Stella and Frank prepare for the hike.
Stella and Frank gaze upon Lake George.
A lodgepole before Lake George
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
The Mammoth Lakes from the Mammoth Crest Trail
Bill pauses before Horseshoe Lake.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
View into town from Mammoth Crest Trail
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella on the trail
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill and Stella march up the trail.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Frank near the top of the Crest.
Bill plods along.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella moves quickly up the trail.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Red pumice zone on the Mammoth Crest
Stella and Bill at the top of the first climb
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Crystal Crag from Mammoth Crest
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Red pumice caps the northwestern end of Mammoth Crest.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill and Stella climb up the Martian landscape.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Bill at the northwestern end of Mammoth Crest.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Panorama on the red pumice section of Mammoth Crest Loop
Mammoth Crest is the summit at the left. At the right is Mammoth Mountain.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill and Stella resume the hike southeastward along the Crest.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Close-up of Mammoth Crest
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Sherwin Crest and Crystal Crag from Mammoth Crest
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Entering John Muir Wilderness
Stella and Frank hike along Mammoth Crest.
Nessie (or one of her offspring) is a long way from Loch Ness.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill and Stella press on.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella on the trail
Bill considers the route to the top of the Crest.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
View down one of the couloirs on Mammoth Crest
Bill sets off toward the summit while Stella remains on the trail for now.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill approaches the summit.
Stella is on her way.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella at the edge of Mammoth Crest
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella near the summit
Frank tests the rock near the edge while Stella watches from a safe distance.
Frank peers into the abyss from the edge of Mammoth Crest.
The Ritter Range is in the background.
Stella and Frank both photograph me at the summit.
Bill at the summit of Mammoth Crest
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank's photo looking down the steep side
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill makes an annotation in the summit register.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella at the high point of Mammoth Crest
The summit register is kept in two interlocking rusty food cans.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill and Stella head off the summit.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Frank descend from the summit to join me on the trail.
Frank, Stella, and Bill overlooking Deer Lakes Valley
Bill snaps a photo back up the trail.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella (tiny figures at the right) descend into Deer Lakes Valley.
Frank and Deer Lake Valley
Photo courtesy of Stella Hackell
The sun shines on Deer Lakes.
Deer Lake reflections
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Frank at Deer Lake
Stella and Bill head up to Deer Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Frank press uphill to Deer Pass.
Bill starts up the pile of rock below Deer Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella looks for the easiest path below Deer Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill climbs to Deer Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella climb the rock pile at the head of Deer Lakes Valley.
Bill and Stella climb the final feet to the pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Bill double over, catching their breath.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella make their final approach to Deer Pass.
Stella and Frank draw near the top of the rock pile at the head of Deer Lakes Valley.
We're almost there!
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella arrive at the pass.
Deer Lakes are in the background.
Bill speaks with another hiker going the other way at Deer Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella are happy to arrive at the top of the climb.
Stella and Frank at the south end of the valley
Bill and Stella in the alpine valley
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill peers down toward Sky Meadow from the edge of the valley.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill sits at The Perch to enjoy the view.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
The Perch overlooks the broken rock below Mammoth Crest.
Frank points out the spot Stella and I managed to hike to three years ago when we attempted to climb to the Crest through the valley below.
Stella stands on The Perch.
Frank heads south in the valley.
Bill at the saddle on the Crest, looking back toward Deer Lakes
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Can you find Bill on the pinnacle?
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Can you find Frank on the pinnacle?
Upper left background are Mt. Abbott (13715ft) (l) and Mt. Gabb (13741ft)
Stella waits for us in the valley.
The long alpine valley from the western pinnacles
Stella is standing in the valley while Frank is climbing on the pinnacle at the right.
The western pinnacles from the long alpine valley
Frank is visible on the left pinnacle, but Bill is hidden or camouflaged.
Photo courtesy of Stella Hackell
Deer Lake from the pinnacle on the Crest.
Peak 3580+m from the Crest
Bill talks on the radio while standing on the shorter, left pinnacle.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank and Stella at the south end of the valley.
Frank takes a photo back toward the top of the climb from Deer Lakes.
Stella and Frank climb the final steps to Deer Pass.
Mountains near Duck Lake from Deer Pass
Frank and Stella at Deer Pass
Stella heads down toward Duck Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
A serpentine erratic sits on the ridge.
Stella is in the background.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella and Frank descend the final portion without a trail.
Duck Lake near the junction of Duck Pass and Deer pass trails
Frank stops to photograph the trail sign for Pika Lake.
Bill sets up the camera for a group photo.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella, Frank, and Bill at Duck Pass
View north of Barney Lake from Duck Pass
Frank and Stella pass a group of backpackers on their way to Pika Lake for the night.
Artifact or Trash?
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Stella, Frank, and Bill at Barney Lake
Flaming sierra willow near Barney Lake
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Flaming Sierra willow
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Bill checks the map at Skelton Lake.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Frank takes many photos while Stella presses on.
Some day we'll hike this trail to/from Emerald Lake.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen
Tired hikers end their hike at the Duck Pass Trailhead.
