"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." ~Helen Keller
This blog is a living document of my adventures. Where will your adventures lead you? Dare to explore!
Put Big Pines Lakes on your “Must Hike List”!!! My usual hiking area is from the Mammoth northward, so this trail really surprised me with it’s grand scenery, gently flowing creek, and pristine alpine lakes. Similar to many trails in the Sierra, this is definitely one that shouldn’t be missed.
This well-maintained trail is located in Inyo National Forest and resides mostly within the John Muir Wilderness. It begins right before the Glacier Lodge on Glacier Lodge Road. There is a parking area with restrooms near the trailhead. A National Forest Adventure Pass is required. You pass through a gate where there are cabins on the right. You’ll follow along the bank of Big Pine Creek, and will quickly come upon the main North Fork Trail, which starts with a couple of switchbacks to the right. In less than a half mile, you’ll come to an old road bed. Turn right and cross a bridge, then take the trail to the left. It is level through the valley, but soon starts to become steeper with several switchbacks.
Big Pine Creek
Mt. Alice
The trail follows along the Big Pine Creek, with a couple of small waterfalls, and ridgelines on both sides. In two quick miles, Lon Chaney’s log cabin comes into view. It was built in the perfect spot, along side the creek, with a spectacular view of the mountainscape in the backside of the cabin.
“Lon Chaney, best known for his acting, was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. In 1929 Chaney commissioned Paul Williams to design and build a stone cabin for him in the eastern Sierra Nevada. The cabin still stands today, however, it is now owned and preserved by the Inyo National Forest Service.” (http://www.thecreakofboots.com/2010/12/lon-chaneys-stone-cabin.html)
Lon Chaney’s Cabin
The trail to Second Lake maintains its gradual incline. It’s a strenuous climb, but never gets overly steep, so when you’ve reached Second Lake, 3000 feet of gain doesn’t seem too terribly arduous. The entire trail experience is quite pleasurable.
First Lake
Within a couple of miles, First Lake come into view. It was frozen over when I visited so I didn’t get to see the emerald blue of the water, but the pictures I’ve seen of the lake are beautiful, especially with Mt. Alice and several other peaks surrounding it. Second Lake is a mere 1/2 mile north of the first. The views of Temple Crag and the lake were breathtaking! When I visited, the lake was partially frozen, but the color was still spectacular. Glacial silt makes this lake a shimmering turquoise color.
“Glacial silt, or rock (glacial) flour is caused by a the mechanical grinding of bedrock caused by glacial erosion. When the sediments enter a river, they turn the river’s colour grey, light brown, iridescent blue-green, or milky white. If the river flows into a glacial lake, the lake may appear turquoise in colour as a result. When flows of the flour are extensive, a distinct layer of a different colour flows into the lake and begins to dissipate and settle as the flow extends from the increase in water flow from the glacier during snow melts and heavy rain periods.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_flour)
Second Lake, 10,059′
It was very hard to turn around and not hike the full loop. Unfortunately, I started this trail quite late, so the sun was setting by the time I made it to Second Lake, therefore I was limited to the 10 miles out and back. The total Big Pine Creek Trail loop is 13 miles, with 1000′ more of elevation gain. The trail goes by seven lakes, including Black Lake. I will definitely be doing the loop later this year. In addition to this loop, there is a 19 mile trail that leads to the Palisade Glacier, a perfect overnighter, with a total of 5000′ elevation gain.
Thankfully, I did turn around, because I arrived back to the trailhead well after dark. Oh well, there was a bottle of “Happy Camper” Chardonnay waiting for me. =) I had such a fantastic day on the North Fork Big Pines Trail and can’t wait to go back and do some more exploring! You surely won’t be disappointed making this trail one of your hiking destinations!!!
I’ve been winter snowshoeing and camping on many occasions, but this was the first time in eXtreme conditions. The Sierra Mountains are as stunning and spectacular as they are relentless and unforgiving. We are but mere specs in its vastness and power…As it very well should be.
Twin Lakes/Mono Village (Bridgeport, CA)
I had been looking forward to this trip for several months. I conducted a winter equipment research, bought high quality gear, and tested it out in my local mountains. Now, consequently, I’m in the poor house, and must sell my first born! 😉 It’s amazing how expensive gortex and waterproof gear are! Wow! Plus, of course, I purchased many items at the height of the season. My lot in life! Haha! Finally the weekend came. I was a little nervous at the prospect of climbing, as I am a hiker, not a mountain climber, but I thought that this was a perfect time to fine tune my winter backpacking skills, as well as to broaden my horizons, and maybe, just maybe, find a new hobby. You know what that means…More gear!!!
