Stella climbs the trail to Heart Lake.
Bill and Stella on the trail to Heart Lake
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Crystal Crag from the trail to Heart Lake
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Bill on the trail to Heart Lake
The air today is pretty smoky. Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Heart Lake
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Frank gaze upon the vegetated slope we must now climb.
Bill and Stella start up the slope to Sherwin Crest.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Frank climb the slope where the plants are thinnest.
Mammoth Mountain is in the background.
Bill works through some taller plants.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella is above Heart Lake.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill toils up the slope into scree.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank and Stella continue onto the scree using all fours.
Stella above Heart Lake on all fours
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill presses up toward Red Peak Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella on all fours above Heart Lake
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill presses up using sticks (instead of all fours).
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella on all fours below Red Peak Pass
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank and Stella reach an easier slope below Red Peak Pass.
Mammoth Crest is in the background.
Bill takes a sit-down break in calm air.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Frank take a sit-down break in calm air.
Red Peak is in the background.
Bill presses up to Red Peak.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank and Stella climb to Red Peak from Red Peak Pass.
Bill arrives at Red Peak summit.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill huddles out of the wind on Red Peak.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella climbs to Red Peak.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Frank enjoy the shelter from the wind on the summit of Red Peak.
Mammoth Mountain and Mammoth pass are in the background.
Group photo on Red Peak summit
(l to r): Stella, Frank, Bill
Bill signs the summit register.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella signs the summit register.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill and Stella start down to Red Peak Pass from Red Peak summit.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank and Stella descend from Red Peak.
Stella climbs the ridge south of Red Peak.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank climbs Sherwin Crest south of Red Peak.
Three high points along the ridge to Pyramid Peak
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill climbs Sherwin Crest south of Red Peak.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank attempts to spare himself extra climbing by traversing across the eastern side of the ridge.
Stella on Sherwin Crest south of Red Peak
Stella starts up Gray Peak
Red Peak is the second peak (Yellow Peak) in the background. Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill traverses the east side of Gray Peak.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella turns back after starting up Gray Peak and finding the going no fun.
Rock makes an abrupt transition from gray rock to white granite beyond Gray Peak.
Frank starts up the next peak close to the ridge.
Gray Peak from the south on Sherwin Crest
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank stands at our turnaround point on the way to Pyramid Peak.
Gray Peak as at the right, and Pyramid Peak is two peaks beyond where Frank is. We'd have to wade through a sea of whitebark pines to avoid scrambling over large boulders on the ridge.
The summit of Gray Peak beckons.
Bill stands atop Gray Peak and gazes down toward Yello Peak, Red Peak, the rest of Sherwind Crest, and Mammoth Mountain in the distance.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank stands on the summit of Gray Peak.
Pyramid Peak summit is the second peak visible to the south.
Panorama to the north from Gray Peak, showing both sides of Sherwin Crest and its colorful rock
Frank stands atop Gray Peak.
View toward Pyramid Peak and Frank down-climbing from Gray Peak
Frank descends from Gray Peak.
Bill stands at the yellow rock.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Frank descends the easy slope to Red Peak Pass.
Stella waits for us below at Red Peak Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Frank rejoin.
We tripped this critter cam a few times before we figured out what it was.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill starts down toward Heart Lake from Red Peak Pass.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Descending this stuff is much easier than climbing it!
Stella practices her scree-skiing technique.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
An odd growth on a lodgepole pine
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Heart Lake is so close, yet across a sea of knee/waist high shrubs.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Stella and Frank descend through a sea of brush.
Time to clean my shoes and socks
Frank and Stella descend from Heart Lake.
Red Peak Pass is at the upper left.
Gray Peak, our high point for the day.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
A variety of colors grace the tips of the tree branches.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Bill and Stella descend into the aspen trees.
Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
Chamaenerion angustifolium (Rosebay willowherb or fireweed)
Seen at the bridge over Mammoth Creek near the Heart Lake Trailhead. Photo courtesy of Frank Paysen.
