June 30, 2013 - Trinity Lakes

Title: June 30, 2013 - Trinity Lakes

Hike Info:

Trail: John Muir Trail - Day Six

Starting location: Island Pass

Destination:  Trinity Lakes

Distance:  11.5   miles  ¹

Start Time:  7:20

End Time:  5:30

Travel Time:  10:10 (1.13 mph)

Moving Time:  5:51 (1.97 mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,772   ¹

Maximum Elevation:  10,180'   ¹

Description:

Island Pass at Dawn

Woke up this morning to clear skies, frogs a croaking,  and a coyote howling. What a wonderful way to start the day! Yes there really was howling this morning. It sounded like it was across the pond on the other side of the trail. No sightings-rats!

Camp Chores

Got up at 5:30 and did camp chores. Saw the sun arising. Pretty nice. After eating, we are leaving around 7:20. The first part is descending from Island Pass. Pretty gentle. We get to see lots of low green area. As we approach Thousand Island Lake, there is more volcanic rock. Also we are glad that we have started early as the sun would be really hot through here.

Thousand Island Lake and Banner Peak

We met a couple, just married from Mendocino ². They look like they are enjoying themselves. We play leap frog through Ruby Lake, when we stop for a quick Clif Bar break.  This got stretched a ways. But we did enjoy the lake-nice reflections. 

Just Married

We climb up around 250', then start a descent into Garnet Lake. Glad it is morning when we are coming through this area. Pretty exposed. But the good part is that you are seeing a whole new  set of mountains, with snow covered ravines. Enjoying it. Banner Peak comes into view. I am enjoying Garnet a lot more than Thousand Island Lake. The south side has mountain hemlock for me to enjoy its shade. The trail gently climbs out of the lake's basin. This is about a 350' climb, but it does not feel too bad. Some trail runners pass us at the top.

Thousand Island Lake

When we get to the top of the saddle, we start a long descend into the Shadow Creek drainage. The upper part of the trail, for the first 300' or so is small volcanic rock. While trail is well made, rocks are sore to the feet. But once out of that area, you find a nice little ravine with a meadow in it to enjoy. Then we head down a never ending slope into Shadow Creek. There we stop for our second lunch. We enjoy a nice long break here before another mile down to Shadow Lake.

Garnet Lake

Where we have our lunch break is a trail crew. I go over and asked if they were part of the effort to clear the trail last year after the wind storm? Yes. Thanked them. A few minutes later an Inyo Forest Service ranger came over and asked if we needed any help. No, but could we get her picture go Capture California? Yes. We talked about possible campsites and bear sightings. So far pretty peaceful around here. Johnston Meadow has lots of bugs. Terri F was very helpful. She did ask to see our permit.

After a good climb

Then, it is up, up and up we go-650' up a side of a mountain. While the Forest Service has done a good job of grading the trail, it still is a major effort on our part. Lots of shade, with a pleasant, occasional breeze does really help, along with CytoMax and jelly bellies. We get to the top and have another break. About that time, the newlyweds come up the trail. They had done some fun stuff, like rock scrambling. 

Rocky Road

Shadow Creek

We go past Rosalie  Lake-only a few mosquitoes here. Then to Gladys Lake. It is 4:30 now. To get to Trinity Lakes is about a half an hour. To go to Minarets Creek, about three hours or more. So we decide to stick with the schedule and camp at Trinity. But I have also been thinking that Trinity even in the best of times is a mosquito haven. So we look for something a little bit dryer and away  from the lakes. Found a spot a little off the trail, but about 200 yards from water. (37.67583,-119.11577)

We have dinner and get cleaned up. Then head to the tent to escape the bugs. Listened to a sermon from Red Rocks Church. Then off to sleep around 9.

Garnet Lake

Today's JMT Lesson: Beauty is there. Find it!

 

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola. Tang.	Peanut Butter and Nutella on crackers	Szechuan Vegetable Noodle	Clif Bar, Jelly Bellies, CytoMax, Propel, GORP

¹The supplied figures come from either the book John Muir Trail: The essential guide to hiking America's most famous trail by Elizabeth Wenk. Also some information comes from topo maps as well. From today's tracks on my Foretex, I got only a partial reading. Below is the readings from today's status on the GPS. I view it as only somewhat accurate.
 Distance:  11.4 

Travel Time: ( mph)

Moving Time: 5:51 ( mph)

Elevation Rise:  1,200

Maximum Elevation:  10,180'

²As a further note, our daughter Andrea who works in the Berkley REI store waited on them a few weeks later. They were able to connect the dots and figure out we were related--not the newly married couple, but Andrea, Sherri and I.