High Sierra Adventures - McGee Creek

in #photography6 years ago (edited)

Mcgeecover.jpg

Welcome my fellow Steemians to yet another...

California Mountain Adventure!!



For this adventure I decided I needed to get out into some snow while the conditions were still good so I could get some use out of my crampons and ice axe and climb a few big mountains! So I headed up route 395 to Crowley Lake for a trip up McGee creek. I got to the trailhead, got my bag all packed, and headed up the trail.

13769625_1200217636676039_7802545159700969722_n.jpg
The start of the Mcgee Creek trail

13669817_1200217620009374_4323952159811752731_n.jpg
Hiking up the McGee creek trail

On the hike in the weather got bad fast. Rain, snow, and lots of hail! And as I got up above the snow line it became harder to follow the trail so I had to just navigate my own route. It all worked out good and I arrived at a totally frozen Big McGee lake! I found a small snow free area just above the lake and setup my camp there. It snowed lightly on and off all evening until I went to bed.

13726590_1200217303342739_6102067624739779322_n.jpg
Bad weather in McGee creek

13754333_1200217500009386_7979016907538813543_n.jpg
A small nameless lake along the trail

13731523_1200217823342687_1909735716247575082_n.jpg
Climbing cross country through the snow

13770515_1200217973342672_1434602389041905457_n.jpg
Setting up camp at Big McGee lake

13775524_1200218076675995_4147890455463846213_n.jpg
Totally frozen Big McGee lake

The next morning I woke up to clear blue skies! It was looking like a great day so I headed out to attempt to climb Red Slate mtn.(13,163'). The approach to the base of the peak took a lot longer than I expected, but the actual climb up the Southeast ridge was fairly easy and I only really needed my crampons and Ice axe for the last 500' or so. The views from the summit were amazing!!

13707614_1200808506616952_4240204436951623797_n.jpg
Overlooking Big McGee lake in the morning

13669801_1200808493283620_4624791690998779224_n.jpg
Arriving at Little McGee lake which was also totally frozen

13659034_1200808496616953_4601337765026511470_n.jpg
Climbing up passed McGee pass

13729145_1200808716616931_4086900235261959017_n.jpg
Climbing the southeast ridge of Red Slate mtn.

13754175_1200808693283600_4543648070584138645_n.jpg
The final approach to the summit

13707636_1200808766616926_1938481181214312159_n.jpg
Summit view looking south

13697215_1200808719950264_6351139056837089008_n.jpg
Summit view looking east

13669747_1200808819950254_4030941644923259835_n.jpg
Summit view looking north

13690812_1200808829950253_2693312508598711313_n.jpg
Me standing on the summit

I sat on top for awhile enjoying the amazing views, but as the clouds started to grow I decided I should start to head down. I got back to camp early and decided to check out the creek below Big McGee lake and do a little trout fishing. A few small snow showers came through, but nothing much and most of the clouds had cleared before sunset. Making for a nice calm evening.

13770367_1200809036616899_3923748596985195519_n.jpg
Descending the southeast ridge

13645141_1200809156616887_6356549826362499655_n.jpg
Looking back at Red Slate mtn. from McGee pass

13726836_1200809199950216_3015640993381254651_n.jpg
Looking west over McGee pass

13700199_1200809236616879_8818272949661662882_n.jpg
Exploring McGee creek below my camp

13707794_1200809286616874_2680612960256412954_n.jpg
Looking for trout in McGee creek

13754598_1200809343283535_7086383229263933804_n.jpg
Last bit of light at Big McGee lake

The next morning I started early and crossed the outlet of Big McGee lake and headed around its southern shore with the intention to climb Red and White mountain(12,816')!

13876567_1209127409118395_403326723001105076_n.jpg
Crossing the outlet of Big McGee lake

13872994_1209127389118397_7685979720948793435_n.jpg
Red and White mtn. from the outlet of Big McGee lake

13669626_1209127412451728_2047409597794421105_n.jpg
Overlooking Big McGee lake

The approach was much shorter than Red Slate mtn., but the climb was much steeper and quite a bit more technical. But the snow conditions were great on the climb up and I got to the summit without any major problems.

13876583_1209127395785063_5733150280496100593_n.jpg
Starting the climb up to Red and White mtn.

13873229_1209127462451723_8201192866942735222_n.jpg
Making my way up the southeast face

13645178_1209127522451717_3569395474900544541_n.jpg
Looking down the southeast face

And of course the views from the summit were incredible! I found the register and signed in... and the last person to sign in was... me! Haha! From my trip through the Mono creek basin back in September!! It was so cool to be back, but this time in the snow! I got my summit photos and ate my lunch and then began my descent.

13658918_1209127525785050_6670022658624047644_n.jpg
Arriving at the summit of Red and White mtn.

13782002_1209127505785052_1073086481014779356_n.jpg
Summit shot looking north with Red Slate mtn. dominating the scenery

On the way down the snow had gotten much softer and was getting very slippery and causing small avalanches all over. So as soon as I could I got onto some snow free talus and descended a lot of the steep stuff on the rocks. I got back down safely to my camp at Big McGee lake and got to enjoy one last night camping up in the snow!

13654306_1209127622451707_1989067941295955823_n.jpg
Descending from Red and White mtn.

13882175_1209127642451705_6989030937401949386_n.jpg
Descending back down to Big McGee lake

13880294_1209127649118371_7769285267146036129_n.jpg
Back at Big McGee lake

13876631_1209127709118365_4825483009901165001_n.jpg
Back at camp

13620777_1209127802451689_4019504539327682613_n.jpg
Views from camp

13886385_1209127805785022_6240739373949157694_n.jpg
Glowing clouds over Red and White mtn.

