2021 Labor Day Weekend Backpacking & Peak-bagging at Mineral

After learning my own permit to Inyo NF was cancelled due to the CA fire closures, I was stoked about this opportunity to still be able to spend the weekend in the mountains. Our group of four left Friday after work slowly making our way through the dense LA traffic towards Mineral King. It was past mid night when we finally arrived at the closed Ranger station. We quickly settled down for the night to pick up our permit the next morning/Saturday. And so the adventure began.

Day one route: Sawtooth TH - Glacier Pass - Spring Lake - Black Rock Pass - Little Five Lakes - Arroyo Patrol Cabin to camp. 10.5 miles at 5K' elevation gain.

Day two: early start and left camp at 6am after breakfast. After 1/2 on High Sierra Trail, turned left into a chute scrambling and bushwhacking towards the Kaweah peaks. 4K elevation gain in 3.5 miles, all off trail on loose screw and talus on steep terrain. No other souls were in sight. Summited Red Kaweah, 13,720', at 9:35a. Registery shows we are the third entry of 2021. 

Descended to the base at 11am, said bye to my climbing partner who'd move onto Second Kaweah and Mt. Kaweah. I soloed off trail via a different route back to camp, lunched, refilled water and packed up to hike out at 2:15pm. It's a beautiful solo trek and made it back to Spring Lake at 6:45p, before dark.  

 

Day three: took time to get ready, broke camp, refilled water and stashed heavy pack by a dry tree above Spring Lake, scrambled up to Cyclamen Lake, then onto Columbine Lake. Pristine and tranquil! At 12:30p, returned to Spring Lake, climbed back to Glacier Pass and descended back to Sawtooh TH. Made it back home at 11pm. Love this short but epic trip.