JMT-
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Early morning after a bear-active night at Shadow Lake
Cassiope Mertensiana
Shadow Lake outlet
Mount Ritter from Shadow Lake
more when I get the next batch scanned.
Got a few more scanned.
Leaving Reds Meadow that year, we chose to head into Fish Valley and bypass the JMT on an alternate route: Fish Valley, Grassy Lake, Goodale Pass, Vermillion Resort, Mono Hot Springs, Florence Lake, then reconnect with the JMT at Muir Ranch.
Back in '89, the section south of Reds down the canyon of the Middle Fork San Joaquin was amazing. Now, it's very different after the Rainbow fire in teh mid 90s turned much of the area into ashes, even right at Rainbow Falls:
It was a baking hot day to hike down the polished granite. Even before the fire, there wasn't much shade on this trail once you got dwon to this area
This is what you're mostly walking on before the trail drops down to Fish Creek.
Saw this snake on the switchbacks on our way out of the vally up towards Grassy Lake – it was about 2 feet long
Later that evening we tried to keep the bugs down with some smoke
In the moring we found proof that the sounds we were hearing at night were from a bear (this was before the days of canisters – you never slept well with your food hanging on a thin branch…)
Before lunch we reached Grassy Lake, which is a real gem and there wasn't a soul around (because they are all on the JMT on the other side of main valley to our west). Too bad the bugs drove us to higher altitude. Only stopped for a few photos
more in a few days – gotta scan more.
from the full size scan, the only part that's in focus (was low light f 1.8 shot, no depth of field)
Reaching the top of a very steep snow field, which allowed us to connect with the Goodale Pass Trail without first descending to the JMT just east of us where it leads up to Silver Pass, just a few hundred yards away – we were headed to VVR via Goodale Pass and Graveyard Meadow. Perfect dry summer weather that day
Flowers growing on the sandy, unusually heavily eroded Goodale Pass approach
Just before the top of Goodale Pass, with a crisp view all the way to Banner and Ritter and beyond. In 2008, we were barely able to make out these peaks from Silver Pass, due to smoke from distant fires
That night we first had an earthquake shaking the trees above our tent skylight (later found out it was a local 4.7), and around 4am a bear decided to try to climb the tree where our food was hanging. Could not completely scare it off, so the night was over early and I had all sorts of time to take this picture while staying warm and making coffee (on the vintage GAZ stove with Belgian army aluminium pot…). One of these mornings I'll never forget, now 20 years ago but those bear eyes half way up the tree reflecting my flashlight's output are burnt into memory forever.
Back to civilization that morning at VVR (we had food at Mono Hot Springs PO office, ended up walking on pavement to MHS, and from there almost all the way to Florence Lake. A local picked us up for the last two miles up to the lake – never did a MHS resupply since…)
Vintage Dodge Power Wagon, parked next to the resort – is it still there? Looked like it had been there for the 45 years before I took the picture.
After a hot and dusty pavement slog to Mono Hot Springs post office and another few miles to the road that leads to Florence Lake two locals picked us up in their huge Dodge Ramcharger and gave us a ride to the lake. There we decided to splerge and we bought a $4 ride across the lake on the Sierra Queen. There was a 10mph speed limit posted for the lake, but apparently enforcement was not a concern of our captain…
It was late in the day and we spent the rest of it int he lake. Set up the camp right where the boat dropped us off with this in front of us
water levels were dropping – 1989 was a drought year following a very dry 1988
The stretch from Florence Lake to Muir Trail Ranch was a virtual flower garden – here just a few highlights:
After a long haul up into Evolution Valley, we camped just beyond the river crossing
Early morning in the heart of the Sierras – Evolution Valley with "The Hermit" on the right.
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