July 14 - Valentine Lake (Mammoth Lakes CA)

OK, this is not truly a "Utah" experience but it still counts....

Vacation 2013 - Hiking near Mammoth Lakes CA. Was here last year and loved it so much, I had to re-experience some of it again.

Heading to Valentine Lake today. (I have not been here before.) The TH is only a couple miles from my hotel and its away from the Mammoth Lakes "crowd". At least that's what I'm hoping because today's Sunday and everything will be packed.

I chose it because of location (away from the crowds) and its has some length to it (9.3 miles) instead of the 2-4 milers around the Mammoth Lakes.

When I get to the TH, a little after 8am, there were only a few cars in the parking lot (yea!). The trail destination is, of course, Valentine Lake which is 4.7sh miles and 2150ft in elevation. Its sunny and around 70degrees and a starting elevation of around 7700ft.

The trail starts pretty flat through sagebrush.  But quickly, I cross a small stream/pond and enter a fir, pine, juniper and aspen forest. Pretty shady in here (and cool). One of the pine species is a Jeffrey Pine which supposed to smell like butterscotch. I smelled plenty of pine trees on this hike but didn't smell anything close to butterscotch - and a few times only got a face full of bugs. :(

There were plenty of very large pine cones though (about the size of my hand).

Once in the forest, the uphill climb began. At least is wasn't too bad as it wasn't straight up a mountain rather switchbacks. Not many flowers here (too shady). But the trail did open up at times and were filled with lupine and other flowers. Passed through a burned out section -- it may sound bleak but blacked skeletons of trees have an eeiry beauty to them. (One section, looked like a boneyard.)

 Finally, arrive at the first of the Sherwin Lakes. (The Sherwin Lakes are 2 lakes).

Very quiet here as no one's around. I stopped to enjoy the lake when I about jumped out of my shoes when a guy's voice broke the silence. (He was quite stealthy until he spoke.) He just wanted to know where the other lake was.

I started back down the trail. The grade has eased quite a bit. Walking on a sandy trail enjoying the spattering of flowers. I come to a junction in the trail -- which is confusing because somehow I'm not on the main trail -- hmmm, not sure how that happened but I'm back on track now. Continue weaving my way between the shade and sun. Tons of Boisduval's Blue flying and a few Lorquin's Admiral.

I finally come to a very damp forest area (and some hungry mosquitoes). The vegetation is kinda thick and covers the trail but I plow through anyway. There are some pretty neat pink flowers that I've never seen before,

also ferns, and a flower that looks like a fuzzy ball. The area is wet and there is a small broken footbridge that crosses one of the muddier areas. There are orchids and pink fireweed in there as well.

Out of the wet and back into the woods. Come across shinleaf (wintergreen)

And Pinedrops - a plant that does not photosynthesize.

There's another lake; its much drier and marshier (and smaller) than the others. I'm sure a few weeks back there was much more water in here.

I can hear a flowing creek now. And I get to see it quite a bit as the switchback begin again (of course the creek is on only one side of the switchback). As I climb, the forest thins and there are many flowers: lupine, penstemon, monkeyflowers, etc especially next to the creek.

I know I'm in the homestretch when the switchbacks stop and the trail follows the creek the rest of the way up the hill. I can get a glimpse of Valentine Lake but the trail stops and to get closer, I need to make my way through a bunch of willows. I see 2 people by the lake and as I get closer the lady let's out a scream -- she thought I was a moose or bear rustling thru the willows at them -- guess I should have announced myself. It was a good laugh (for everyone).

They had been camping since Friday and I'm the first person they seen at the lake (they hadn't seen moose or bear either). They told me that there wasn't an official trail around the lake -- would just have to do some scrambling. Then they left and I had the lake all to myself.

So I found a good rock and enjoyed the views of the lake nestled in the mountains.

After a bit, I decided to make my way thru the willows to the other side of the lake (if I could get across the creek that the lake was feeding). Conveniently, there was a log and rocks that made getting across really easy. Hey, and the view from the middle of the creek wasn't so bad especially the downhill side which had a good view down the valley.

Finally time to start heading down.

When I make to the trailhead, there is a large orange butterfly I start to track. But it wasn't really a bfly but a moth with large eyespots --- too bad it didn't stop long enough for a photo as it was pretty neat.

Good trail, tired/sore feet.