I drove to Bridgeport, rather early the day before the trip, because I wanted to make it to my destination prior the snow storm and before Hwy 395 could close down. I reserved a quaint cabin room at Virginia Lakes Settlement. Virginia Lakes Settlement Motel is quite the find, and a precious little gem! It has it’s own restaurant, motel rooms, and small cabins along side a small gently flowing creek. It is only a couple miles from Bridgeport and half the cost of the lodging in town.
I ate a wonderful meal in the restaurant, then hit the sack early so that I could be well-rested for my adventure. Unfortunately, I had difficulty sleeping that night because I was so damn excited! I woke up to repack my backpack at 2am. I know, crazy! I tried to figure out items that I didn’t need in order to make my pack lighter. I am always amazed at how heavy winter backpacking is! My backpack had to weigh between 50-55 lbs after I took out a few things. That’s it! I am going to build a sled for next year’s winter excursions!
Virginia Creek Settlement (Bridgeport, CA)
Virginia Creek Settlement (Bridgeport, CA)
Quaint Cabin Room
Winter backpacking is damn heavy!
Finally, the morning came and I actually made it to the meeting place (Ruby Inn) on time! WhooHoo! Things were falling into place. I met the two mountain guides (Joe/Ross) and the other clients. The guides handed out gear and also checked to make sure we had what we needed for winter mountaineering. After about two hours, we caravanned to Twin Lakes/Mono Village to embark upon our journey.
Twin Lakes, Mono Village with the Sawtooth Ridge Range in the background
The only flat ground till the saddle at the top where we camped
Twin Lakes Campground
Happy starter selfie
Horse Creek
The first part was a meadow, very flat and extremely easy. I said to myself…Oh, this is going to be a “cake walk”! Hahahaha…Not! We quickly crossed a log bridge, tested our beacons, and then it was up, Up, UP! Switchback after switchback, up the ridge, we went. Tirelessly, we pushed. Along the way, we were like the hobbits with first, second, and third lunches. A glorified, 10 minute stop here and there to drink, eat, and rearrange gear. The guides were slave drivers! Hahaha! I can honestly say that all of us were working hard and huffing and puffing, even the guides! One of my fellow hikers said that he went from a kid to an old man on the course of the trek to our camp. I thought he meant that he was giddy at beginning, but he meant that he complained like a kid would, which was then transformed to that of the complaints of an old man! He provided me a great description of how he felt and many others, including me a “tad bit” at times! Haha! After several hours of postholing, slipping, sliding, digging in deep with every step in our snowshoes…We finally made it to camp! WhooHoo! I was so excited that I brought out my Rumchata in celebration. The tribe was a little reluctant to try my milky goodness…But hey, all the more for me right?!!
Bluebird day…What’s a few switchbacks?!!
Looking toward the Sawtooth Group and storm moving in
One of a few 10 minute breaks to catch our breath, drink water, and have a snack
Making fresh tracks… (Horse Creek Trail, Twin Lakes, Bridgeport, CA)
We each picked out a spot for our tents and erected them. Mine took quite sometime because of all the tie downs, which would become a problem on the last day. I chose what I thought was a perfect spot, but hindsight…It was not the best. Now, I know to pay closer attention to wind direction and choose a spot that doesn’t have a slope and is better protected by trees. It’s all about the learning experience, right? After setting up our tent, bedding and living area, we dug out a kitchen and privy for our use for the rest of the trip. The storm blew in by this time, so we spent dinner and the rest of the evening trying to keep warm. Dinner (vegetarian mac-n-cheese) was good, but cold because of the outside temps. Needless to say, we hit the hay early, plus we were going to get up a 3:30am, if the weather cooperated in order to climb Matterhorn Peak (12,267′). Evening was uneventful, and as always, I tossed and turned. I had never had a tent buddy who I didn’t know before, but he (Alex) ended up being a wonderful companion. He never moved an inch at night, nor did he snore! Plus, we engaged in some damn good conversation. He was perfect! The wind howled all night and a fair amount of snow fell. I had the feeling that we were not going to be able to summit the next day. Ahhhhh, the sweet feeling of being able to sleep in! Priceless!!!
Camp
Saddle before the ridge to Matterhorn Peak
North Face Assault 2 with vestibule
Tent Buddy
Because of the weather and avalanche danger, we were able to sleep in and have a relaxing breakfast. After breakfast, we put on our snowshoes, with ice axes and shovels in hand. The guides lectured us about avalanche awareness, finding a buried beacon, and the importance of getting to a victim within 15 min. if possible. We also learned how to self-arrest and build snow shelters (snow trench and snow cave). It was a very productive day and I learned a wealth of knowledge about backcountry winter camping/hiking. The day was cut short because the brunt of the storm moved in. We climbed in our tents at around 4pm. The guides delivered our dinner to the tents. The dinner was absolutely delicious (salmon/sun dried tomatoes/walnut/parmesan cheese pasta). The meal was hot and succulent. Hands down, it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had in the backcountry.
