Backpacking the Ansel Adams Wilderness Day 3 & 4
Day 3 & 4
Backpacking the Ansel Adams Wilderness
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Good Morning!
The cold air surrounded my body and the sun kissed my face. I rolled over, beginning to wake up. I stretched out, opened my eyes and stared up at the top of my tent. Wow what a fantastic night. My mind went right back to the weeee morning hours where I captured the Milky Way over Mount Ritter. Amazing.
As I climbed out of bed my stomach started growling and all I could think of was coffee, food, and water, in that exact order.
Time Flies when you are having fun
Was it really day 3 already? That means only one more night of sleeping in the wilderness and then heading out, back to reality. My soul didn't want to leave this gorgeous place, my mind had many mixed feelings, but let me tell you my taste buds were more than ready for a big ole juicy burger, ice cream, and a beer.
The morning went by quickly and it was time to pack up and head to Rosalie. I had a bit of a hike ahead of me, and I was already starting off a little late due to my lazy bones sleeping in.
The hike to Rosalie Lake was mainly downhill. This was the hill I climbed on Day 2. As I walked down the hill I passed a few folks talking. Overhearing their conversation one explained that they lived in Mi-Wuk! You see, Mi-Wuk is only about a 20 minute drive from my house. I thought to myself as I kept my feet moving, what a small world.
Eventually I came to the T that would take me to either Ediza Lake or Rosalie lake. I turned left heading towards Rosalie. The trail was quiet, the mosquito's weren't out, and everything was lovely.
The Climb
Now, on the map there is no distance from the river to Rosalie, so I had no idea how far or long it was going to take me to get there. I passed Shadow lake taking in the gorgeous view and not knowing what was ahead of me.... 22 switchbacks later up a mountain side I was at the top of the mountain. I was not at all mentally prepared for a 22 switchback climb. I sighted Rosalie from just passed the top of the mountain. Thankful to see it, red faced, and sweaty I headed down the hill.
Hike Details:
From Garnett Lake to Rosalie Lake - Ansel Adams Wilderness
- Distance: 6.75 miles
- Elevation gain / loss: 2727', -3111'
- Max Slope: 56.8%
- Garnett Lake Elevation: 9,747'
- Rosalie Lake Elevation: 9,363'
- Max Elevation: 10,126'
Rosalie has some absolutely amazing campsites! If you ever are hiking the area and trying to decide to camp at Rosalie, do it! The camp sites were flat and sandy, there was alot of wood, and the lake was gorgeous. Plus you can actually have a campfire here which is H U G E.
The evening consisted of swimming in the lake, trying to eat all the food left over so I didn't have to pack it out, and hanging out by the camp fire reminiscing of the beautiful days that were just spend in the wilderness. It was absolutely amazing to have a campfire after multiple days of no campfires. The warmth of the fire sank through my bones and all was good that night.
Cheers to a beautiful trip and the Hike out
The last day of my trip... Both excited and sad, I crawled out of bed and packed up my things. The hike out was going to take me by Shadow lake and then back to the Agnew Meadows Trail head where I started.
Luckily I woke up early enough to get some awesome shots of Rosalie lake while the water was still nice and smooth.
Heading out, I passed Shadow lake and began my trek downhill to the river. To be honest, I am quite amazed with how steep the hill from Shadow Lake to the river really is. It follows the river outlet of Shadow lake all the way to the bottom of the hill. The river melody was wonderful to walk to. Also, there were an abundance of wildflowers which made my heart smile.
Hike Details:
Rosalie Lake to Agnew Meadows Trail Head
- Distance: 7.43 miles
- Elevation gain / loss: 1,876', -2,896'
- Max Slope: 50.2%
- Agnew Meadows Trail Head Elevation: 8319'
- Rosalie Lake Elevation: 9,363'
- Max Elevation: 9,473'
After making it to the trail head I was picked up by the bus that headed into Reds Meadow. This is where I fulfilled my taste buds dreams with a big juicy burger and a delicious ice cream for dessert. After stuffing my belly full of too much food, I hopped back on the shuttle which took me back to my car. I had reservations to stay in Mammoth Lakes at the Mammoth Lodge. It was gorgeous, and so wonderful to take a shower.
The Adventure isn't over!
After cleaning myself multiple times, I I headed out on the town to get some dinner and a beer. Mammoth Lakes Village was having a fun BBQ contest and the festivities were wonderful. There was live music, yummy food, and activities for days. Hundreds of people were out and about. This was both fun and quite strange at the same time. I went from 4 days in the wilderness seeing no one to hundreds of people surrounding me with loud live music. I was a bit uncomfortable to say the least, but trying to enjoy the fun night that was in store.
After getting a beer at the Mammoth Brewery I headed back to my hotel room. The live music was still playing and one of the best songs was being sung, Free bird. I figured it was a cover band, but I stopped by to listen to the song as I love this song so much. To my surprise it was actually Lynyrd Skynyrd! Like the actual band! I couldn't even believe it!
What an amazing way to end an amazing adventure.
Wishing you nothing but amazing adventures!
Adventuring of a Small Town Girl (ASTG)
p.s. You can find day 1 here. You can also find day 2 here.
All Photos are for sale on my photography website here.
My Gear
P.S. wanna know what gear I used? Check it out here:
Kit Used:
Camera: Sony A7Rii: http://amzn.to/1taGpAu
Favorite Lens: Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 G Master: http://amzn.to/2n747NJ
Wide Angle: Sony 16-35mm lens: http://amzn.to/1UBjBDW
Vanguard Tripod: http://amzn.to/2aoI5ku
Filming:
Samsung Note 4 smart phone
Editing & Processing:
Bulk editing: Adobe Lightroom: http://amzn.to/1WB7Jnc
Fine tuning: Adobe Photoshop : http://amzn.to/1WB7YPh
Viva Video Pro for combining videos