| Mineral King Trailhead
... Let's hope the marmots leave Ron's Corolla in one piece! |
| Farewell Gap, Vandever
Mountain, White Chief Peak |
| Frank and Ron ...
early in the hike ... not yet dirty and stinky |
| Water flowing into
Monarch Creek, from a fissure |
| Sunset from Monarch
Creek Canyon |
| Monarch Creek Canyon |
| Mineral Peak, Lower
Monarch Lake |
| Enroute to Sawtooth
Pass |
| Empire Mountain |
| Blackrock Pass,
seen from Glacier Pass |
| Second thoughts
about Glacier Pass |
| Ron and Frank at
Sawtooth Pass ... Columbine Lake in background |
| Friendly couple
at Sawtooth Pass ... took our picture ... we didn't get their names ...
if this is you, please write! |
| Empire Mountain,
from Sawtooth Pass |
| Photo ops, at Sawtooth
Pass ... Sawtooth Peak in background |
| Columbine Lake ...
Red Spur in distance |
| After the steep,
sloppy route up Sawtooth Pass, it was remarkable to see the huge ducks
showing the way around Columbine Lake |
| Waltzing trees,
above Columbine Lake |
| Sometimes, there
were gaps between the ducks |
| Columbine Lake ...
Sawtooth Pass in distance |
| Looking down Lost
Canyon |
| Frank's tent, in
Lost Canyon |
| Ron's tent, in Lost
Canyon |
| Afternoon sun on
Red Spur, from Lost Canyon |
| Sawtooth Peak, from
Lost Canyon |
| Helicopter above
Needham Mountain, from Lost Canyon |
| Easy ford at Lost
Canyon Creek |
| Helicopter picking
up ground crew, at Lost Canyon Creek-Soda Creek Trail Junction |
| Helicopter taking
off from small meadow |
| Helicopter clears
the trees above small meadow |
| Last look at Sawtooth
Peak and Lost Canyon |
| Unnamed lake, enroute
to Big Five Lakes |
| Mount Kaweah |
| Lower Big Five Lake |
| Near Big Five Lakes |
| Wooden walkway over
dry ground |
| Alpenglow on Kaweah
Peaks Ridge |
| View across Little
Five Lake #2 |
| Blackrock Pass,
from Little Five Lake #2 |
| Ranger Cabin, at
Little Five Lake #2 |
| Ron starts out for
Blackrock Pass |
| Looking toward Blackrock
Pass |
| Crossing ridges
en route to Blackrock Pass |
| Uppermost Little
Five Lake |
| Kaweah Peaks, across
Big Arroyo |
| Closing in on Blackrock
Pass |
| Ron, at Blackrock
Pass |
| Ron checking the
view at Blackrock Pass |
| Upper Little Five
and Big Five Lakes, from Blackrock Pass |
| Upper Cliff Creek
Canyon, from Blackrock Pass |
| Ron and Frank, at
Blackrock Pass |
| Sawtooth Peak, and
Columbine, Cyclamen, and Spring Lakes, from Blackrock Pass |
| Spring Lake and
Glacier Pass, from Blackrock Pass |
| Glacier Pass and
Empire Mountain, from Blackrock Pass |
| Cliff Creek Canyon
and Timber Gap, from Blackrock Pass |
| Little Five Lakes,
Big Arroyo and Sierra Crest, from Blackrock Pass |
| Great Western Divide,
from Blackrock Pass |
| Blackrock Pass,
from trail to Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Ron, descending
from Blackrock Pass |
| Sawtooth Peak, Spring
Lake, and Glacier Pass, from trail to Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Gentleman Hiker,
ascending Blackrock Pass ... enroute to Kaweah Gap, then out via Bearpaw
Meadow |
| Blackrock Pass,
from Cliff Creek Canyon Trail |
| Approaching Pinto
Lake, in Cliff Creek Canyon ... best campsites are across the creek, in
trees at left |
| Trickling waterfall,
on east side of Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Closer view of Pinto
Lake, in Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Frank pumping water,
in Cliff Creek Canyon near Pinto Lake |
| Alpenglow along
Great Western Divide, from Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Ron tightening his
boot laces, before the last day's hike |
| Mount Eisen, along
Great Western Divide on the east side of Cliff Creek Canyon |
| View down Cliff
Creek Canyon |
| View toward Timber
Gap Trail junction, in Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Cliff Creek Falls |
| Ron checking the
map, in Cliff Creek Canyon |
| Bear box warning
label, at Timber Gap Trail junction |
| Forested ridges,
along Timber Gap Trail |
| Approaching Timber
Gap |
| Dry waterfall, along
Timber Gap Creek |
| Ron, with Tableland
in the background, from Timber Gap Trail |
| Mineral King vista,
from Timber Gap Trail (defective camera shutter) |
| Ron takes a picture,
as we descend to trailhead from Timber Gap |
| View back to Timber
Gap (defective camera shutter) |
| Mineral King Valley |
| Closing the loop! |
| Ron's Corolla is
still there! |
| Last
view of Sawtooth Peak |
| Mineral King Ranger
Station |
| Leaving Mineral
King ... the Kaweah River Bridge |
| Trip Map
(BIG, 380K!) |