The first springtime adventure in the High Sierra since 2015. Long overdue. After a warmup hike/climb of Mt Starr above Mono Pass, it was time to spend some time in a region I had only briefly visited in 2014. A day trip to Sawmill Pass is probably done all the time. But from there I knew little or nothing about the Woods Lake Basin. A Peaks for Freaks trip report showed an awesome view of the North side of Mt Acrodectes. The TR reported that the East Ridge scramble was quite nice. So, with 3 nights of food I headed back up to Sawmill Pass - starting at 4:45am to beat the heat. Couldn't find a campsite below the pass so ended up going all the way over and down to a nice little tarn at about 11,000'.. From there I had a beautiful view of the area and the the peak itself.
View Trip Map for loop details and campsite locations
THE OLD BARELY LEGIBLE AND THE NEW PARK BOUNDARY SIGNS AT SAWMILL PASS
ANOTHER VIEW OF BAXTER PEAK FROM SAWMILL PASS
A BEAUTIFUL MORNING AT SAWMILL PASS
JUST BELOW THE EAST SIDE OF SAWMILL PASS
WHAT'S LEFT OF MULE LAKE (POND)
LICHEN AND UN-NAMED POINT FROM JUST ABOVE MULE LAKE
OUT OF THE CANYON AND DESCENDING INTO THE DESERT
SOLITARY PINE STANDING TALL
SAWMILL PASS TRAILHEAD AT THE END OF THE DAY