So after my third and final night at Big McGee lake I packed up my camp and headed down the mountain. It was a beautiful blue sky day and I just strolled out casually enjoying every step, stopping often to play with the little trout in the creek, wishing I never had to leave... a great ending to another amazing adventure!!

13920650_1214994828531653_6010459326329359597_n.jpg
McGee creek with Red and White mtn. in the distance

13895297_1214994858531650_4476379400272227632_n.jpg
McGee creek

13891951_1214994848531651_1977228050731375211_n.jpg
McGee creek

13924868_1214994875198315_9144758585774488245_n.jpg
The upper bridge on the McGee creek trail

13920650_1214994901864979_5382238399573897252_n.jpg
McGee creek

13912919_1214994985198304_3980607915128653152_n.jpg The lower bridge on the McGee creek trail

13880287_1214994988531637_1412428204761343554_n.jpg
Exiting the John Muir Wilderness and arriving back at the trailhead

Dividerbar.jpg

thanksmcgee.jpg

[//]:# (!steemitworldmap 37.492430 lat -118.840594 long d3scr)
Steemit World Map

*All photos by @derekrichardson

Dividerbar.jpg

CMA banner3.jpg

https://www.californiamountainadventure.com
https://www.facebook.com/CAmountainadventures
Contact me on Discord

Dividerbar.jpg

Socalsteemitbanner2.jpg

#SoCalSteemit is building and supporting the Steemit community of Southern California. If you are from SoCal and are into creating quality content here on Steemit, we'd love for you to follow us @SoCalSteemit and join our group on Discord

Dividerbar.jpg

SB-Marvel-Family.gif

Steemit Bloggers
Join us @steemitbloggers
Animation By @zord189

Dividerbar.jpg

DQmfEQSBMrq3s4TR7YryJWQPtuCFvQiy9XS8aTLmfcNdVgM.png

Dividerbar.jpg

Sort:  

That looks like a great adventure!
I remember once when I was visiting Denver and we went on a guided mountain tour- we left Denver and it was 68-degrees and sunny- got up the mountain and a snow storm was coming in- temp was 30-degrees and snow was falling like crazy. I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt- DANG!

Wow - that looks SO BEAUTIFUL! Is it still so snowy at this time of year - ie was it a recent trip?

Yup. There's still lots of snow in the High Sierra!

This is a great post. What an adventure! The snow looks amazing although I can't believe you weren't wearing full length pants/trousers while setting up camp. That must have been very, very cold.

Thanks for sharing so many great pictures

Thanks @supernovastaffy. I'm guessing long johns, pants, and jackets were all next on the to-do list right after getting the tent up and the stuff inside!!

These photos are so amazing! I would love to check out those lakes and steams for some fish!

Thanks @papacrusher! The high sierra is loaded with trout. The thing is that a majority of them are pretty small, but there are places where you can find some nice lunkers! Sometimes where you'd least expect. The biggest trout I found in McGee creek was probably only 8"-10''. The small guys are still fun to play with (and not too smart so you can just catch 'em like crazy sometimes. lol.), but if Big McGee lake wasn't totally frozen I bet I could have found some larger trout in there.

Oh my God ... very very beautiful, I am amazed to see it.
It feels very cold in the middle of a hilltop surrounded by snow ..
everything looks white !! cool

Isn't it beautiful!! I just love it way up there in the High Sierra. Just me and the snow and the rocks. It's so refreshing to experience that purity. It can be very cold, but if you are ready for it then it's no problem. If you're not adequately prepared then it can be quite dangerous... but when you are experienced you learn to be properly prepared for all that nature can throw at you and even when you find tough conditions it can be quite an amazing experience.

Congratulations! this post got an upvote by @steemrepo and was manually picked by the curator @for91days to be added on STEEM REPOSITORY, simply comment "YES" and we upload it on STEEM REPO Website.
Want to know more about the Steem Repo project? Contact us on Discord

Congratulations! Your post has been selected as a daily Steemit truffle! It is listed on rank 17 of all contributions awarded today. You can find the TOP DAILY TRUFFLE PICKS HERE.

I upvoted your contribution because to my mind your post is at least 25 SBD worth and should receive 106 votes. It's now up to the lovely Steemit community to make this come true.

I am TrufflePig, an Artificial Intelligence Bot that helps minnows and content curators using Machine Learning. If you are curious how I select content, you can find an explanation here!

Have a nice day and sincerely yours,
trufflepig
TrufflePig

Congratulations, Your Post Has Been Added To The Steemit Worldmap!
Author link: http://steemitworldmap.com?author=derekrichardson
Post link: http://steemitworldmap.com?post=high-sierra-adventures-mcgee-creek


Want to have your post on the map too?

  • Go to Steemitworldmap
  • Click the code slider at the bottom
  • Click on the map where your post should be (zoom in if needed)
  • Copy and paste the generated code in your post
  • Congrats, your post is now on the map!

Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!

You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue #132 (5/12/18)

The STEEM Engine is an initiative dedicated to promoting meaningful engagement across Steemit. Find out more about us and join us today.

Thank you @thesteemengine!! I really appreciate your support.

OMG! Your photos are stunning! My favourite is "Descending to McGee Lake".

Thanks you @cookntell. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos! There are so many good ones, it would be tough for me to pick a favorite, but that one is a pretty good one.

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.35
TRX 0.12
JST 0.040
BTC 70625.87
ETH 3563.07
USDT 1.00
SBD 4.71