Vegas, Whitney and the High Sierra, Part 3

[bcborder]

Mono Divide High Country

The final leg of this trip was a 6 day backpack in the Mono Divide High Country just north of Kings Canyon. After hiking out of Whitney, I went back to the Lone Pine Ranger Station for the 11:00 AM drawing and got a unclaimed/walk in permit for the Piute Pass trail. This trail gives access to a large area above timberline that offers off-trail travel and many, many scramble peaks.

Summit Lake looking East from Piute Pass

Snow was in the forecast so I changed my plans from camping at 12000' to camping at 8000' the first night near Hutchinson Meadow.

For the next 4 days I was mostly off trail. I camped two nights at Merriam Lake which gave me a change to bag Merriam Peak. I went over Ruskie Pass to the Seven Gables drainage but rain out of time for Seven Gables.

Merriam Lake

I broke camp, went over Carols Col and spent my last two nights at Lower Golden Trout Lake. Pilot Knob is a moderate Class 2 scramble and a straight forward cross country hike from Golden Trout Lake.

Pilot Knob

Photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/bcborder/MonoDivideHighCountry#

This is a fantastic area. Two weeks wasn't enough!

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Thanks for posting the TR's and photos. Am just back home to the Sierra myself after spending the past 6 weeks in the Oregon Cascades. The Cascades and CO Rockies are beautiful, but IMHO the Sierra is still #1 in this country.