July 28, 2012 – Sapphire Lake to Davis Lake

Title: July 28, 2012 – Sapphire Lake to Davis Lake

Trail head: Sapphire Lake

Hike Info:

Trail: JMT and Cross-Country

Destination: Goddard Canyon

Actual Destination: Davis Lake

Distance: 4.4 miles

Travel Time: 10:48

Moving Time: 3:35

Elevation Rise: 1,044'

Maximum Elevation: 11,700'

Map of area

Profile of hike

Description:

We get up at 6:30 or so. The wind is blowing but not as strong. We hit the trail at 7:40 and start our 400' climb to Wanda Lake. We cover the 1 ¾ miles in an hour and a quarter—it is not a bad climb, but we are over 11,000'. It is a nice temperature and we make good progress.







We stop when the trail crosses the creek below Wanda Lake and have a break. It is so wonderful looking back down the canyon. Even with it with a series of unnamed lakes. The sloping ground and the cut off of the land below our view.







But it is not time for us to start our cross-country adventure. We will be going up to a small 11,700' saddle and then drop down into Davis Lakes. 40 years since I have been here. We make it up to the saddle pretty good. Sherri's asthma does not kick in. But now we start going down. It is a boulder field all the way down to Davis Lakes and Sherri does not like it. The mountains are a good backdrop and anytime we want to breath, they are there to admire—ie, a good excuse for me to stop and breath.

But the boulders are a calling and they are there to hamper our progress. It consumes a lot of energy and time going up and over and around them. Plus, we are going on a pretty steep incline as well. Sherri is a bit spooked by then. I help her before lunch. After lunch, Andrea works with her. She does really good with Sherri. Even when we get to the lake. There are boulders and a cliff which force us to go high. We come back down a ravine, which gets progressively steeper. We eventually get down to the lake, but the shore disappears and there is 8' of rock cliff which we scoot along in the water. I in my boots am able to hop from low rock to low rock. The others are bare feet or Teva's. We are tired, but not sure where we can camp. So we trudge on. Andrea does find a place and we decide to settle down by Davis Lake for the night. It is a beautiful lake. We even have a little bit of energy and spirit to play a short came of catch with the frisbee.



Trail Lesson: Fear is a mind killer—Bene Gessart saying from Dune.