Taking in the views of Horse Canyon
Snow Trench
Snow Trench
Snow Cave
Snow Cave
View looking toward Twin Lakes/Mono Village
Winter Kitchen
Avi Beacon
That night, the winds were hellacious and the drifting snow sounded like waves crashing against the tent. A couple times the wind became so severe that I thought I was going to become Dorothy and find myself in the land of OZ. Again, it was a restless evening. At 7am, the guides came through and told us that we needed to tear down camp quickly because the storm was not letting up and blizzard conditions were forming. Over 100 mph winds were recorded on some of the Sierra peaks later that day! I had to dig myself out of the tent because of the snow drifts and new fallen snow. Because of the location I picked, as well at how deep we dug the stakes, it was very difficult to retrieve them. We had to dig quite deep to get them out. I learned to pick a spot that is a little more sheltered and not to bury the stakes quite so deep. I had to ask others for help to get the tent torn down, because everyone was standing around waiting for us. It was a pretty stressful moment with the wind, snow, and time constraints. Because of trying to get to lower elevation quickly, we did not make breakfast, and worse yet…No COFFEE! Ugggghhhh, this woman does not do well un-caffeinated. But alas, I did survive.
Stormy Sierra Sunset
We left camp and encountered white out blizzard conditions, until we hiked to a lower elevation. It was a very hard snowshoe trip out because of the deep powder. We were slipping along the side slope and sinking in…Even the guides were having a tough time. The lead guide mentioned that he loves guiding people, but that he never would have gone mountaineering on a day like this. Unfortunately when you make advance reservations, you have no idea what kind of weather you will encounter. I was unable to capture photos of the blizzard because of technical difficulties (batteries) and time constraints, but it was definitely “Nature’s Fury” out there! I’m glad that I picked a wild weather weekend…It gave me the skills and confidence to be able to handle severe weather in the future. Weather can change in a moment and it’s always beneficial and necessary to be prepared.
Town of Bridgeport
Drying out my gear in the truck
Scrumptious meal at Rhino Bar and Grille
By the time we got out of the weather and into the trees, we were soaked inside out. All of us were thankful when the cars and civilization came into view. Even though the weather didn’t cooperate, the trip was exciting and the knowledge I gained will aid me in my future endeavors. All of the people on the trip were wonderful and very helpful! What a awesome experience it was! I’d do it again in a heartbeat. My only complaint was that I wasn’t able to learn any climbing or crampon techniques…I guess that leaves something to learn and experience for next time!
Happy Trails! ~Solo Yolo
White Mountains near Sherwin Pass
Winter driving
View of the White Mountains
Guiding Company Critique: The Intro Mountaineering Course I took was through International/California Alpine Guides. Overall, the rating I give them is 6/10. The paperwork, prior to the trip, was streamlined and flawless. The company and the lead guide called me a week before the trip to touch base and answer any questions I had. The guides were very personable, and knowledgable about avi training and winter survival. I am confident that they would have been adept at teaching me climbing techniques as well. Some of the negatives were that the guides (company) weren’t as well prepared as I would’ve wanted (forgotten items and gear not tested before the next trip) and the equipment, which other clients borrowed, was quite old and in need of repair. I had all my own gear, so this was not an issue for me. Some of the items forgotten were: climbing rope, batteries for headlamp, tent vestibule poles, shovel, ice axe, coffee filters, etc.) Granted, many of the clients requested a lot of gear, but a thorough check by the hired guide company of the equipment and supplies should be of paramount importance. Other clients I have spoken to say nothing, but good things about this company. This might have been a rare occurrence, but one that left me a little dissatisfied. There are many guiding companies in the area, which I will list below. This is not an exhaustive list, but one to start from. Do your research and choose one that fits your needs and whom you feel comfortable with.
Invaluable Resource: Ned Tibbits, Director at Mountain Education, Inc. is extremely knowledgable of the area and wilderness safety and skills. His company is based out of South Lake Tahoe and provides clinics in the Sierra as well as WA. His focus is long haul hiking and being able to be successful in the backcountry for periods of longer than 30 days. He comes highly recommended and a must for people wanting to thru-hike. I am planning to take a course through his company, even though my longest planned hike will be the JMT. I follow him on FB, and he is an invaluable resource.
Trail Dust Dirty Girl 