Our drive to the trail head took us through the Sierra Valley. The valley, surrounded by 7,000 foot ranges, provided food and hay to support the miners in Virginia City, about 20 miles to the east. This is the land of Ben, Haus and Little Joe Cartwright, those righteous cowboys with whom I spent many youthful Sunday evenings. Dun Diddy Dun Diddy Dun Diddy Dun Bonanza!
After a very steep quarter mile, gaining about 500 feet in elevation, we could see we still had some effort between us and the peak. Our trailhead was at just over 7,000 feet altitude, and I felt like my lungs wanted to explode. Guess I don’t get enough exercise.
Looking further up the trail, we still had a way to go.
Our first scenic vista, overlooking Salmon and Sardine Lakes. One guidebook claims these are among the least visited lakes in the Sierras. Given the steep slopes down to the lakes, I am not surprised. The lakes are about 1,500 feet below where I was standing.Our adventure continues in the next posting.
