TR:Davis Lakes-Garnet-1000 Island-Minnow Creek- and More
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:03 pm
In my long established tradition of way too long trip reports, here's 11 days of hiking from 2019.
Day 0
I made the 8 hour drive from home down to Bishop for the start of my annual pilgrimage to the Sierra. The day started clear and sunny but had turned to cold and stormy as I drove up to the South Lake parking lot. I planned to get changed into my hiking cloths, grab my pack, and hitch a ride down to Bishop where I would catch the ESTA bus up to Mammoth. Just as I was finishing my cloths change, a group of hikers came off trail, headed towards their cars. I shoved my feet into my trail runners and quickly made my way across the parking lot. Though they had to rearrange a few things, they were willing to give me a ride down to Bishop. Unfortunately, in my haste, I left my trekking poles in my car...which I realized as I got out of their car at the Bishop Vons. Well, at least there are outfitters in Mammoth where I could get a second pair. The start of the ride to Mammoth was quite the experience as the bus driver was paying much more attention to his cell phone than the road. Several horns honked as he split two lanes headed out of Bishop. Fortunately, he managed to miss every vehicle or rather they managed to miss him.
Fortunately Mammoth Mountaineering was open and I got the cheapest pair of aluminum trekking poles they had. While not as nice as the ones resting in my car, they were certainly fine for the trip at hand. Continuing on foot - the town trolleys stop running before the ESTA bus arrives in Mammoth at 7:00 - I quickly made my way to my campsite near the Mammoth Welcome Center. I got my tarp set up by head lamp light and then wolfed down a quick dinner of two salami and cheese burritos before retiring to my home for the night.
Day 1
I was up and packed by 7:30. Arriving at the Ranger Station before 8, there were only 4 other people there ahead of me, not that it mattered since I had reserved a permit leaving Agnew Meadows by the High Trail before arriving. A bit of entertainment was in store for the rest of us in line as the first two guys decided to argue about LNT with the ranger issuing them a permit. A) They were wrong (big surprise), B) why would you argue with the person who could deny you a permit? About 30 minutes later, I had my permit and was headed to the bus stop to catch the purple line with a breakfast burrito in mind before heading up to Agnew Meadows. An hour later at the Adventure Center I bought a ticket and on the way back to the bus saw someone that I thought I recognized. On the ride up to Agnew Meadows I became certain of it, it was "Cat", and she was getting off at Agnew Meadows too. We had a nice chat about where she was hiking and how much I loved her photos and videos on YouTube. She was headed up to Shadow Lake and beyond, so we parted at the trailhead as I headed up the High Trail at 10 AM. I was in fine form at first but fizzled fast. About 3 hours and only 5 miles later, I needed a rest. So, I laid out my ccf pad on a flat spot in a small copse of trees along the trail and snacked on jerky while I relaxed. That rejuvenated me some but not enough. The views of the San Joaquin River canyon and Shadow Lake from the High Trail on the way in were awesome; however, by the time that I got to the bridge across Rush Creek between Waugh and Gem Lakes, I knew that I was done for the day.
I was now in an LNT quandry; someone left 9 cans of beer in the creek. There is no one else camped here, and the sun is going down. Do I:
a) Leave the beers where they lie,
b) Drink a few and pack out the empty cans, or
c) Pour out all of the beers and pack out all of the empty cans?
Drinking all of the beer is not an option; it’s Bud Light. (Who packs in Bud Light?)
Day 0
I made the 8 hour drive from home down to Bishop for the start of my annual pilgrimage to the Sierra. The day started clear and sunny but had turned to cold and stormy as I drove up to the South Lake parking lot. I planned to get changed into my hiking cloths, grab my pack, and hitch a ride down to Bishop where I would catch the ESTA bus up to Mammoth. Just as I was finishing my cloths change, a group of hikers came off trail, headed towards their cars. I shoved my feet into my trail runners and quickly made my way across the parking lot. Though they had to rearrange a few things, they were willing to give me a ride down to Bishop. Unfortunately, in my haste, I left my trekking poles in my car...which I realized as I got out of their car at the Bishop Vons. Well, at least there are outfitters in Mammoth where I could get a second pair. The start of the ride to Mammoth was quite the experience as the bus driver was paying much more attention to his cell phone than the road. Several horns honked as he split two lanes headed out of Bishop. Fortunately, he managed to miss every vehicle or rather they managed to miss him.
Fortunately Mammoth Mountaineering was open and I got the cheapest pair of aluminum trekking poles they had. While not as nice as the ones resting in my car, they were certainly fine for the trip at hand. Continuing on foot - the town trolleys stop running before the ESTA bus arrives in Mammoth at 7:00 - I quickly made my way to my campsite near the Mammoth Welcome Center. I got my tarp set up by head lamp light and then wolfed down a quick dinner of two salami and cheese burritos before retiring to my home for the night.
Day 1
I was up and packed by 7:30. Arriving at the Ranger Station before 8, there were only 4 other people there ahead of me, not that it mattered since I had reserved a permit leaving Agnew Meadows by the High Trail before arriving. A bit of entertainment was in store for the rest of us in line as the first two guys decided to argue about LNT with the ranger issuing them a permit. A) They were wrong (big surprise), B) why would you argue with the person who could deny you a permit? About 30 minutes later, I had my permit and was headed to the bus stop to catch the purple line with a breakfast burrito in mind before heading up to Agnew Meadows. An hour later at the Adventure Center I bought a ticket and on the way back to the bus saw someone that I thought I recognized. On the ride up to Agnew Meadows I became certain of it, it was "Cat", and she was getting off at Agnew Meadows too. We had a nice chat about where she was hiking and how much I loved her photos and videos on YouTube. She was headed up to Shadow Lake and beyond, so we parted at the trailhead as I headed up the High Trail at 10 AM. I was in fine form at first but fizzled fast. About 3 hours and only 5 miles later, I needed a rest. So, I laid out my ccf pad on a flat spot in a small copse of trees along the trail and snacked on jerky while I relaxed. That rejuvenated me some but not enough. The views of the San Joaquin River canyon and Shadow Lake from the High Trail on the way in were awesome; however, by the time that I got to the bridge across Rush Creek between Waugh and Gem Lakes, I knew that I was done for the day.
I was now in an LNT quandry; someone left 9 cans of beer in the creek. There is no one else camped here, and the sun is going down. Do I:
a) Leave the beers where they lie,
b) Drink a few and pack out the empty cans, or
c) Pour out all of the beers and pack out all of the empty cans?
Drinking all of the beer is not an option; it’s Bud Light. (Who packs in Bud Light?)