Many years ago, when I was about 12, I saw a travel log about a place called Saddlebag Lake. I was enchanted by its rugged beauty but I felt I was unlikely to ever see it in person. Little did I know that someday it would be practically at my back door.
It is about 25 miles from our cabin by car, much closer if I had wings. When our son Mark came to visit in early August he suggested that we cross the lake on the Water Taxi and hike around Twenty Lakes Basin. I'm always ready for this trail though not quite as excited as this spaniel who was also going on the boat. The sign said "no wet dogs allowed". Well, you can't keep a spaniel out of the water but no one objected.
There are few glaciers remaining in the Sierra and Conness here in the distance is one of them. It is rapidly being reduced to a snowfield. We didn't hike to the lake below it this trip but the last time we were there it had the tell tail turquoise color of a glacier fed lake. These boulders, called erratics,were left by the glacier
long ago when it filled the basin.
What trees there are here are small, there's little shade to be found.
Here the granite reigns.
Lovely meadows flow with small streams and are strewn with wildflowers.
Sometimes the flowers cling to a bit of soil in the stream.
We stopped often to take pictures and enjoy the landscape. Then we checked our watches and realized the time was short to make our appointed time for the return trip. The last mile and a half were done with no stopping for pictures and this old lady pushed to her limit. We made it, though. I didn't want that extra mile walk to the far side of the lake.
Saddlebag Lake is a few miles off the Tioga Road just east of Yosemite National Park.
Check out more parts of this wonderful world at
hosted for us each week by
Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.
18 comments:
Neat!
Wow Martha, this is absolutely gorgeous country. Too bad the glaciers are melting. Hope to see more pics of the hike.
What a breathtaking place! And, yes, it is too bad the glaciers are melting. Love the huge granite rocks and the fragile flowers, such a perfect contrast! Looks like a really fun trip! Hope you have a wonderful week, Martha! Enjoy!
Sylvia
How lucky you are to have that so close to you...your photos are wonderful!
I'm so jealous! You go to so many magical places! Luckily you take photos so we can have a taste of what you've seen and done.
A beautiful place! The views are breath taking! I would enjoy very much the scenery and photo ops!
what a lovely scenery to see while hiking. so envious.
Such beautiful country! I remember seeing this on the maps of the area. Now, I wish we had moved in that direction...so much to do and NEVER enough time!
Thank you for this wonderful journey. Please have you all a good Tuesday.
Hi Martha,
That photo of Saddlebag Lake in the cirque looks so much like Crystal Lake which I just photographed - lots of rock there, too. The meadow still looks so green. Sounds as though you had a great hike!
PS Is that pink wildflower a Shooting Star?
Yes, that is a shooting star, I should have identified it.
Beautiful pictures. The scenery looks so peaceful. You are lucky to live so close to it.
Really, really beautiful! All that blue feels so very nice and cool.
Beautiful landscapes!
That is amazing territory! Great photos.
Martha, that is my kind of country except that now I am not allowed over 6,000' and I so miss the higher mountains.
Wonderful photos and I so love glaciers.
Lucky you that it's near where you live. This is just an amazing place. The scenery is breathtaking. :)
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