Charlotte Dome fills the view from the campsite where I stayed the first night.
The view of Mt Brewer and adjacent peaks was lovely as usual.
This telophoto shot is my favorite of Mount Brewer. It was taken in the evening and the mountains are bathed in alpenglow.
As on all first days, it was a great feeling to finish the day's work.
Like most first days, I arrived at my campsite exhausted. All the new equipment performed well. The new boots felt like I had worn them forever. The backpack became more and more comfortable as I learned how to adjust the multitude of straps. The tent was easy to set up and worked as well as I suspected it would. The new camera was worth taking despite the extra weight. There was a lot more water in the creek than the last time I came through here a few Augusts ago.
Weird dreams filled the night as I slept too hot in the new tent. Despite the heat, I awoke refreshed the next morning. As I climbed toward Gardiner Pass, I caught a glimpse of Charlotte Lake, something I had missed on the last trip.
Charlotte Lake looks like a small pond in this view.
The remaining climb followed trail and I arrived at Gardiner Pass at 9:00. The view of the Brewer Group to the south was lovely.
The view to the south from Gardiner Pass includes Mount Brewer and North Guard across Bubbs Creek Canyon.
The west branch of Gardiner Creek and the lakes along it lay stretched out to the north.
West Fork Gardiner Creek from Gardiner Pass - The view to the north from Gardiner Pass includes the creek and numerous lakes that lead down to the main fork of Gardiner Creek.
The north side of Gardiner Pass is much steeper than the forested south side.
Gardiner Pass from the North - This shows the steep north side of Gardiner Pass from one of the lovely lakes at the headwaters of the West Fork of Gardiner Creek.
Once in the basin, double crested Mount Gardiner made an impressive statement.
Mount Gardiner from lake below Gardiner Pass - Mount Gardiner is one of the three major peaks surrounding the basin. The pass at its base is a little used short cut to the upper Gardiner Basin.
The descent past the chain of lakes was swampier than last trip and the area looked a little more heavily used than I had remembered. The trail is still spotty, though. A party was camped at the large lake at the bottom of the chain. The trail to Gardiner Creek was very steep and it would be difficult to find if you were coming from the other direction. While in the basin, I did my best to stay on trail even though it may have been a little slower than going cross country.
At mid-afternoon, I had reached the middle fork of Gardiner Creek and decided to explore the lakes that fed it.
Middle Fork of Gardiner Creek - The middle fork of Gardiner Creek has a very remote feel about it. If you get off the beaten path in the Sierra Nevada, you can enjoy a true wilderness experience.
I hiked to the second to the highest lake and then returned to the best camping spot I had seen on the way up.
Middle Fork of Gardiner Creek from Above - This is a view of the middle fork of Gardiner Creek from the top of the cirque wall at the creek's south end, i.e., the view is to the north.
There were very few signs of any camping in this pristine area.
Animals in this part of the basin seem fearless. A curious pine marten came to visit me but I scared him away because I did not want him to share my dinner. I caught a couple of beautiful golden trout but threw them back. It felt good to take a bath in the small lake next to my campsite.
The next morning, I was awakened by the sharp and mournful howl of a coyote. He was just across the lake and the howl was very loud. He moved up the valley and continued letting out his howl for the next half hour as if to say, "Each lake that I howl by is my territory!" If I hadn't heard someone let out a whoop at a lower lake yesterday, I would have felt all alone. As it was I saw no one else on this day until I got to the lower end of Sixty Lake Basin.
I followed the trail through Gardiner Basin as closely as possible to the pass into Sixty Lake Basin. At first glance, it does not look like there is any place to camp around the upper reaches of Gardiner Basin.
Mount Clarence King and Mount Cotter - This photo of the upper reaches of Gardiner Basin was taken from the seldom used pass at the base of Mount Gardiner. It shows a couple of the smaller lakes in the upper part of the basin but not the largest lake or the pass to Sixty Lake Basin.
Further examination uncovers numerous protected flat areas among bushy, low-growing pines. There are one person campsites for the most part. The area is ideally suited for a retreat, given that it is at upper reaches of tree line and the landscape has a surreal feel about it.
I reached the pass to Sixty Lakes Basin at lunch time. The descent was easy, but there were so many ducks that they became distracting. Every possible route seems to be marked by them. The upper lakes are full of fish. I took the wrong trail for a while and started toward Rae Lakes but soon I was back on the path to the lower lakes.
At a water stop, I lost my balance and twisted my right foot in my boot. One of the bones in my foot popped and my foot began to swell. Walking became painful but not impossible. At a creek crossing, I took off my shoes and soaked my feet. I changed into water shoes and wore them for the rest of the day.
I camped on the shores of the lowest lake in the chain.
Campsite at lowest of Sixty Lakes - The view to the south across this small lake is just one of many lovely scenes in the area.
There were about a million mosquitos for every lake in the chain. A party of eight was camped nearby and I went over for a visit. They had decided to climb Mount Cotter the next day and I invited myself along.
The next morning, my foot was black and blue and even more swollen. One of the guys in the nearby group said it looked like I had suffered a stress fracture. I begged out of the climb and decided to begin the trip home a day early.
I spent an hour or so exploring the area and enjoying the magnificent views including Fin Dome.
