Dreaming of More Thousand Island Lake Summer Adventures!

Thousand Island Lake, August, 2009

The Spring Equinox may still be 16 days away and the Summer Solstice further still, but that's close enough for me to start getting excited about summer adventures in the High Sierra backcountry!

My love of these places - snow-fed alpine lakes, vernal meadows bursting with mountain wildflowers, churning streams, staggering mountain peak views - is the reason I moved to the Eastern Sierra in June 2008 and why I've stayed through three grueling winters. It's the thought of access to those splendors that has helped me through some of the tougher, colder, loneliest times of winter.

And I equally love (crazy as it may sound) the physical exertion and challenge it takes to get to some of the higher, more remote places. Winter blubber will fall off quickly, I assure you, and I will return to my trimmer, tanner self (yes, even with sunscreen, one still gets some bronze up here!).

Vasque Billey boots on the ridge between Garnet and Shadow Lakes overlooking Minarets and beyond

From where I live in Sunny Slopes, it's just a 10-mile drive west to the Mosquito Flat Trailhead at 10,000 feet, and an easy walk into the Little Lakes Basin, so I won't have any excuse not to get up there for several hikes a week, either in the morning before work or after in the evening. On weekends, I'll stretch myself with the 3,000 foot climb up to Mono Pass or the mere 1,500 feet it takes to get into the Ruby lake basin.

And naturally I'm wondering whether I'll find my way with a backpack into the Ansel Adams Wilderness, as I did for the first time ever with Friends of the Inyo last summer. I was at last able to fulfill my dream not just of backpacking to Thousand Island Lake for the first time, but doing it as part of my job!

Mt. Banner from Billey Campsite, August, 2009

Friends of the Inyo will bring its EVOLVE stewardship vacation program back again this summer. I may again have a chance to take some days away from the office and learn about and perform trail repair work while also having time to walk around the lake, climb through rocky terrain for unexpected view, and generally explore the wilderness, and then return to camp where Todd Vogel - FOI stewardship director and cook extraordinaire - will be preparing something for dinner.

Todd in his camp kitchen. Backpacking with Friends of the Inyo is an experience not to be missed!

Yes, life is tough here in the mountains. I'm pictured below at my corner of the group campsite, Peet's coffee in hand, with my view of Thousand Island Lake and Mt. Banner behind me.


It was warm enough at night to sleep without a rain fly, and see the stars immediately overhead through the pines. No doubt I'm smiling not just because of the views, but because Todd just made one of his amazing bacon & egg breakfasts. Or maybe it was French Toast that morning. Since mules carried the cooking gear, we were able to bring things like red wine and other goodies that you can't bring on a normal backpacking trip.

I hiked out two days ahead of the group schedule as needed back in the office, but I opted to take the strenuous 10-mile route via Garnet and Shadow Lakes (and up and down two ridges) back to the trailhead at Agnew Meadows, instead of the 6-mile high trail we took in. It was nice to be on my own for the day. Pictured here, even though it looks similar to Thousand Island Lake, is Garnet Lake. I did not yet know that a dramatic two thousand foot plunge awaited me after climbing the next ridge, and how exhausted I'd be in the final two miles of my hike.

But I made it.

Garnet Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness