Since arriving in Idyllwild, our hikes have been in the nearby mts of the San Jacinto Wilderness. With so many places to explore, we didn't consider going to any other mts. Now, most of our favorite trails are still closed due to smoldering fires. Even though the fire is 100 percent contained, hot spots continue to keep the
firefighters busy. We are reminded daily by the helicopters carrying buckets of water to the higher elevations. Time to discover the Sierras.
A friend recommended we visit the Inyo National Forest. This part of the Sierras is home to Mt Whitney, the tallest mt in the continental US at 14,495 feet. There are other lesser known peaks over 14,000 feet here as well.
To reach our campground, we had to drive up a scenic mountain highway to 10,000 feet elevation. Views of the desert were in the distance. Like most of the mt roads here, there are few guard rails and lots of boulders that line the edge of the road where they randomly fall.
We were greeted by this sign when we entered the campground. We had to camp differently. Most important, all food and toiletries go into a bear proof canister or metal bear box that the bears cannot figure out how to open. No leaving food in coolers in the car. Bears have been known to tear doors off of cars in order to get to the yummies in the Igloo cooler.
The Cottonwood Pass trail began as an easy walk through the forest and then the switchbacks started to challenge us as we continued up the trail.In the distance, Horseshoe Meadows can be seen. That is where we had our campsite.
Pretty interesting trees were at the higher elevations.
When we reached 11,000 feet, the views were unbelievable.
Our destination was Chicken Springs Lake. Not sure why it is named that...no chickens up here. After arriving here at the end of the day, we wished we had our backpacks so we could camp up here but instead, we had to return back down the mt to our campsite.
I am always on the lookout for birds, mammals, lizards or other interesting creatures. This day I discovered the Clark's Nutcracker....
and this really cute Golden Mantled ground squirrel...not sure why it isn't called a chipmunk...
Our first day of hiking 8 miles was in the Golden Trout Wilderness area of the Inyo National Forest.
I highly recommend exploring this area!
