Bench Lake has been on my list for many years, and since the shortest way by far to access it is via rugged Taboose Pass I figured I'd best get on with it while I still had my legs. The low snow year also made it feasible to do the trip early, thereby providing an opportunity to give my friend, Dave, who has been exiled to Michigan due to a wifely career move, a proper sendoff before his departure in July. He picked me up at Los Angeles International Airport on the 7th and we headed straight for Lone Pine, where we laid over for a day to acclimatize a bit and let me rest up from the flight and airport stress, a habit I have grown accustomed to as I get on in years.
Day 1
We got off to a reasonably early start and hit the trail at 6:30 AM. However, even that was about an hour late. The sun was clearing the Inyo Mountains ridgeline as we started hiking, and we faced a hot slog across about 1.5 miles of flat sagebrush scrub before we started climbing. By the time we reached the first crossing of Taboose Creek at 8100', the heat was beginning to take its toll, and we both knew we were in for a long day. Taboose Pass is a real hump under the best of circumstances, with an elevation gain of just under 6000', most of it in the last 6 miles, and we had put ourselves behind the eight ball by not starting at least an hour earlier. We were both feeling it by the time we crossed Taboose Creek for the second time at 9100', and the fun was just beginning. From that point on, the Taboose Pass trail turns into one of the roughest trail hikes I have ever done. There are no decent places to bivy after crossing the creek and it was still too early to stop in any case, given the heat and lack of shade, so we decided to push on over the pass to an excellent bivy site I had used previously. We proceeded at an ever slower pace but eventually cleared the pass around 4 PM, thankful that we were finally going downhill over gentle terrain with magnificent views of Cirque Crest unfolding before us. About an hour later we were settling in at an excellent campsite, thankful to have an arduous day behind us with only four miles remaining to Bench Lake the next morning.
Over Taboose Pass at last
Day 2
We rose late and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, knowing we had only 4 easy miles ahead of us. The hike was relaxed and uneventful, with frequent breaks to enjoy the expansive views and admire the abundant wild flowers along the way. When we went over the maps prior to our trip, we had pretty much settled on looking for a campsite at one of the two lake chains to the southeast and southwest of Bench Lake, with a preliminary bias in favor of the southwestern one as being the remoter of the two. However, the presence of a set of fresh, very large bear tracks on the side trail to Bench Lake decided the issue for us. We immediately headed up the stream leading to the southeastern lakes, which turned out to be a great decision all around. Not only was it a delightful hike up the outlet stream, but we found a nearly perfect campsite perched on a bench above a small lake, affording magnificent views of Cirque Crest and Upper Basin. It was also far away from the established campsites along Bench Lake, where the bear had likely been headed. We were still a little tired from yesterday's push over Taboose Pass, so we spent the rest of the day just hanging out and exploring the immediate environment of our campsite. Toward evening, the sky filled horizon to horizon with ominous clouds, and we were soon treated to a classic Sierra thunderstorm with all the trimmings, including a generous helping of graupel, followed by a torrential downpour that lasted a good hour or so. All in all a most entertaining performance.
This bear was wearing size 14 DDD's
Day 3
We awoke feeling rested and ready to do a little exploring. We had decided the previous evening to hike over to the southwest lake chain directly beneath Arrow Peak. The route seemed fairly obvious, traverse the talus lined south shore of Bench Lake and then contour along the slope at the base of Mt Ickes' north ridge until we intersected the outlet stream below the middle lake in the chain. Aside from the talus, which was rather tedious, it was a very enjoyable hike over easy, mixed terrain, and eventually we found a faint climbers path with frequent cairns that confirmed our route selection. The cirque below Arrow Peak is well worth the effort, one of those seldom visited little gems that are for all practical purposes untouched. A few climbers come and go, but they have left no visible trace, and we were deeply gratified to be able to spend a couple hours there admiring the tranquil beauty of the place. Dave had it in his mind to take a different, lower route on the return leg, and I couldn't think of any good reason to object, so we did. In the event, we would have been better off retracing our steps, as we encountered numerous cliff bands and a lot of blow down, but that is in the nature of exploring, and it was all good fun. It was late afternoon by the time we got back to camp, well satisfied with the day's effort.
Morning in camp
Along the south shore of Bench Lake
Fisher folk take note: Bench Lake is crawling with fish. We saw them all along the south shore, where the water deepens fast. One particularly deep depression must have had 50-60 fish schooled up, and a lot of them were in the 12-14" range. If any of you who fish ever end up there, and don't mind a little talus walking, the south shore is the place to go.
Lake basin southwest of Bench Lake
Sunset back at camp
Day 4
We got off to another of our late starts, intending to only hike back to our first night's bivy and then explore the lake basin just above it. However, when we arrived it was only 11 AM, and I didn't particularly want to spend the rest of the day there again for just an hour's worth of poking around in a small basin. So, I lobbied Dave to keep on truckin', dangling the carrot of a hot shower and meal, accompanied by some durn cold IPA's. He was reluctant but, after giving it some thought, conceded the idea had merit, so off we went. Descending Taboose Pass is almost as tough as ascending it, and we both knew we were in for a challenging afternoon. The upper 2 miles in particular require a lot of concentration, with numerous opportunities to take a fall that would very likely scuff one up pretty good. The rest of it is just putting one foot in front of another and toughing it out. Heat can be a real problem as you descend, but we were blessed with a cool wind flowing over the pass from the high country to the west. It followed us all the way down and spared us that particular unpleasantness. We made it back to the car by 6:00 PM, exhausted but elated, and were back in Lone Pine in plenty of time for that shower, dinner, and beer. It had been another memorable trip to add to our shared list going back some 30 odd years. In hindsight, though, I think both of us would agree it might have been better to stop at our first bivy sight on day 4 to explore the small lake basin, and leave the descent of the Taboose Pass for day 5. Yes, we did it without incident, but it left us both exhausted for days afterward. Perhaps not the best outcome for a couple of old geezers. We have since agreed that in future we shall try to act a little more our age. ;0)
