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| The Three Lakes up Cliff Creek |
A link to the post about the first part of this day's hike.
On my 2016 backpacking trip in Mineral King with my friend we took a wrong turn up Sawtooth and ended up going over Glacier Pass and down to Spring Lake and the Cliff Creek gulch. I remember well the heavenly feeling of that place and the joy we had being there. I also remember well the long way down Cliff Creek from Spring Lake to the Cliff Creek camp site at the creek's crossing as a very long and exceptionally gorgeous walk. My accounts of that day I also posted in two parts because there was so much to see there.
On my 2021 trip I was descending once more into the Cliff Creek Gulch, this time coming down from the east over the Black Rock Pass. This route misses Spring Lake and the upper part of Cliff Creek. On the other hand, there's the entire mountain slope and the sharp change from alpine to subalpine, and then to riparian zones, each with its own unique conditions and plant communities. Having a huge volume of photos again I once again decided to split that day's hike into two posts ], whiting separately about the eastern side of the Black Rock Pass. Here is the link to the first part of that day's hike. This post is the second past of that day - only 2.5 miles long, from Black Rock Pass to Pinto Lake camp site.
Standing on top of Black Rock Pass at about 11,600 ft, looking west meant also looking down. Far down. The Cliff Creek Campground, where I thought I'd might stay that night was at 7000 ft, meaning I'd be going down about 4600 ft on that one stretch of hike. On my way up to the pass however, I reconsidered and decided to stop at the Pinto Lake campsite, at a little higher than 8600 feet. That would still be a 3000 ft drop, most of it over a very sort distance of a mile or so. Pretty respectable still.
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| View west from Black Rock Pass |
The first thing I did after stepping over west of the divide was to sit down, take off my shoes and immerse my toes in petroleum jelly. That trick, used by infantry soldiers to minimize the risk of blisters I learned a month before from one of my companions on the Ohlone Wilderness backpacking trip.
The change in vegetation I could see right away. While the east side slope had very little plant growth, of only a few species, the west side, even at the top, showed a much richer plant life, both in coverage and number of species. Here two I saw species that were new to me, at least in their bloom stage, like the fleabane in the photo below.
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| Cut-leaved Daisy, Erigeron compositus |
It took me a few steps to get used to the greasy feeling of the petroleum jelly in my shoes, but it didn't take more than a few steps to get around the first switchback down from the pass and get the first view of the upper Cliff Creek and the first lake at it's headwaters area - my beloved Spring Lake. Directly across the gulch on the other slope I recognized another feature that I remembered from my 2016 trip - a straight cut in the rocky slope running top to bottom. A cut that looked like an earthquake result, though I don't know for sure.
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| Upper Cliff Creek and Spring Lake |
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| Sierran Primrose, Primula suffrutescens |
One of the more common genera of plants in the upper regions of the mountains is the rock cress. To differentiate between the numerous rock cress species however, is a challenge that's beyond my current skill.
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| Rock Cress, Boechera sp. |
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| Columbine Lake |
The middle of the three lakes is Cyclamen Lake, the one my friend and I tried to climb to on the third day of our 2016 trip but didn't make it all the way. Now I had it in my view.
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| Cyclamen Lake |
The lower of the three lakes is of course, Spring Lake, on its shore my friend and I stayed for two nights on our 2016 trip. I took many magnified photos of Spring Lake on my way down from Black Rock Pass and the photo here is from a bit further down the trail.
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| Spring Lake |
One thing I had from my high place on the Black Rock Pass trail was an excellent overview of the Spring Lake spillway and the green wetland just below it. I remembered walking through that on my 2016 trip, pathfinding where there is no trail.
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| Spring Lake's Spillway |
Continuing down the trail I was paying closer attention to the trail itself and of course to the wildflowers tat were blooming close to it.
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| Lewis' Flax, Linum lewisii |
Even common lowers that I'm familiar with from many other places in California seemed to have a special charm, located in the High Sierra alpine scenery.
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| Sanddune Wall Flower, Erysimum perenne |
When I descended low enough I started seeing wet patches and little water trickles that flowed across the trail. Near one of these I saw the streamside bluebells, the same species I saw near the Mineral King trailhead, except this one had white blossom instead of blue.
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| Streamside Bluebells (white form), Mertensia cilliata |
Wherever there are flowers there would be butterflies. Indeed, there were many. Some even cooperated with my camera.
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| Checkerspot Butterfly |
It seemed as if I wasn't going any faster on the way down than on my east side ascent. My pace was quicker, naturally, but I kept stopping to look closer at wildflowers and to take photos. Those photos I'm showing here are only a selected few of the hundreds that I took on the way down from the Black Rock Pass.
