Big Pine Lakes Basin
John Muir Wilderness
Inyo National Forest
September 5-8, 1999
Trip Leader: Dorie Stoessel
Trip Report By: Liz Schoendaler
No better way to spend a long Labor Day weekend than
bkpk'n high up in the mountains!
On Saturday (9/4), the day before our start, I drove with
Mindy (car-pooled) to Bishop where we met for dinner at
the Whisky Creek Restaurant. We ate like queens (and one
king named Steve) - spare ribs, BBQ chicken… a 3,000
calorie dinner to prepare for our climb tomorrow. Sitting
around the table were Dorie Stoessel, Mindy Foos, Judi
Marley, Liann Finnerty, Jean van Bargen and Steve Mendez
- proudly known as "Steve and the Girls". We
camped for the night at the Upper Sage Flat campground at
7,500 feet - a busy campground with holiday car-campers
partying and having a good old time.
Sunday at the trailhead we prepared for our 6.5 mile hike
- to our delight, Dorie discovered that the topo map
mileage was too high, by at least 1.5 miles (hike guide
was correct) and we managed to complete the 2,300 foot
elevation gain in less than five hours. During our hike,
we were mistaken for horses by hungry biting flies that
drove Dorie absolutely crazy!. Needless to say, 1st, 2nd
and 3rd Lakes (yes, those are really their names!) were
deep turquoise and just plain gorgeous. Too cold for me
but not for Jean and Liann who took occasional dips.
After settling in the first night (at 2nd Lake camp), our
second and third days were layover days where we hiked to
4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, Summit and ultimately Black Lakes
- extremely gorgeous up there! Exploring the mysteries of
the 2nd lake, we discovered old trestles, dams, and a
dynamited water tunnel protected by a large grate - if
only these old rocks could tell us what went on here
years ago.
Our first night, at dinnertime, we were treated with a
spectacular rockslide right across the lake! The sound
and look of these rocks tumbling down was filled with
excitement as we ran in different directions looking for
our cameras. With terrific weather throughout our stay,
four of us day-hiked to Sam Mack Meadow at 11,000 feet on
the third day. Dorie and I sat back and relaxed while our
two bravest climbers (Judi and Steve) went on to hike to
the Palisades Glacier (12,400 feet)! We all met back at
camp about 5 p.m., and Steve and Judi treated us with a
bag of ice for our happy hour!.
After packing 10 pounds of broken glass and five Ziploc
bags full of paper, old socks and aluminum foil we
collected the night before, we headed back to the
trailhead Wednesday morning - out by 12:00 noon (nice all
downhill). Steve had fun tearing apart his car to rescue
his keys inside the trunk. Ironically, I came home to
find a stupendous thunderstorm here in the Bay Area -
while the Sierras were as clear as ever… Thanks for
the great meals Dorie! See you out there!
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