We got an invite to join some friends on a hike to the most southerly glacier in North America (one, indeed, we had no idea even existed, all tucked away in the John Muir wilderness) and we took them up on it. We after-worked it up to a hostel adorned with a painting of Mount Whitney upon it, then pre-dawned it out of there to get to our trail head with most of the day ahead of us. Oh the indignities of working hikers, hiking workers and Americans who value free time.
Melissa gripping some bowel movin' cuppas
Trail head with Jared and his mom (Jared hoisting a pack much less heavy than the last time we ventured into this part of the Sierras with that man)
Early trail photo shoot
In no time, we officially crossed over officially in to the JM wilderness comfort zone
That most precious of resources, flowing with impressive force just to the side of the trail
Up and up into it, next to it
Water signs
Abounded
A drought heavy past, though, too showed its face
Requisite rock hop photo
Melissa floppy hat stomp through some merciful shade
Before bursting out into the unmistakable holy light of the Sierras
The way before us, pointing toward some of the more imaginatively named lakes we've come across
Lago numero uno, complete with some mind blowing glacier fed hues
Boulder skirting around it, on our way to our home for the next few nights at lake two
Still stuck on the first lake, though, with this impressively balanced boulder looking over it
Different view, different camera-eye (Melissa's film loaded version) and way better colors overlooking that same first lake
I now present to you some nature scenes we came across after successfully making our way around the first lake. My camera-eye is a bit differently trained once we are in nature. Textures and colors and patterns speak to me in one way or another, sometimes the resulting photos don't make any sense when reviewing them after the trip. The following ones still do, though
The way from one lake to two lake
Our first view of lake two in the background, but of much more pressing concerns, we came across this stick rock still-life. What does it mean?
Then, we arrived at our second lake home
Day-grime scrubbing commenced
For as long as we could stand the freshly melted waters
Melissa, not very sure about our first tent placement
Jess quite done for the day and absolutely sure of her afternoon hangs
Melissa's instincts regarding our initial tent placement were right on, so we moved 'er closer to the Garcia clan. We would be posting up at that 2nd lake for a few nights, so placement was key
Very shortly after we staked our tent into place, dark clouds formed overhead and dumped plentiful water upon us. Twas a first for us, this Sierran rain storm. It was a fierce blast and we huddled down into our little tent to wait it out.
At a certain point Jared summoned me from our tent to help him set up the shelter you see pictured below, so that we could have a protected common area...It was during this process that I was able to lance a finger really good a gush some blood around the campsite and onto my shirt (evidence forthcoming)
Jared, de-rain geared and tent flap peekin
Garcia family portrait
More perspective on a campsite
Here are some excerpts form my growing collection of photos of m'better half starting campfires
Th'tender touch
Top left of this photo, you can see some of the evidence of the bloodletting that occurred earlier that evening upon my shirt, now smoke drying above M's hard work
Water, sustenance, all the things to keep the human body going
A view from our home and a compelling reason to go backpacking
Is it called "Alpenglow" only in the mornings?
The next morning, we set our sights on the glacier herself, Crossing more rivers on the approach
After a short climb, we came upon a breathtaking meadow, with more gushing life force running through it
Another peak from Melissa's film loaded thrift camera
Some more selections from another collection of mine, "documentation of documentation."
How to describe this area we ascended into? Not very well with photos, certainly not with words
Still, I will put a few more of them here to remember the fullness of that beauty. Here we see Melissa
Taking this photo of me
Jared mid river
Then readying himself
For some more mother portraiture
Three fourths of the crew
Me, ready for my close up with my strongest facial hair feature
M, beautiful always, ready for a face full of glacier water
Charged
Three of the seven lakes promised by both signage we came across on the hike, as well as from the title of this post.
Rounding the horn, we entered fully a new landscape, one which was populated by granite forms, growing larger and larger in our path, until the path itself disappeared and we sketchy rock hopped our way to the glacier
As we began the rock hopping section of that hike, we often found this scene at our feet
Melissa navigating what our trail turned into, trying not step onto the more wiggly rocks
Platform rest and the glory of it all
Patterns, colors and shapes right before we summited to peer at long last
upon this ever shrinking wall of ice. The build up to that moment was intense and the pay off even more so, though this and the following photos do little justice to the majesty of those heights
We sat in awe, in thanksgiving
Then scrambled down a little closer to it
For yet another Trager family portrait
The Garcia contingent that made it up there with us followed suit
Downward rock hop
With views into the valley of numbered lakes stopping us in our tracks routinely
At a certain point in our descent, we came across this land art work
Then knew it was time to strip down (the fullness of which is NSFB/for Melissa's eyes only) and get glacier runoff baptized
Back at the campsite log jam, making water drinkable to our ever vulnerable first-world systems
Under a sheltering tarp, the dinner negotiations begin
Then, another afternoon thunder storm to wait out
After which, Melissa engaged in the time honored tradition of the mosquito death dance
The morning of our departure (such sweet sorry)
Out of that granite paradise and back towards our everyday lives
Elevation loss to reflect on the net sum of our gains
Under buzzing electricity
We twilit soaked at Keough. A lesson learned that we will no doubt keep learning: say yes when opportunities arise. We lay sore, but thankful in that free runoff-fed tub (from the pricey pools up the hill) for the time we spent finding something that we didn't know existed before this trip.
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