Distance: 17 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 12362'
Elevation Gain: 5136'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 4.5
Round trip time: 10 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 200 oz.
Parking/Fees: $16 backpacking permit (Inyo National Forest)
Difficulty: Strenuous
Leisa planned a backpacking trip to the Big Pine Creek area with a permit for the third lake. I had only seen this area through haze from the summit of Cloudripper. There were nine or more lakes in this basin fed from dozens of Eastern Sierra mountains. Backpacking is not my favorite way to visit the mountains. I prefer to go fast and light, even if I start and return in the dark, then sleep in a comfortable bed. However, it was a chance spend more time with her in the wilderness. We packed up and got to the Big Pine overnight trailhead around 3:00 PM. The hike in to the third lake was about 5.8 miles and about 3000' gain and our camp site was just over 10000'. It was hot as we hiked the north fork of Big Pine, but cooled off as we reached the third lake. All the trails were well signed. The first three lakes were classic, glacier fed beauties. From the second lake, we had a front row view of Temple Crag. After we got set up, we only had about an hour of daylight left, which we spent appreciating the area.
The next morning, we took our day packs and continued up to Sam Mack Meadow. This was an idyllic green garden spot in a granite bowl. Sheets of snow clung tenaciously in shaded crags. There was a wide crossing of Big Pine Creek North Fork and we got our feet wet, but we didn't need to wade. On the other side, the trail climbed aggressively. Even though we had slept at elevation, we both felt breathy and took plenty of breaks. Mount Robinson dominated the landscape until we reached about 11500'. Then, we were treated to views of famous eastern giants: Mount Sill, Mount Gayley, North Palisade, Thunderbolt, Winchell, and Agassiz. I had aspirations of attempting Sill this year, but could not find an available partner and was unwilling to try it solo. One other hiker passed us on the way to the glacier and we met up with him again at the top. A half mile before the glacier, the official trail ended. To continue, we faced a quarter mile sidehill scramble on loose, sandy boulders. Dozens of cairns dotted the boulder field to guide us through. This was the hardest part of the hike and Leisa almost tapped. We dropped our poles in the boulder field because they were detrimental and she persevered. The last quarter mile was over slabs, also heavily marked with cairns, but much easier terrain. We stopped at a high point on the lip of the glacier bowl at 12362'. The glacier didn't quite fill the bowl. Sheets of ice and semi-truck sized chunks of ice floated in the lake. Ice and snow shelves were stacked in the U-notch below North Palisade. It was primordial. We were only 0.6 miles from Mount Sill but still almost 1800' below it. I was humbled in the presence of these mountains, so close and so inaccessible. After hanging out for a while, we returned to camp, packed up, and hiked out. It was a memorable experience. I'd like to see some of these mountains up close again.
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