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| Jewelweed, Streptanthus tortuosus |
Of the more common flowers I saw on that hike, and one I never get tired of seeing, is the lupine. They were everywhere, and at peak bloom they were absolutely gorgeous.
Down and down I descended, and eventually I found myself facing directly that huge crack in the mountain wall on the other side of the valley. It is such a prominent feature that I remember it well from my 2016 trip.
Although I descended much, I was still very high above the valley floor. I had a very long way to go still.
Looking up the trail behind me showed me how far down I already got, though. The photo shows a gray, barren-looking slope, but this image is deceiving - there are many flowers blooming on that slope, but they are small and blend beautifully with the granite background.
I was definitely high enough still to encounter some real aline vegetation, like Draba flowers. This genus of crucifers loves growing in high altitudes. It's small and unassuming, but very delicate and pretty. I love seeing Draba blooming when hiking in the High Sierra.
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| Brewer's Whitlow Grass, Draba breweri |
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| Nuttall's Sandwort, Minuartia nuttallii |
Another miniature that likes to hide below and between rocks is the dwarf alpine paintbrush, the same species I saw u the Franklin Pass, and in other high regions on previous trips.
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| Dwarf Alpine Paintbrush, Castilleja nana |
Although white was the dominant flower color in the alpine zone it was by no means the only color. Also small and hiding inside rock crevices but blooming in bright yellow was the pine violet.
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| Gray-leaved Pine Violet, Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea |
Butterflies flew all around me, like bits of color detaching from one flower and moving to others. Sometimes one would chose to sit on a rock, claiming it as its momentary territory.
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| Blue Butterfly |
When I looked up from the trail again I found that I was much further down the mountain side. Looking upstream at the basin I could no longer see Columbine Lake at all and only a tiny bit of Cyclamen Lake. I could still see the entire of Spring Lake, and it was just as alluring as it was 5 years before.
I couldn't see too far down the valley yet because it was hidden behind the slope's contour. I did see though that I was almost at the tree line now. Soon I'll delve into the subalpine zone.
Not feeling the need to stop for a break yet, I kept going downhill at a steady pace. There were butterflies all over the lace, and many of them were resting on stones in the middle of the trail. Some of them barely moved when I approach and I got to take some really nice close up photos before they eventually were convinced to fly away as I passed right by them,
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| Checerspot Butterfly |
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| Woolly Groundsel, Packera cana |
So far my feet were doing fine. It seemed that the petroleum jelly that I stuffed my socks with was working. I had no foreshadowing of the painful torture I'd have descending from Mount Shasta just a week later.
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| Bog Lupine, Lupinus polyphillus |
I made it below the tree line and also below the springs line, if there is such a thing. It mean that I was crossing more and more little creeks and wet areas. The slope below and now above me too, was much greened with dense vegetation.
It was a good thing too, because I had already drunk all the water I got at the western of the Little Five Lake. I found a nice spot by one of these little creeks and sat down to filter more water.
Sitting down is also good for observing tiny flowers that bloom very close to the ground.
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| Five Spot, Nemophila maculata |
I looked back and could barely see the mountain pass I descended from. Far below me I could see a sole backpacker making his way up the trail, clearly going for the pass. When we crossed each other's paths he told me he came all the way from Mineral King and was going to Little Five Lakes for the night. That would be an incredibly strenuous hike for one day. I don't believe I could have done that even when I was half my age and twice as fit.
The trail stretches of switchbacks were getting longer between turns. They were definitely getting longer in the downstream (northwest) direction. Still, I was not seeing yet the end of the switchbacks. I knew there would be an end because I remembered none on this trail one I got on it coming down from Spring Lake on my 2016 trip.
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| Groundsel, Senecio triangularis |
Far below me near the valley floor I could see the stand of trees where my friend and I had joined the trail on that former trip after descending from Spring Lake. It was still a long way down to get there.
I was descending quickly though, and there were plenty of interesting sights along the trail, like the numerous galls on the shrubs.
And of course there were the flowers. Always the flowers. Even flowers I've seen a million times already, I was getting excited over for the millionth and one time.
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| Wavy-leaf Paintbrush, Castilleja appelgatei |
Upstream Cliff Creek I could no longer see Spring Lake. I was already too far down to see even the lake's spillway. I could see the tall peaks of the lake's basin though, still looking large and imposing.
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| Upper Cliff Creek |
I also had a very nice view of the lower drop of the creek, where it was going down a series of little cascades collecting a few tributaries on the way and supporting all the lovely greenery around it.
There was much more greenery near my trail too, and a greater richness of species. I was seeing more and more lower elevation plants, including species I have not yet seen on this trip.
