“Good morning - how far are you going up the trail,” was the question I asked a lone hiker.
“Oh, she paused, I’m just out for a stroll.”
“Brendan, did you see that woman hiking alone way up here?”
“I did, that was probably the oldest person I’ve ever seen hiking these mountains.”
“What do you think, 83 maybe 84 years old?”
Incredible, I thought to myself, pausing to reflect, at how physically demanding the past few days of climbing switchbacks, scaling boulders, squatting lakeside to filter water, and simply doing the daily chores it takes to wilderness backpack in the Eastern Sierra’s.
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| Owens Valley |
It was early Friday morning, our forth day in the Sierras, headed home. This octogenarian had climbed over 600 feet of switchbacks to a dramatic view of the Owens Valley, near Bishop CA., destination, Grass Lake.
It was day three of our 2017 Sierra adventure. Finally accumulated to the elevation of over 11,000 feet Brendan Laurs, and I were descending to the trailhead at North Lake after spending two nights at Upper Lamarck Lake in the Sierra’s near Bishop California.
This year we had finally arranged to go mid-week. It was Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 when we arrived at our first overnight High Sierra destination, Parchers Resort.
“You guys are in Cabin five," said our host, at Parchers, as he handed us the key. "It’s a brand new cabin, we had over 20 feet of snow here last winter and had to replace two cabins due to the old ones collapsing.”
“We took a big hit last winter, our kitchen also collapsed and we’re in the middle of remodeling it now. So, we apologize, there are no breakfasts until that remodel is complete.”
“Thanks,” and we walked up to our cabin.
“Wow! This is really nice,” as we entered. Beautifully done, hardwood floors, two bedrooms with bunk beds to sleep four campers, full kitchen, bathroom, full shower, and a front porch to sit and enjoy the sounds of Bishop Creek as it gurgles by.
The next morning we separate our gear, weigh our packs to balance the load, check out, and drive up to North Lake Campground trailhead (9,350 ft.) to begin our trek up the mountain.
“This trail is not very long (about three miles) but lot’s of climbing, said Brendan. Shouldn’t be too bad.”
It was about 9:45 am when we began our ascent. The first 30 minutes the weight of the backpack was uncomfortable, you stop many times just to catch your breath in the high elevation, but once you’ve warmed up and get into a rhythm you are absorbed in the beauty of nature all around you. It’s late summer and the Aspens are just beginning to turn a golden color, the wildflowers still in bloom from the summer rains, the air smells so fresh and clean. Ahh, the magic of the mountains . . .
The weather was ideal for climbing, cool temperatures, clear blue skies spotted with puffy white clouds. Our hike took us to the end of the Lamarck Trail, an elevation of 10,918 feet. However, getting to our campsite was no easy task. The huge rock formations surrounding the lake formed vertical monoliths. We scaled a ridge then slid down it’s backside to an epic spot with a western view of the lake and Mount Lamarck rising over 13,417 feet. It was about 2:00 pm.
“Four hours, that wasn’t bad at all. We saw, what, three people during our hike? This is great!"
We pitched camp and it began to rain. A gentle rain that cooled the valley. Temperatures began to drop. We would experience 36 degrees that night. However, the skies cleared, we gazed into a starlit black velvet sky watching the Milky Way appear with millions of tiny twinkling lights. It was perfect.
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