Piute Pass to Mono Pass via SHR 7/21-7/25
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I took the High Route solo from Piute Pass to Mono Pass over 5 days. I kept it to low mileage days because the elevation tends to get to me if I push too hard. I had great weather and saw only a couple of people off the trail. I was a bit nervous going solo, but felt I had done everything I could to minimize the inherent risks by leaving a detailed itinerary, taking my SPOT, planning bail out locations, and having a pretty small ego. I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to steep or loose anything, but felt in control the whole time. I was also surprised to feel like all the terrain I moved through on this section was stuff I had seen before while scrambling through the deserts here outside San Diego, just this time on a much larger scale.
Trekking poles made boulder hopping and moving through talus so much more efficient. The REPEL natural lemon and eucalyptus bug spray I took did absolutely nothing to deter the mosquitoes.I car camped with my wife at the Sabrina CG on 7/20, she went to visit some friends and family in the bay area and then picked me up at Rock Creek Lake Lodge on 7/25 where we car camped that night at the East Fork CG. Both regular camping experiences were pretty awful. We were supposed to stay another night at East Fork, but decided to head home early because we couldn't handle another night of loud talking/screaming, dogs barking, and headlights illuminating our tent all hours of the night.
Here's some pictures:
7/21- North Lake to Tomahawk Lake ~7.5mi
View East from Piute Pass
Sweet shadowy shot West from Piute Pass
Mt Humphreys
Heading North toward Lower Desolation Lake. The lupines were awesome and the travel was easy.
I decided to camp at Tomahawk Lake vs Mesa Lake because I heard there was a bit more natural shelter. It did not disappoint, especially with the great view of the Glacier Divide.
7/22- Tomahawk Lake to Merriam Lake ~7.4mi
Morning at Mesa Lake looking north.
Puppet Lake and Merriam Peak from Puppet Pass
Puppet Pass seemed like the sketchiest of all the passes on this section. I read about staying below the cliff wall in the center right of this picture, but I think I ended up staying on top of the wall. Once I started down, it was hard to tell how far right or left to go to get below said wall. It ended up being okay with only a move or two that required some sitting and reaching with the legs. The mosquitoes were awful at the bottom.
Toward Pilot Knob
Low flowin' Royce Creek Falls
Tons of flowers in French Canyon
Below Merriam Lake
I climbed to the tarns above Merriam Lake in search of a campsite, but it was super windy and this area had few good campsites so I bit the bullet and went back down to the trees around Merriam Lake.
Tarns above Merriam Lake
Merriam Lake
7/23- Merriam Lake to Hilgard Branch below Lake Italy ~5.25mi
Today I saw two groups in places I least expected to see anyone: a father and son at La Salle Lake, and two tents at White Bear Lake. I felt like garbage from the moment I woke up, but moved super slow, took about an hour break at Ursa Lake, and laid beneath a tiny tree swatting mosquitoes near Hilgard Branch for a couple hours. It took me forever to get an okay pitch of my Lunar Solo due to the rocks beneath the soil, the wind, and my lack of patience. I ended up stacking heavy rocks on the stakes and hoping the wind would die down. Luckily the wind quit around 9pm and I felt much better by the time I fell asleep.
La Salle Lake
Feather Pass felt like the easiest pass of the trip. Everything seemed solid, and even the large steps between ledges didn't bother me at all. However, the mosquitoes between La Salle Lake and the pass were awful. At least they kept me moving toward the top for fear of being eaten alive.
Bearpaw and Ursa Lakes
Big Bear Lake and Seven Gables
Black Bear Lake
White Bear Lake
Columbine? coming down White Bear Pass
White Bear Pass. This looks way more intimidating from the bottom than it does the top. Staying toward the green helped a lot for a while, but then there's a whole lot of talus and boulders which become draining.
Teddy Bear Lake
Hilgard Branch flowing West
Polished granite
7/24- Hilgard Branch to Mono Creek near Third Recess ~12.6mi
This was a long day with a pretty good bushwack from Lower Mills Creek Lake to the Second Recess. I saw a couple camped along Lake Italy along with a ton of fish in the water.Lake Italy
Northwest from Gabbot Pass. Ritter and Banner in the distance.
Boulder city below the pass. This is where I started to really be able to move through the boulders. Earlier in the trip it took me forever to make decisions about which rocks to step on, but at this point it just came naturally and quickly. Trekking poles helped out a lot.
As I was picking ways around the rocks and would see footprints after I made the choice, I began to wonder if I would have picked the same paths if I hadn't seen footprints in the sand.
Mills Creek Lakes
Lower Mills Creek Lake
There was a "path" from Lower Mills Creek Lake here and there. Once I got to the the steepest part before it drops down to Second Recess, there is a big section filled with Aspens (I think) the size of shrubs which made travel pretty difficult. At least the general direction of travel was down. Eventually, I found the "path" again and it got a lot more defined as I went further down.
View down into Second Recess
Once to Mono Creek I went upstream a bit for a log crossing and then walked a lot further North than I thought I would have to in order to reach the Mono Pass Trail, but when I saw this I knew I had found it for sure.
That night I camped near the creek close to Third Recess. The creek smelled like a barn and I hesitated to even rinse my hands and feet off in the water. The mosquitoes were also terrible and swarmed my tent all evening. I broke all the rules and cooked and ate in my tent. Even in the middle of the night when I got up to do some business I got a mouthful of skeeters when I unzipped the netting to get out.
7/25- Mono Creek near Third Recess to Rock Creek Lake Lodge ~10mi
The hike out was very pretty and I gradually saw more and more people the closer I got to Mosquito Flat.
I must be getting close to the parking lot…
And I made it back in one piece!
This was by far the best hike I've done. It was rewarding to do it solo and realize I could handle all the obstacles I was worried about as I planned and prepared for the trip. Thanks to those who have already posted reports of this section! It helped a lot in planning and having an idea what to expect once in the thick of it.
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