These other lakes I passed after descending from Glen Pass. The water was crystal clear and the lakes had the Aqua glacier color to them.
I video'd a bunch of trout swimming around. They weren't big but every lake I passed today seemed to have an abundance of them.
For 6/15. You'll have to zoom in for the Marmot. He's sitting on the rock.
Today has been killer for video. Got the black best visiting camp and three Bucks right across the river from where I am camped.
Will try for a shot of the stars tonight since I am camping st around 11,000 feet. Hope one of the new lenses works!
The more open picture is South, the way I hiked up. The foreboding one is North, what I hiked down.
Set up at the campsite ay the 800 mile mark. It has a bear box and plenty of ants but you can't beat a tent side at the junction of two rushing rivers.
Oh, in the morning while eating breakfast a magnificent black bear came up the trail. Had a beautiful brown coat. Guessing he weighed about 400 pounds. I yelled at him and he went away. Yes I have video!
Some lakes viewed from Glen Pass. The frozen one was on the climb up. The others on the northern side.
Much more snow on the northern side than expected. Good thing the trail was well worn through the snow
The picture looking dry is east from the Pass. You might be able to see Independence, CA down there.
The one with the lakes is the western side. Kearsarge Lakes and to the right Bullfrog lake.
On the way up to Kearsarge Pass.had a hard time getting back to the trail head. Didn't reach the trail head till 3:40pm. Looks like this stop in Independence and Bishop cost me three days.
I must be more diligent.
Check out the weight loss at 790 miles.
Yes, I am being a wuss on getting back to the trail and climbing up to Kearsarge Pass. It's gonna be an all day affair. No point getting to Mammoth early to wait on shoes.
The inside of this bar is classic Redneck and cool. Good beer, IPA, on tap. Rugged with an old bees nest two football big hanging from the ceiling.
Cool Tin Man but he is enslaved. Notice the ankle chain keeping him from running off.
Here is a pic of the Mountain Range we had to climb over. It's from the valley floor but goes back pretty far. It is 15 miles up hill from Independence to the trail head then a five mile hike, all up hill, to Kearsarge pass at 11,760 feet. Totally dreading that climb with a full load of food but that's the price you pay to see some magnificent sights.
Sorry for any worry my lack of recent contact caused. Kennedy Meadows didn't have cell access. They had a pay phone but I wrongly figured I'd get access before my cell battery died.
Extremely remote now. Had to hike 9 miles off trail over Kearsarge Pass to get to a trail head. Then hitch 15 miles down the mountain to Independence, CA.
Nothing here so heading to Bishop in the morning.
Finally filled my 64 gig memory stick and mailed that home today. Have video that will knock your socks off.
Unfortunately my phone was out the last few days so you will have to wait till my next stop to see the High Sierras. Unbelievable!
Ordered this tripod to improve my pan shots. Weighs about 2.5 pounds and is 75 inches fully extended.
Pack weight is getting out of hand with the addition of cold weather gear. I figure I'm hauling about fifty pounds now. Feet are feeling it big time now. Problem is, as I write this I am sitting in my tent at 9,200 feet and the temp is dropping fast.
That Golite pack is holding up remarkably well considering I am far exceeding its weight limit.
Carried 7 litters of water up huge mountain out of the desert. I swear I must be an inch shorter now. Big 33 mile dry spot.
Holy crap did I have a close call tonight. Had a nice camp spot, out of the wind. Was in my bag when I heard a noise above my head up the hill about ten feet. I look up and a skunk is coming out of the woods toward me. I say, 'Hey, please don't come out here.' So he turns around and goes back in the woods.
About 9:10 pm it's dark out and I'm half asleep. I hear what sounds like a sick baby wailing and I'm very wrongly thinking the skunk is back. I turn on my headlamp and all hell breaks loose. It is a mother bear and cub about six feet from the foot of my sleeping bag.
The baby scrambles up the big pine in the center of the clearing, you know the one I'm camped under. The mother runs in a circle then across the clearing up the hill and starts calling out to the cub. I grab my video camera and one trekking pole and scramble to a rock at the other end of the clearing with my back unfortunately against impenetrable bush.
It's a standoff. Mother bear freaking out, baby up tree, me in rocks and all my gear at the base of the tree baby bear is treed in.
I did my best to get a night shot of the bear but it wasn't gonna happen. You should be able to hear the mother calling and I did a reasonably good commentary.
The mother seemed to calm down after a few minutes, or at least I was pretty sure she wasn't going to maul me. So I went down, packed my gear and quietly passed by the other side of the tree and made my way back to the PCT.
I did one final look back with the head lamp and those bear eyes were lit up like torches. Pretty cool encounter I don't think I will soon forget.
