9.47 Lakes Sherwin and Valentine; Alpine Lakes oh! so high
Valentine Lake surrounded by towering granite & basalt blocks One of the neighbors 'Valentine' Lake at 9,700 feet—you have to 'love' it Traveling down the 395, or for that matter, up the highway is dramatic. Looking into the deep valleys while black mountains stand tall, proud and emotionless is unforgettable. For the first time in three months, we saw a few raindrops, a rather nice experience—we look forward to something more substantial, though. However, a break for us was the developing cloud cover, cooling things down somewhat. Upon entering Mammoth Lakes, the temperature was at least 20 degrees less than we have experienced over the last few months, at ground level. It augurs well for hiking in this area. An artist's faint landscape Photographer sent into space for this shot—poor chap 'Get back up—not higher enough,' shouts the editor Today, we hiked 11.5 miles, gaining 2,100 feet as we sought to reach Lake Valentine, situate 9,700 fe...