peak. Tremendous views open up with each ascending step. The last section of the ridge may have a towering cornice above the avalanche-prone north slopes. The summit itself is fairly broad with excellent views in every direction and include everything the Clark Range, Ritter Range, Silver Divide, Mono Divide, Evolution Region and Le Conte Divide. Continue past the Kaiser Peak summit to the west to Point 10,065 ft where a marvelous vista of the north slopes of Kaiser Peak is found. An alternative route to Kaiser Peak in the snow utilizes Kaiser Ridge from Potter Pass. Perhaps this will be an interesting route to try next time.

Some of the most interesting and colorful geology in the Sierra lies in a region centered in the Convict Creek and McGee Creek watersheds.  The mountains here are composed of brilliant red, white and gray rocks, a stark contrast to the familiar granite that composes most of the Sierra.  Instead of the solid nature of Sierra granite, the rocks here are generally loose so the mountains in this region have earned a reputation for tedious choss. However, it is my opinion that the fascinating geology and incredible scenery of this region more than makes up for the inconveniences.  The tallest mountain in the region is Red Slate Mountain which can be accessed by a relatively easy class 2 talus climb from McGee Pass and is therefore far and away the most popular mountain in the region. I have ascended Red Slate Mountain several times, always passing by Red and White Mountain along the way, and making a point to someday climb the peak.  I finally got around to this ascent last autumn intentionally timed in connection with the stellar fall color in the lower portion of McGee Creek canyon.  My next post will feature fall color photography from lower McGee Creek Canyon. Full photo album here.  Route on Strava here.

Red & White Mountain leaves an impression from all directions. The mountain towers above beautiful Big McGee Lake and the surrounding meadows beckoning for a closer look. In addition, the north face of Red and White Mountain is a centerpiece of the view south from Red Slate Mountain.  One of the most dramatic beautiful views along the Sierra High Route is Red & White Mountain above the meadows of Laurel Creek. Unlike Red Slate Mountain which is mostly red, Red & White Mountain has district white striations across its red face along with gray rock on the top few hundred feet of its summit.   The ascent of Red & White Mountain is more involved than Red Slate with some class 3 climbing by any route.

The two primary routes to climb Red & White Mountain are the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Face.  This post will describe the Southeast Face route, which is the most direct and fastest route but the trade-off is that it has more objective hazard in the form of loose rock.  Thus, I would recommend the southeast face for smaller parties that are adept at recognizing rock hazards, particularly with respect to members of the party below. The northeast ridge route is longer, but does not have as much loose, steep rock. Both routes converge below the final scramble to the summit.

For the southeast face, take the McGee Creek Trail to Big McGee Lake. This is a wonderful trail that starts in an environment of high desert scrub and transitions to an alpine forest of whitebark pine.  In the lower elevations are expansive groves of aspen and black cottonwood that become one of the best fall color displays in the eastern Sierra in early October.  In the mile preceding Big McGee Lake the trail meanders through lovely grassy meadows with the objective, Red & White Mountain, overhead.

At Big McGee Lake continue along the trail for a short distance with great vistas of the lake. At a flat meadow on a bench above Big McGee Lake look for a use path that departs on the left.  Take this use trail down lovely alp meadows to a small lake. In this area the use paths braid and become faint in spots, but the general idea is to head south on easy terrain aiming for a distinct drainage that heads up toward Hopkins Pass. At the base of this drainage at ~10,600 feet the use path (which was once an old trail to Hopkins Pass) becomes more defined as it begins to switchback up the slope. The trail always stays on the climber’s right side of the stream and avoids the talus fields providing quick access to small tarn at 11,100 feet at the base of Hopkins Pass and Red & White Mountain’s southeast face.

At this small tarn, the route to Red & White Mountain diverges. Climb up a small rock slope to grassy meadows and clumps of stunted Whitebark Pines. Travel diagonally to the highest point of the grass and trees and then turn up slope and climb a talus fan to the base of the southeast face and a prominent gully. Climb in the gully or near it to ascend through the lower cliff band. As one ascends options open up but it is generally best to climb the ribs alongside the gully. The gully itself is steep and very loose (and often holds snow late in the season) and while technically easier, it is certainly more tedious and hazardous than climbing the class 3 rocks alongside the gully.  To be sure, the ribs alongside the gully still have plenty of loose rocks so proceed with caution.  Near the top of the ridge, which is the Sierra Crest, the gully becomes less pronounced and the entire slope becomes loose and steep.  The good news is this is a fairly short slog. At the crest, the final push to the summit is visible as the rock transitions to gray. Stay to the left of the northeast ridge and ascend some fun class 3 rocks up the final 300 feet to the summit.

