Jenni walks through a 'wall' as she comes over Mono Pass.
Click arrow to hear Brian accompanied by Neville.
The winds prevent the pitching of tent, below freezing temperature prevents us making whoopee.
“How about an overnight trip through Mono Pass?” The boy-hero asked of the editor. It was decided then
that we would hike the 2,500 feet cumulative gain in the afternoon, take in the sunset, sleep in our tent and
wake for the sunrise on some of the most exquisitely colored mountains. We had hiked this region before but
as day hikes. Preparation began in earnest at 11am following a good rest after a big hike the previous day.
Things were going well until we felt the weight of our backpacks. One of the things about backpacking is that
it's an honest or honor system. You can take whatever you want, kitchen sink included, but you have to carry it.
This causes some of the luxuries to fall by the wayside.
Some of the little lakes in the 'Little Lakes Valley'.
The unbelievable Sierras, after a light snow dusting.
“What’s that?” We asked the editor when we saw something that looked a little out of place.
“My hot-water bottle,” came the reply. We’re going camping and the editor is taking something to warm her body
and feet overnight. We were peeved not because we thought that was our function—maybe, a little—but that
seemed superfluous. Not once did we even think of taking our blanket and teddy bear.
“With all these extras we’re going to need a donkey or a mule,” we retorted.
“I thought we already have one,” she smugly replied. Boy, this is going to be a long hike.
Destination: Summit Lake. What's with the wind? An hour before sunset the temperature was below freezing. Three
days before we were in the desert, 90 degrees. Our bodies haven't a clue what's going on. Come to think of it, our minds
aren't that tuned-in either.
A painting for our friend, Maude.
When we lifted our backpacks, we realized it would also be a tough hike. However, when we walked out
of our room, the scary part was that the wind had arrived. Wind is always an issue whether one is flying,
hiking or from bad food. We headed for Mosquito Flats, the trailhead for a few hikes including the attractive
Little Lakes Valley. We began climbing after 2pm with the intention of having sufficient time to reach
our destination, find somewhere to pitch tent, take in the scenes, cook and eat before dark. The trail was good,
the views staggering, the weight on the back a real pain in the rear, the ‘thin’ air discernible near the top
and the wind disturbing. The worry of low temperatures and whether our tent would remain pegged with the strong
winds and worse, gusts was always a concern. In the back of our minds, the thought was we could always search for
a well-sheltered spot even some distance from our planned destination. If the bears can do it, why not us.
After all, we are homo sapiens or so we think.
Jen rushing back to trailhead, a race against the failing light.
A little color relief provided by the aspens of the Eastern Sierra, at a great distance.
Jenni heads below the pass, the distinctive Sierras.
There is a big difference hiking with a daypack compared with thirty-five to forty pounds sitting
on the back. It changes the nature of the hike although nothing beats the relief of setting it down and
enjoying the sights afterwards. Back to the trail: The regulations dictate that one may not camp less
than 100 feet from water, a very reasonable request. We were carrying our own drinking water. However, we
would need to fill the editor’s hot-water bottle—bless her heart. Therefore, we could not camp too far
from Summit Lake because the boy-hero tends to be lazy. He would probably get lost in the dark while searching
for the lake and/or the return to the tent. The lake was our destination point for the night. Naturally, we would
have to heat water, as we believe at 12,600 feet, the altitude we reached, there aren’t that many hot springs.
It was already dark when the last bit of sun fought 'going to bed'. The colors in the twilight were wonderful
although the camera struggled.
When we looked for a campsite, we had to avoid the sidewalls because of potential falling/rolling rocks
from the wall at rear.
We kept a steady pace as we ascended the well-graded path although steep in places. Thoughts of a night
on the top of a mountain, waking to a sunrise, provided a great incentive. In addition, romance has certainly
not left our relationship. We know for a fact that a mature woman likes nothing more than a night out in the wilds;
the higher and more remote the mountain, so much the better. Throw in a hot water bottle and an even warmer husband
and what more can a woman want. People think this boy-hero doesn’t understand womenfolk. Ha!
Meantime, instead of slowing down, the wind velocity increased. It was becoming an excellent day for kite-flying.
We reached our intended destination and began a search for shelter. The first thing we noticed was the
mountain wall on the western side of the pass had thousands of boulders and rocks covering it. What would
occur if one or more of those ‘buggers’ decided to roll down the mountain and we happened to be camping in
their path. Scratch that site. We searched for a boulder that would act as shelter. See earlier picture for a visual.
Ruby Lake looking more like emerald.
I've got a heavy load on my back, I'm climbing thousands of feet...what the heck am I doing? Yeah! But
look at the various tones behind you.
We pulled out the tent while the editor searched for her gloves. Uh! Oh! We both left them at home.
Okay, we brought spare socks. Our editor is dexterous with her hands but handicapped when they are covered
in socks. After ten minutes of trying to pitch a tent although it felt like launching a para-glider, Bill A,
we had another decision to make . Fortunately, we had completed a great hike, the sunset and sunrise elements
would have to take place another day. We repacked, got rid of excess water, which froze the hands.
The romantic side of the evening was dissipating quickly.
We were well beyond Mono Pass so we had about 4.5 miles return trip to the car with about an hour and a bit
of light. As an aside, the light made for such beauty on the surrounding mountains and lakes that we ended
up taking many photographs. At last light, the sky turned red and purple and we viewed scenes not previously
seen, certainly in our lives. Unfortunately, we only had the small camera available; it struggled in the low
light. All’s well that ends well. We had not forgotten flashlights and so even had it been dark, we would
have been fine. Nevertheless, we misjudged the wind velocity and the bitter cold. Fortunately, we accomplished
a great hike although we carried an awful lot of weight on our backs for nothing. However, we know that’s not
true—we always gain something from each experience including witnessing Jenni's show of grit. Besides,
the editor had no need for a water bottle that night.
Last light and a good night. Goodnight!
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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