Sometimes I inquire if these type of posts need any narration at all . Sometimes I sense the pictures evidence the full taradiddle , and they do a well task than I ever could describing the grandeur and knockout of the Eastern Sierra backcountry . So , I ’ll examine to let them do most of the talking …
I only go backpacking once or twice a year , and every fourth dimension I do , I wonder why I do n’t do it more often . Backpacking take on me deeply into the ambition world I ca n’t see from the road or experience on a day salary increase . Backpacking feels like a secret society of sorts ; where only you and your fellow Bonesmen live what gems lie beyond the trail and just over the rooftree .
Ediza Lake is one such gem . An alpine lake at 9,300 feet raising , it can be done as an out - and - back wage hike but you end up miss much of the scenery surrounding it . The jaunt to Ediza is one of the most beautiful trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness and needs an overnight case to fully appreciate .
We had our sights set on Ediza last September . summertime is a outstanding time of year in the Sierra , and peculiarly the terminal of summertime , when the leaves are just starting to grow colour but the air is affectionate and fragrant .
We arrived in Mammoth Lakes a day before the hike and pass a restful good afternoon sunning on Lake George and watch kayakers paddle across its turquoise piss . It ’s one of the most photogenic lakes in the region with a unclouded horizon of Crystal Crag loom above the Mammoth Crest .
To end our very rough sidereal day , we drove to the hot springs off a dirt way near Benton Crossing . There we found a geothermic kitty in the middle of a hayfield all to ourselves . As we soaked in a hot mineral bathroom , we watched the sky turn all shadowiness of orange and cherry and purple as the Dominicus slowly dipped below the Sherwin Range in the aloofness .
Can I just say that a pre - hike hot tubful is the way to go for multi - day backpacking trips ? I catch some Z’s so good that night that I woke up refreshed and energized for the catch forwards .
We started our raise on the Shadow Lake Trail in Agnew Meadows , descend into the San Joaquin River Valley as we passed brook and Cascade Range along the track .
At the halfway point about three and a half naut mi in , we reached Shadow Lake . Despite the arctic alpine pee , it looked so inviting on that blistering summertime daylight that we could n’t assist but buckle our lowering pack off our backs and jump off in !
I almost could ’ve stayed at Shadow and been perfectly content with our misstep . The Sierra purdah was spectacular . There were legato granite slabs everywhere , baking in the sun and just beckoning us to take a nap on them .
Picking up the trail again , we connected with the John Muir Trail for a while as we followed Shadow Creek .
While making a random public convenience stop , we discovered a minor falls about 50 feet off the track that flowed into a recondite swim cakehole . It was sorcerous !
We continue another three nautical mile up Shadow Creek , rolling through fleeceable meadows and climb up a granite stairway until Ediza Lake came into view .
Most people mark up coterie at Ediza and call it honest . After all , this is where the track end , and it ’s definitely not a moth-eaten place to put up a tent . The shores of Ediza were dotted with all likes of shelters and though I wanted nothing more than to plain off my boot down by the lake , I also require something special . I always want to know — what ’s just over that next ridge ?
Another naut mi ahead , we found ourselves in a postcard — stand in the heart of a high mountain hayfield at the base of Mount Ritter , with the Minarets to the east and Banner Peak to the north . It was breathtaking . There was not another camper around .
I fell gone to the sounds of the waterfall outside our collapsible shelter and woke up to the Ritter Range bathe in the glowing of early light .
We spent the afternoon doing a day hike to Iceberg Lake , scrambling up a slope and bowlder hopping back and forth across a stream . The more adventurous among us even took a skinny cutpurse in the icy water !
Instead of coming back down the way we hail , Will and I resolve to traverse the talus to the other death of the lake . Ascending several hundred substructure above Iceberg , we could see Cecil Lake in the distance .
We continued up a cliff that looked like a stack of building city block . And because no climbing is consummate without a sequence of classic behind shot , here are the best ones that Will so meticulously captured .
Once up and over the ridge , we down climbed the jumpy northern slope below the Minarets . My articulatio genus thank me when I ultimately made it to the meadow !
Our last day was easygoing . Our champion hiked out after breakfast , whereas we slept in and bathed in the waterfall . It was a lovely work-shy Clarence Day … and a Monday at that .
After lunch I went exploring while Will started packing .
I climbed atop one of the granite domes in the hayfield , taking in the sentiment of our footling gem of a campsite . suspire the air . Finding my blissfulness .
Can you spot him botch up our orange collapsible shelter below ?
Hiking out , the eight mile to the trailhead did n’t seem nearly as long as the direction in . It was familiar yet unfamiliar . Every twist was a fresh way to appear at the landscape .
When we stop over at Shadow Lake for a snack and a swim , taking in the surroundings , I had to wonder — what ’s just over that next ridge ?
