SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA
HOOVER WILDERNESS
SUMMIT LAKE AREA
JULY, 1991
INTRODUCTION
This is a hike I made at the tail end of a
couple of weeks roaming south from Oregon. I meet my
friends Bob and Kathy in Lee Vining and we drove in my
truck to the trailhead.
Friday, July 5, 4:00 p.m.
We are camped on the ridge above the saddle between Summit
Lake and Hoover Lakes. Bob, Kathy and I left from Virginia
Lakes trailhead at 10:15 this morning. At 11:05 we took
about a 15 minute break at Cooney Lake. I reached the pass
at 12:10 and Bob and Kathy followed about 10 minutes later.
We took a break here for about half an hour, eating some
snacks and taking pictures. We then headed downhill to the
saddle, crossed the merging streams and climbed up to the
ridge where we're at now. While Kathy stayed behind to
rest, Bob and I scouted up this meadow a little bit and
found a good area for a campsite in some trees on the edge
of the meadow.
The wind is quite strong through here. We debated as to
whether this was a temporary or normal wind, but after
looking at the way the trees were all bent in one
direction, we decided that this was probably a normal wind
pattern. The wind appears to come up Virginia canyon out of
Tuolumne Meadows, across Summit Lake, over the saddle we
were camped on, and down the canyon towards Gilman and East
Lakes.
A little while ago, after making camp and eating a late
lunch, I was roaming near the edge of the ridge and found
part of an obsidian arrowhead. A quick search yielded many
pieces of chipped obsidian in the immediate area. I studied
the landscape and realized that what I was looking at was
probably a one time summer campground for the Indians of
the Mono basin. The area was relatively flat with
incredible views looking west-northwest. I theorized that
they must have carried the obsidian with them and made
their arrowheads while camped here, since there appears to
be no obsidian in this area. There is an ample supply of
obsidian in the Mono basin, due to all the volcanic
activity (Mono craters). I later showed Bob and Kathy what
I had found. Bob and I searched the area again, but came up
with very little more.
Saturday, July 6, 9:00 a.m.
I just finished a fine breakfast of juice (Tang),
Grape-Nuts, applesauce, a bagel with marmalade, and some
tea. Last night we made a fire after collecting an ample
supply of firewood. We then made dinner. Bob and Kathy had
a freeze dried feast. My attempts at not using expensive
freeze-dried food is working. My dinner last night
consisted of brown rice with curry powder mixed with a
little trail mix. A cup of tea followed later by some hot
chocolate with Amaretto, was more than enough. I'm glad
that I've gotten away from the freeze-dried syndrome. Meals
made for two, a mess to clean up later, and a build-up of
gas are definitely minuses. I feel like I'm traveling
lighter or at least less bulky.
Last evening, before dinner, we decided to walk down the
trail to the edge of Summit Lake where the trail crosses
into Yosemite National Park, descending Virginia canyon. We
thought maybe we could find a camp site offering more
protection from the wind since Kathy had expressed some
concern about her comfort for the evening. We found no
respite from the wind but did discover more people camped
here than where we were. Along the way I noticed several
good campsites in the trees above the lake. Some men were
fishing at the edge of the lake where the wind hadn't
touched down and disturbed the water. We looked down
Virginia canyon wondering what the trail was like. There
was quite a bit of haze coming up the canyon. It was such a
contrast with the scenery to the east; crystal clear and
vibrant colors from the setting sun. We slowly made our way
back to camp. The wind finally subsided after sunset,
although it picked up again later in the evening. Many
stars were visible last night. I saw one meteorite. The
snow on the surrounding hillsides was plainly visible in
the starlight.
There are many wildflowers in this meadow. Little purple
ones blanket the area. The sound of water falling across
the canyon and the trickle of water down the meadow in
front of us makes for an idyllic setting. A few birds
singing in the trees completes the mountain scene.
It's beginning to warm up now. I've been sitting on a rock
outcrop across from camp eating breakfast and making these
notes. I'm going to go wash up a bit now.
Saturday, July 6, 8:42 p.m.
Today we hiked to Gilman Lake, below Hoover
Lakes. We were intending to go to East Lake; I wanted to
try and nearly close the loop between Green Creek trailhead
from my trip earlier in the week. The flow of water from
Hoover Lakes was so much that we decided to bypass the
trail where it crossed the river and attempt a crossing
nearer where it emptied into Gilman Lake. We followed the
drainage down only to find that we had to cross it anyway.
In fact, half-way down, it dropped into a pretty little
gorge which carried it to within yards of the lake. Upon
finding a suitable spot to cross, I removed my boots, swung
them over my shoulder and waded across. It wasn't too bad.
Bob was reluctant to do this but finally gave in and he and
Kathy came across.
We had lunch up on some rocks overlooking Gilman Lake. We
stayed for about half an hour. We then slowly made our way
back up, stopping a few times, once just below lower Hoover
Lake. We commented on how the mountains around us could
very easily be in a desert setting. Bob and Kathy left and
I stayed behind for a few minutes contemplating these
hills, trying to imagine myself in that setting. I watched
as a pack train was crossing between the two lakes. I
caught up with Bob and Kathy above upper Hoover Lake. Bob
and I scrambled up the talus slope under the ridge we were
camped above. It was pretty steep.
Once back at camp, we washed up a bit and had some of Bob's
Sullivan Lake Slush; otherwise known as Marguerita's. Kathy
made some Mulligatawny soup. Very good. We kicked around
for a while then made dinner. We are now sitting around the
fire (it's still a little windy) and are about to make hot
chocolate. Now that the wind has died down a bit, I'm not
so cool. Of course, I am sitting right in front of the
fire. The light is beginning to fail now. I will add more
tomorrow.
Sunday, July 7, 11:19 a.m.
I am at the top of the unnamed pass between Virginia Lakes
and Summit Lake. The elevation here is approximately 11,100
feet. This morning it looked like rain. In fact, it
sprinkled early this morning before or at sunrise. We
decided to have an abbreviated breakfast and pack up just
in case it did start to rain. The wind had stopped this
morning. It was very pleasant, except that the mosquitos
were beginning to find us. We took some photographs and
then headed out at 9:50. It took me one and a half hours to
get to where I am now. Bob and Kathy just arrived. There
are lots of clouds, but nothing real threatening looking.
Sunday, July 7, 12:03 p.m.
We are now getting ready to head down off the pass. We have
estimated it will take about 1 hour to reach the trailhead.
We had some snacks here and searched for Bodie and through
my binoculars, but couldn't see it. More clouds are forming
now, although we are still in a lot of sunshine here. As I
was headed up I met several people and a pack train coming
down the backside of this pass, headed toward Gilman Lake.
I also met a retired couple who were doing a loop trip
between Virginia Lakes and Green Creek like we had
discussed yesterday. We're moving out now.
Sunday, July 7, 1:33 p.m.
We are at the parking area. We arrived here five minutes
ago. There are many clouds in the sky and some rain in the
distance. We are celebrating by drinking beer I had in my
camper's refrigerator. We will probably head for Lee Vining
for lunch before parting company. Although somewhat
crowded, we were able to find ourselves a nice spot away
from other campers (although there were one or two groups
camped up on the ridge above us). Aside from the wind which
I think bothered Kathy more than Bob or myself, this was
once again an enjoyable hike offering us all the beauty
that is so unique to the Sierra Nevada. As always, this
hike was far too short.