The view from Red & White is outstanding owing to its prominence and central location.  To the south are the peaks of the Mono Divide and Bear Creek Spire with Grinnell Lake and Upper Hopkins Lake below. To the west is the Silver Divide and the many lakes of the Fish Creek watershed. To the north Mount Ritter and Banner Peak are prominent along with the high peaks of Yosemite.  To the northeast is a spectacular palette of colors taking in the amazing display of geology from Red Slate Mountain to Mount Baldwin.  To the east one can look down McGree Creek canyon to Big McGee Lake, Mount Crocker, Mount Stanford and Mount Morgan. Full photo album here.

I have been to the Palisades twice before but never via South Lake so I figured this would be a great opportunity to see Bishop Pass and Dusy Basin. I started at around 6:30 am and headed up the nice trail, coming across spectacular reflections in the tarns near Long Lake. I continued up through more lakes and then the final switchbacks up to the pass. From the pass, I headed up the talus slopes to the summit of 13,891 ft Mount Agassiz. The talus was not very loose helping to make relatively fast time up the slope, arriving at the top 2:40 after beginning at South Lake. I spent nearly an hour on the summit snapping photos and chatting with a couple from Bishop who arrived at the summit 30 minutes after me. The views in the morning sunlight were amazing!  Check out many more photos here.

Eventually, I got going again and made quick time back to Bishop Pass and then into Dusy Basin. Part of the appeal of climbing Columbine Peak is the traverse across Dusy Basin, famous for its alpine lakes with views of the sheer walls of Mount Winchell, Thunderbolt Peak, and North Palisade towering above. I picked a route across the Basin and took many photographs of the lakes near Isosceles Peak, which is aptly named. I continued on through boulders and slabs to Knapsack Pass where I began the climb up Columbine Peak. I went up the arete directly from Knapsack Pass which proved to be more difficult than the advertised class 2/3 climbing for a sustained period (almost until the summit). I found out on the descent that the easier route is on the south side of the ridge, but some class three climbing is still unavoidable. To get to the easier route, follow a use path around the base of cliffs towards Barrett Lakes/Palisade Basin from Knapsack Pass. At the point where a gully is crossed begin heading up and the easier route is apparent (gravel and talus). Taking this route on the way down saved some time and energy and I was happy to not have to down climb some of the sections I had done on the ascent.

Columbine Peak features the best view of the west side of the Palisades subrange and a great vantage point of other surrounding peaks, Palisade Basin, and Dusy Basin. The return trip through Dusy Basin was just as spectacular and I stopped to take many photos. Once atop Bishop Pass I jogged the remainder of the way back to the trailhead at South Lake, arriving 9:26 after beginning. This is a fantastic area and I hope to return soon for more photography, climbs, and adventure runs.

Many more photos here!

Today was the last day of classes of the Fall semester! It’s unbelievable how fast it flew by. Now I have to study for one final, take it next Tuesday, and then fly home to Sammamish for the winter break!

Such a great clip! Arnold tells it!

I saw American Gangster with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe yesterday. The actors’ performances were great and I thought it was a good movie. Otherwise, it’s basically business as usual around here. I am recovering from the small sickness and I had some good runs this week, but I have some pain in the ball of my foot right below the second toe From prior experience, foot issues can be quite annoying so I’m going to take this with extreme precaution and give it a few days with no stress on it.

The Build-up:

The Race:

After the gym workout, I went to hear that Constitutional Law event, but I was a little disappointed by the poor planning. The allocated room was to capacity so they had people fill an overflow room. The problem was that the projection of the speech from above was incredibly choppy and the feed would fade just when you wanted to hear something. Eventually I just gave up. I didn’t even get the free gift

Later this evening, I went on a 48 minute run including the Oak Creek trail. I felt pretty good here too. The rest of this evening has flown by. I haven’t accomplished much and it’s 11 pm. I’ve got a hefty amount of reading to do so on that note, I’ll see you later…