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On the Drive to Mammoth Lakes, July 1, 1996 - Derek Bennett and Bill drove Tioga Rd. through Yosemite on our way to Mammoth Lakes to spend a few days hiking and biking. These a few of the photos from that drive.
Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls, July 2, 1996 - Derek Bennett and I rode our bikes over Minaret Summit and down to Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls trailheads where we hiked in to see these two features. Rainbow Falls was spectacular as it was running fully.
(Distance: 30 miles; Climbing: 3400 feet)
| Bike Ridden: | Bridgestone RB-T |
|---|---|
| Distance: | 60 miles |
| Cumulative climbing: | 4900 feet |
Mosquito Flat and June Lake Loop, July 3, 1996 - Derek Bennett and I drove the bikes out to Lake Crowley Rd., rode through McGee Creek, Hilton Creek, and Tom's Place, then rode up Rock Creek Canyon to the trailhead at Mosquito Flat. After lunch we descended Rock Creek Canyon and rode back to the car on Lake Crowley Rd.
Not content with that short ride, we drove with the bikes down to the southern June Lake Junction and rode down US395 to the northern June Lake Junction and then rode mostly uphill on CA158, back to the car.
Bristlecone Forest/White Mountains, July 4, 1996 - Derek and I drove down to Big Pine and then up CA168 and White Mountain Rd. to the Schulman Grove of Bristlecone Pines, the oldest living things on earth. We hiked the 4-mile Methuselah Trail and saw the Bristlecone Pines up-close.
Thousand Island Lake, July 5, 1996 - On our last full day at Mammoth Lakes we got up early and drove over Minaret Summit to Agnew Meadows where we hiked up to Shadow Lake. We were briefly detained by a ranger inspecting for backcountry permits--we didn't have any for our day-hike. She didn't believe us at first, but we convinced her by explaining that we had started early and carried no camping gear, just day packs.
After we got to Shadow Lake we picked up the John Muir Trail and headed north over the ridge to Garnet Lake. Garnet Lake was beautiful in the early morning light. The lake was almost smooth enough to reflect the peaks. The trail down to Garnet Lake from the ridge was mostly snow-covered, but fortunately others had come before us and marked boot prints. Some backcountry campers were just rising as we arrived and were surprised to see us.
We pumped water out of a nearby stream then continued on the John Muir Trail over the next ridge to the north, past Ruby Lake, and arrived at Thousand Island Lake, where we stopped to eat lunch.
We didn't rest any longer than necessary as the mosquitos were at their peak. Since we hadn't brought any repellent we were busy swatting them the entire day. In fact, the only time were weren't busy flailing our arms swatting and brushing off mosquitos was when we posed for a photo.
From Thousand Island Lake we initially headed down the River Trail but felt we had enough in the tank to detour around Clark Lakes and over Agnew Pass to see what we could see. After we returned again to the south side of Agnew Pass we hiked south on the High Trail back to Agnew Meadows. The High Trail scenery was beautiful, but by this time we were getting tired and our feet sore.
(Distance: 17.6 miles; Climbing: 3400 feet)
Mammoth Mountain, July 6, 1996 - On our last day in Mammoth Lakes Derek and I took the gondola to the summit of Mammoth Mountain to see the view.
On the Drive Home from Mammoth, July 6, 1996 - Derek and I stopped at the Mono Lake Visitor's Center and at Donnells Overlook on our way home from Mammoth.
All web site content except where otherwise noted: ©2024 Bill Bushnell
Background texture courtesy of Iridia's Backgrounds.
Please send comments or questions to the .