Day 6
Thursday August 20, 2020
Today was wide open. I had read about some lake trails that were supposed to be spectacular. Ediza Lake was made famous by Ansel Adams. That would fourteen strenuous miles round trip. A few miles more and I could have hit Iceberg Lake, too. There's also the Thousand Island Lake. Tempting, but I decided to stay local.
First off it was back to Minaret Vista. The smoky haze made for an uninspiring sunrise. That is, until I drove out of the parking lot to leave...
Next up, I decided to go for a twofer. The hike to Emerald Lake is less than half a mile. Halfway there is the turnoff for the two mile trail to Barrett’s Lake. The first quarter mile from the parking lot was fairly easy, but steep. Otherwise a nice walk through the woods.
At the lake, I met a father and young son looking for a spot to so some fishing. I asked and he said they were looking for trout. They come here because the trout in the bigger lakes are more often from hatcheries.
Backtracking to the Barrett Lake Trail...
One thing I hate seeing on a hiking trail is an unmarked spur that goes…somewhere.
On the way back I met a guy named Dennis. By winter he’s a ski instructor. By summer, he works for the city of Mammoth Lakes. His job it to walk the trails, pick up litter and answer any questions the hikers may have. It turns out he’s from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I told him that was my June plan pre-Covid. He gave me some good advice on thing to look for, and how to translate some local slang.
I also met a guy cradling a camera in his arms with a really big lens. I told him I had lens envy. His lens was 600mm and he was looking for wildlife. His dog was obviously antsy to move along, not stop and chat.
Back in the parking lot, I checked out the trail map. The hike out to Heart Lake was a mile each way. I could do another two miles. While the trail was mostly compacted dirt, it was pretty steep in places. But, worth the effort.
The lake is in fact heart shaped, thus the name. The trail brings you to the upper point in the heart, between the two curves. From here, it's not easy making out the full shape, so I tried a trail that appeared to loop around the lake's shore.
It was relatively clear hiking until the bottom point of the heart. Then the trail went up a bit. I was fine until I hit the area of loose shale. But, there was no turning back.
Suddenly I found myself with perhaps a fifteen foot climb down a steep decline of loose rock and shale. I stood there looking for a safe route. That's when I notice and asian woman walking the loop the other way. She reached up and offered me one of her trekking poles. Once on more firm ground, I handed it back and thanked her. Funny how easily thanks can be expressed, even with a language barrier.
From the hike back to the trailhead...
One last stop before calling it a day. During my last visit here, the entire length of road out to Horseshoe Lake was barricaded. This happens from time to time.
Back in 1989, a series of earthquakes opened cracks underground, releasing CO2. The levels rise and fall and there are sensors scattered around the area. When the levels get too high, alarms go off and they close everything down.
The first thing you notice when pulling into the parking lot are the dead trees. The extra CO2 in the ground starves the tree roots and they die.
As for the lake itself, the warning sign speaks volumes...
As for the lake levels, I heard one guy tell another the lake was two-thirds full just a couple of weeks ago. What this means, I do not know.
Back at the room, I checked my email before calling it a day. That’s where I found this from the National Park Service…
Dear Valued Guest:
We are sending this email to let you know of a current temporary road closure to Yosemite National Park.
This evening, the National Park Service temporary closed Highway 120 west of Groveland, CA due to the Moccasin Fire outside Yosemite National Park. If you are traveling from San Francisco, CA or any location west of Groveland, CA - you will need to take the following route:
Interstate 580/205 east to:
Hwy 99 south to:
Hwy 140 east to:
El Portal, CA outside the southwest entrance of Yosemite
You may get more detailed directions by mapping your location to El Portal, CA which is just two miles outside the 140W entrance to Yosemite. You may also call 800-427-7623 for current highway updates.
If you are traveling from Highway 140W, Highway 41S, or Highway 120E, these entrances are all currently open and not affected by the fire.
Thank you.
Fortunately, this wasn't the route I was taking.
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