Ramping up for a wet spring, the first of several storms blew thru adding to my downtime. After a 3 day affair I got going again with a scenic trip to Baker Lake via the North Fork of Big Pine Creek. Plan was to top Skyhaven at sunrise. Could have worked, but it didn't. A mostly cloudy sunrise gave way to fierce winds at the pass and little or no reason to scramble up to the summit given the grey cold skies. Settled for a consolation prize by camping at the edge of the drop back in the Big Pine Creek. Enough snow was found to take care of water issues. The 3rd day sunrise was of course perfect.
THURSDAY MAY 14TH PM ... THE 2ND STORM ENTERS THE VALLEY
FRIDAY MORNING VIEW OF THE NORTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK
FRIDAY MORNING VIEW OF THE NORTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK
SATURDAY SUNRISE WILLIAMSON AND THE HORNS
SATURDAY SUNRISE NORTH FORK LONE PINE CREEK
SATURDAY MORNING MT LECONTE AND PEAK 13,106
SUNDAY MORNING ... DAY 4 FROM TUTTLE CREEK CG
TYPICAL AFTERNOON SCENE -- SOUTHERN END OF OWENS VALLEY ...
TUESDAY SUNRISE ... WE'LL SEE HOW LONG THIS WINDOW STAYS OPEN. MT WILLIAMSON.
LOTS OF NEW SNOW ON THE NORTH SIDE OF MT TYNDALL.
MORNING VIEW OF MT CARL HELLER (C) ABOVE GEORGE CREEK.
THE DRAMATIC LOWER END OF SAWMILL CANYON.
LOOKING UP TOWARDS SAWMILL PASS FROM HWY 395
HWY 395 VIEW OF THE TABOOSE PASS DRAINAGE.
THE EVER IMPRESSIVE SPLIT MT.
WHITE MT SUNSET FROM ROCK CREEK
WITH A REASONABLE FORECAST FOR THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND I FIGURED THE LEAST AMOUNT OF NEW SNOW WOULD BE FOUND IN THE SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK.
ALSO WANTED TO REVISIT THOSE VIEWS OF THE SOUTH SIDE OF LONE PINE PEAK AND PEAK 13016 LAST SEEN IN MAY OF 1981
THE LONG ABANDONED HINDU ASHRAM
EASY CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL IN THE SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK
PINE CONES AMIDST FIRE DEBRIS IN THE SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK
WEATHER BEGINNING TO CLOSE IN.
SORT OF A TRAIL.
GOOD PROGRESS ALONG THE EDGE OF THE FOREST
EASY TRAVEL IN OPEN TERRAIN, NORTH FORK TUTTLE CREEK
LOOKING UP TOWARDS THE FINAL RISE TO THE FLATS WHERE I'LL PITCH THE TENT
OPEN TERRAIN BEFORE THE FINAL SHORT SECTION OF TALUS
THE LAST SECTION OF THE WAY TO THE EXCELLENT SITES BELOW THE NORTH SIDE OF MT LANGLEY
MY CAMPSITE BELOW THE NORTH SIDE OF MT LANGLEY
LATE AFTERNOON VIEW OF MY CAMPSITE BELOW THE NORTH SIDE OF MT LANGLEY
WINE O'CLOCK APPETIZERS ...
THE NEXT MORNING.
BRIEF CLEARING AT SUNRISE
MORNING VIEW OF MY CAMPSITE
LOOKING DOWN THE SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK.
LOOKING DOWN THE SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE SCENE THE MORNING AFTER THE STORM.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW THE INYO MTS ACROSS THE VALLEY GET THAT MUCH NEW SNOW AT THE END OF MAY?
BAROMETER WAS STEADY AT THE SAME READING AS THE NIGHT BEFORE. SEEMED LIKE THE RIGHT MOVE
OF COURSE THE NORMAL MORNING CLEARING FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. BUT AS ALWAYS IT DIDN'T LAST. BY 10AM THE CLOUDS WERE BACK FOR THE REST OF THE DAY.
CLOSE UP VIEW OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE NE COULOIR ON LANGLEY
NICE MIX OF SUN AND SNOW ON THE WAY OUT. TRAIL, WHAT THERE WAS, WAS A BIT HARD TO FIND BUT IT'S PRETTY USER FRIENDLY TERRAIN UP THERE SO YOU CAN MAKE YOUR WAY DOWN THE VALLEY WITHOUT TOO MUCH OF AN EPIC
NICE CRAGS IN THE LOWER PART OF THE SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK.
LOWER SOUTH FORK OF TUTTLE CREEK ON THE WAY OUT
EVENING VIEW OF THE NORTH FACE OF MT LANGLEY AS THE CLOUDS FINALLY CLEAR OUT AROUND 6:30PM
LANGLEY SUNRISE FROM TUTTLE CREEK ROAD
MORNING VIEW OF PK 13015 FROM THE TUTTLE CREEK ROAD.
MORNING VIEW OF PK 13015 FROM THE TUTTLE CREEK ROAD.
MORNING VIEW OF THE TWO FORKS OF TUTTLE CREEK