Monday, November 9, 2009

Bishop Pass Trail--My World

This is the last of my summer Sierra hikes to share with you. We hiked the Bishop Pass trail in September while camping on Bishop Creek
It was our favorite trail when we lived in the area and the trail head is a popular site for this group of local plein air painters.
The trail begins at South Lake and soon enters the John Muir Wilderness.

One of the great things about hiking in the eastern Sierra is the wilderness.

A string of wilderness areas stretches up the Sierra crest for 150 miles, crossed only by the Tioga Road in Yosemite. You can hike for over two hundred miles on the John Muir Trail and not cross a road.
From 9800' the trail climbs steadily up to Bishop pass at 12,000'. We would often, in our younger days, hike up to the pass but today we only planned to go as far as Long Lake.
Just before Long Lake the trail forks. You can make a loop to Bull Lake and Chocolate lake, rejoining the main trail at the far end of Long.
I asked a hiker who was on his way down what he thought of Long Lake. "Like walking through a calendar" he said. I wondered what he would have thought had he seen it in July with thunder clouds building and wildflowers everywhere
It was pretty, though.
Hubby stopped at Long Lake but I went a little further, up to Spearhead Lake. The flowers were gone but the willows were turning yellow and gave some color to the scene.
The rocks and Chocolate peak had plenty of color as well.
A good day hike, over six miles round trip and 1,000' gain. Maybe next year I'll go all the way to the pass and step into Sequoia.

To see more parts of this wonderful world, click here.


21 comments:

Barb said...

Hi Martha, Loved going with you to Long Lake and beyond - those lake photos are gorgeous with the blue sky and water. Somehow, Chocolate Lake might have beckoned me...

ninja said...

Beautiful images! That first one is interesting. Is it your group camping?

Sylvia K said...

I love that you've taken us along with you -- this is an absolutely gorgeous place! Your photos are breathtaking as always, Martha! Such glorious colors. You can almost feel the silence. Perfect!

Enjoy!

Sylvia

Reader Wil said...

Thank you Martha for this wonderful hike! I enlarged your photos and the views are stunning!

Joe Todd said...

Wow! thanks for sharing your hike with us

annalarssonphotography said...

Great post and lovley shots!

Snap said...

Martha, I'm going to miss your travel shots. So gorgeous! Thanks for taking us with you.

Gaelyn said...

This is gorgeous Martha. What a wonderful place to hike and so many miles yet to go.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Martha: Those certainly are really beautiful captures.

Diane AZ said...

What a beautiful place, it's easy to see why artists would want to paint there. With all those trails to hike it must be hard to decide which ones to take sometimes. :)

Noelle Johnson said...

So beautiful! My cousin lives in Bishop and just loves it there with it's rugged beauty.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

One could use your photos for a great calendar. It is great that they have reserved so much land. Thanks for taking us on your hike.

Maurice Lauher said...

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos and the guided tour. I just finished a Muir biography. He was a unique man. I envy you who live in the west.

Linda Reeder said...

Beautiful photos of a beautiful place.

alicesg said...

Very beautiful scenery from your part of the world. Thanks for dropping by my blog.

Lew said...

Just gorgeous! We were in Yosemite about 20 years ago and left by way of Tioga Pass, spent a couple of days at Lake Tahoe (CA side), and then Napa Valley. Loved every minte of the trip.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

The Chinese have a saying for your last few photos: Got mountains, got water. a gorgeous place to be. I hope you don't have to hike too far and too tedious to enjoy such a wonderful site.

LV said...

What a beautiful place for a family hike. I really enjoyed going along with you on the hike.however, it makes me tired just reading about it. Come by today for an award I have for you.

Anonymous said...

Lovely country. I like the concept of "hiking through a calendar"

Carolyn Ford said...

Beautiful country, isn't it! Have you ever encountered "stressful" wildlife on your hikes? For some reason I am a bit fearful of encounters but I hike anyway...I haven't seen Long Lake but I can imagine the wildflowers there...so many choices for hiking...

Janice / Dancing with Sunflowers said...

Beautiful scenery and a beautiful day you had for your hike. Like the idea of Chocolate Lake!
Janice.