Welcome to this edition of

California Mountain Adventures!!

In this adventure I head out into the John Muir Wilderness to spend a couple days exploring...

the Mammoth Crest!!

After leaving Yosemite I spent some time in Mammoth and decided to check out the Mammoth crest! I got my permit from the ranger station and then drove up to Lake George and started hiking up the Mammoth crest trail. I passed Crystal lake and climbed to the top of the crest. The views were awesome in all directions! I worked my way southeast along the crest leaving the trail near the high point so I could enjoy the summit of the Crest where the views got even better! I enjoyed a lunch break on the summit and then headed back down to the trail. Once back on the trail I continued down to the Deer lakes. All three of the Deer lakes were really nice, but I setup my camp at the uppermost lake which I think was the nicest of the three.

The trailhead at Lake George

Overlooking Lake George

Climbing up onto the Mammoth Crest

Views from the Mammoth Crest

Hiking along the Crest

Views from the summit of the Mammoth Crest

Enjoying the views from the summit

Dropping down to the Deer Lakes

Middle Deer Lake

Upper Deer Lake

Sunset over the Lower Deer Lake

The trout fishing in the lake was surprisingly really good with lots of good size trout biting my lures. So I fished in the evening before it got dark and then again in the morning before leaving camp. After my morning fishing session I packed up and headed up to Deer pass. At the pass I decided to drop my pack and make the steep climb up to Peak 11,647'. The rocks on the climb were a bit loose, but by staying on the north side below the ridge line I was able to avoid anything technical. The summit had amazing views overlooking Duck lake, the Deer lakes, and looking way out to the jagged peaks of the Ritter range!! The summit register was also pretty neat as it was placed there on my first birthday(7/20/86) and still had pieces from old registers that dated as far back as 1944!!

Camp

Trout fishing

Overlooking Deer Lakes from Deer Pass

The summit of Peak 11,647'

Views northwest from the summit overlooking the Deer lakes

Views east from the summit overlooking Duck lake

The Summit Register

After signing the register and taking pictures I descended back down to Deer pass and grabbed my gear. Then I made the traverse from Deer pass over to Duck pass where I caught the trail down into the Mammoth lakes basin. I hiked down the Duck pass trail passed Barney lake and Skelton lake and then I left the Duck pass trail and went over by Emerald lake and Lake Barrett before arriving back at Lake George. I hiked around Lake George back to the trailhead where I started and then headed back out to the Long Valley Caldera for more hot springs action!!

Views from Duck Pass

Looking back at Duck pass from Barney lake

Skelton Lake

Emerald Lake

Arriving back at Lake George

Cows grazing out in the Long Valley Caldera

Crab Cooker Hot Springs

And that's going to be it for this

California Mountain Adventure!

all photos by @derekrichardson

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