Within a few minutes of leaving camp I run into this ferny waterfall
Paige and David cross Buck Creek
Buck Creek
Buck Creek
Morning light on Castle Rocks
Our first break is at Bearpaw Meadow High Sierra Camp
I smelled cookies or brownies baking when I approached. Mmm.
A rough guide to the Great Western Divide
The view that the sign described
OMG Brownies!!!
This calorie bomb helped with the afternoon's big climb.
Paige is happy.
Continuing along the High Sierra Trail
Steve and another ferny waterfall
The trail ran through there somewhere.
Hamilton creek, and the canyon we're climbing up
The trail and Valhalla
Footbridge at Lone Pine creek crossing
Looks safe enough
Then I look down and see the mangled remains of the old footbridge.
Then I hurry across.
Lone Pine Creek Canyon
Elizabeth Pass is that direction
but we're not going that way today
A lot of the High Sierra trail is cut out of the rock
Peaky peaks
Hamilton Creek with a nice waterfall in the middle.
Zoom in on fall
With teeny tiny resting hikers at the top
Valhalla and an incredibly blue sky
I swear I have not altered the shade of blue in this and the following photos - it really was that blue
Getting closer to the peaks as we climb up the canyon
By the end of the day we'll actually be higher than these peaks
At the top of the waterfall, soaking our tired hiker feet.
Valhalla looms above us
We'll end the day higher than valhalla, too.
Hamilton creek and hikers below
Valhalla
Looking up the canyon we're hiking.
Mt Stewart in the back.
Midday swim break at Hamilton Lake
What a gorgeous place, it's hard to believe we're going to an even more scenic spot!
After a nice break we start the last ~2200 foot climb to Precipice Lake
Precipice Lake is just below that glacier on the farthest peak.
Slowly climbing higher than Valhalla
Looking down on Hamilton Lake
Shade!
A better look at Eagle Scout Peak
Precipice is below the glacier - still a lot of climbing to go, well over 4000 feet today.
Turquoise Hamilton lake
Pavla motors up the High Sierra Trail
There is some neat trail engineering along this stretch. I didn't really think about it at the time, but looking back at my pictures I'm really thankful I'm not scared of heights.
Even a tunnel!
(and therefore shade)
Pavla at the tunnel with Hamilton Lake far below us now.
The tunnel from across the gorge
Peaks along the ridge behind us