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| Bolander's Milkvetch, Astragalus bolanderi |
It's that great richness and variety of wildflowers that had me split this day's accounts into two blogposts - there were simply too many photos of different wildflower species to include in a single post. And that's after leaving out many that were included in other posts of this trip.
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| Marsh Checkerbloom, Sidalcea ranunculacea |
No all my interests are botanical. Wildlife, even the smallest, is also attractive to me. An ant colony inside a cornlily plant had me standing there, fascinated for a few long minutes before going on with my hike.
A couple of backpackers came from behind me, passing me on their way down. They were heading down all the way to the Cliff Creek camp site, at the creek's crossing. I originally thought I'd stay there for my last night but during the hike I decided to stay at into Lake, which was about 2000 higher. I wanted to have one more night at a higher altitude site. Besides, I remembered the Cliff Creek camp site as my least favorite of my 2016 camping spots. It was over crowded and very trashy. I hoped that the Pinto Lake site would be better.
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| Larkspur, Delphinium sp. |
Finally I reached the grove of trees where on the 2016 trip my friend and I had met the official trail after pathfinding our way down from Spring Lake. I knew that the switchback part of my descent was done. There was still more downhill to descend but it would be an a straight don trail at a reasonably mild slope. I had about a mile and a half still to get to Pinto Lake.
That mile and a half would have gone by faster had I been less tired and less in pain. My shock absorbing muscles were fatigued and hurting from coming down the pass. I also was beginning to feel my toes, although not yet in a bothersome way. This too was another good reason not to go on all the way to the Cliff Creek cam site, although that decision I already made while going up the eastern side of the Black Rock Pass, before the physical discomfort. Besides, there were all the botanical reasons to keep my slow pace.
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| Scentbottle, Platanthera dilatata |
Beneath one of the trees I found evidence that Alice had been before me in this wonderland. She must have bitten the minimizing side of the mushroom because I couldn't see here anywhere.
Tired and hurting but elated and in excellent spirits I continued my way downhill, still looking out for more wildflowers, even those low ones that had me bend over for a closer look.
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| Sierra Lotus, Acmispon nevadensis |
Behind me, upstream Cliff Creek, I finally could see the cascade place where my friend and I had come down to the water for a nice long break on our 2016 trip. We got rained on there, I remembered. Now it was all bright and sunny, and I was too far away and to tight with my time to even consider going u there for a revisit.
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| Cliff Creek |
The sun too was descending and the day was drawing to the end. The sun was already toughing the tree tops. I had still plenty of daylight left, though. I could even push it down all the way to Cliff Creek if I wanted, but I had already decided to stop at Pinto Lake and it would be good to make my camp while there was light still. 
The afternoon lighting was perfect for my wildflower photography. Some of my best images I captured during that time.
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| Crimson Columbine, Aquilegia formosa |
The longer shadows had their own effect on my mind, adding another layer of beauty to the flowers, as if being an organic part of it.
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| Sierra Beardstongue, Penstemon heterodoxux |
Even if I didn't have the altitude numbers marked on my map I would have known that I was down by the appearance of the tiger lilies on the trail side.
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| Kelley's Lily, Lilium kelleyanum |
I was also glad to see the dudleya blooming in the drier parts of the slope near the trail. This plant suffered much poaching in recent years and it was nice to see these plants in heir natural place.
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| Rock Dudleya, Dudleya cymosa |
Far below me I could finally see Pinto Lake. And this was the only view I had of that little lake because the camp site is actually near the creek and nowhere near the lake itself. I still had a good way to go though and at the sight of the lake I increased my pace.
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| Pinto Lake |
Going faster was not a good enough reason for me to not pause to look at wildflowers. here were many of them even on the scree parts of the trail which supported much fewer plants.
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| Mountain Pride, Penstemon newberryi |
On the scree were those shrubs that are good hanging on to disturbed, unstable medium, like the mountain pride in the photo above and the mountain mint in the photo below. On parts of the slope there was so much mint that the lovely fragrance was very strong in the air.
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| Mountain Monardella, Monardella odoratissima |
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| View upstream Cliff Creek |
The trail to the Pinto Lake camp site crossed a lush, wet meadow. On my 2016 trip that part of the trail was flooded and very muddy. This time mud was not a problem, being limited to only a few small spots.
When I reached the camp site I found to my dismay that a large group of young men had settled in the prime area of the camp area. They were numerous and loud and I didn't want to be bear them. I found myself a nook in a small grove of trees and pitched my tent there. The place was close enough to the creek where I could get water, and also to a grove of large willows where I could have some privacy when needed. Still, as I was cooking my dinner I was constantly being waved at by men going back and forth from their camp to the river and back. Eventually though the human traffic died out and I took a solitary walk by the creek just before sunset.
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| Cliff Creek |
