On Monday, July 23rd, my dad, my sister Kara, and I set out from Upper Twin in Bridgeport for Crown Lake. It was about a 9.3 mile day with approximately 2,650 feet in elevation gain.
Showing posts with label hiking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hiking. Show all posts
Matterhorn Peak
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| A couple miles in heading toward Twin Peaks. Matterhorn is off to the right out of the picture, |
Last Saturday, my sister, dad, brother-in-law, and his friend set out from Mono Village, Twin Lakes, Bridgeport up Horse Creek trail head with the hope of making it to the top of Matterhorn Peak. Matterhorn is the tallest mountain in the Sawtooth Ridge at 12,285 ft. We started out at 7am and returned to the car at 7pm.
Rush Creek Trail Head
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| Starting out. June Lake Loop below. |
Crystal Lake and Mammoth Crest Hike
The trail head for this hike is at the parking lot at Lake George in Mammoth. It is about 1.5 miles up to Crystal Lake and then about 1 more mile up to Mammoth Crest. I hiked it this past summer with my sister, Kara, and my friend, Kelly.
The views on this hike are awesome!
A snowy trek to Green Lake
In December my brother-in-law, Steve, and his dog, Hailey, and I drove up Green Creek Road to the trail head for Green Lake. There was some snow but not enough to convince us that we needed to carry in our snowshoes.
Twenty Lakes Basin Loop
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| North Peak |
In June, my friend, Kelly, and I hiked the Twenty Lakes Loop. There was still some snow on the trail which made for some fun photos.
From Bridgeport, we drove south on highway 395 and turned right onto Tioga Pass (120 West). Before you get to the east gate of Yosemite, there is a sign for Saddlebag Lake on the right. That dirt road takes you to the Saddlebag Lake parking lot. From there we started on the trail around Saddlebag Lake (10,000 ft). This loop is a little over 8 miles. You can take a water taxi across the lake for a fee if you want to trim about 3 miles off the hike.
Camping at Obsidian Campground
This past July we went camping at Obsidian Campground. From Bridgeport you take highway 395 North for about 16 miles and then turn left on Little Walker River Road and drive a few more miles to get to the campground. It was beautiful, shaded by aspen trees and near Molybdenite Creek.
Snowshoes and Brews
It started with a snowshoeing trek with Steve, Ashley, and Will and ended with a trip to June Lake Brewery.
Our goal was to find enough snow to use our snowshoes. We found success up at Virginia Lakes (approx. 9,800 feet). The turnoff for Virginia Lakes is located on highway 395 at the top of Conway Pass (between Lee Vining and Bridgeport). This winter you can drive almost all the way to Big Virginia Lake when most winters the road is closed off close to 395. We only had to hike about a half mile from our car to get to Big Virginia and then we decided to hike across the lake and over the saddle to get to Red Lake.
Winter hike to Barney Lake
I went on this hike with my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Ashley. We had a little trouble finding the trail head so I am going to do my best to describe it to you. We parked at Mono Village on the far end of Upper Twin. The best thing to do is go straight back through the Mono Village campground. Be sure to stay to the right of the creek and open meadow area that you will see. Do not cross the creek.
Hike to Green Lake and East Lake
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"Come to the woods, for here is rest. There is no repose like that of the green deep woods. Here grow the wallflower and the violet. The squirrel will come and sit upon your knee, the logcock will wake you in the morning. Sleep in forgetfulness of all ill. Of all the upness accessible to mortals, there is no upness comparable to the mountains."
~John Muir
Lundy Canyon Hike
"We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us."
~John Muir
The drive to the trail head alone was breath-taking.
Horse Creek Hike
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~ John Muir
A few weeks ago I went on a hike up Horse Creek Trail out of Twin Lakes in Bridgeport with my brother-in-law, Steve, and his dog Hailey. The leaves were just beginning to shift from bright green to shades of yellow and orange.
Golden Days in the Eastern Sierra
A few experiences that I delight in every year...
Foxey's day on Big Virginia Lake
Foxey's Wintry Day in Lundy Canyon
Foxey ran ahead of me, stopping several times to stick her
head in the snow only to come up with a snow covered snout and a quick snort.
It had been a very mild winter so the snow was shallow at the start. As we
hiked past Lundy Lake and further into the canyon the snow became deeper. Foxey
seemed unaffected. The snow was covered with scampering animal tracks and Foxey
discovered a multitude of curious new sniffs. She was elated. As the snow got
deeper, Foxey traveled over the snow like a dolphin breaking water, arcing to
dive back in.
Chapter One: Foxey's Story
Well Bridgeport is a town with no stop lights, population 800 (and in the winter it dwindles far below that) and no Starbucks. No franchised restaurants at all actually.
Bridgeport is a seasonal town that some people drive through on their way to Yosemite or other popular summer destinations. Families come to camp, hike, and fish in the areas surrounding Bridgeport. Bridgeport plays the spring-pad for the family summer campers. They come to sip their last taste of civilization before they head out into the wilderness- a soft serve ice cream from Jolly Kone, a freshly baked loaf of High Sierra Bread, the use of a flushing toilet...
