Day 3: Little Lakes

4 June 2022
Crescent Lake to Ranger Lake to Twin Lakes plus a day hike to Little Lakes
(11 miles, +3,000/-3,300 feet).

Crescent Lake was absolutely gorgeous this morning, and of course being so far off trail we had it to ourselves.

pxl_20220604_1408263693 — Good morning Crescent Lake!

pxl_20220604_1459076432 — A tranquil arm

After breakfast we made our way cross country to the north, dropping to Lake 9518 before ascending to its twin.

pxl_20220604_1616260372 — And another angle

It turned out to be quite challenging to climb the 100 feet or so up to the twin lake. We followed a seam and then turned off of it at the level of the lake, but it cliffed out so we had to backtrack and keep climbing higher until we reached the high point and descended to the other side.

original_5632ecc4-b93b-47ad-ae04-b1872c5f9a8f_pxl_20220604_163244088 — Pale agoseris

original_11539cbe-6db0-47fb-b827-f29e51c2da0f_pxl_20220604_163710123 — One-seeded pussypaws

pxl_20220604_1648049932 — Lake above Lake 9518

original_b0c7ce6f-734a-4de4-96cb-ba37ff94d70a_pxl_20220604_165534231 — Dwarf Hesperochiron

The descent from there to Beville and Ranger Lakes was pretty easy, but it took a little bit of route-finding.

original_40f59f9d-2ef7-4b58-b91a-ee272c8e9f21_pxl_20220604_165941629 — This is better!

pxl_20220604_1715497502 — Just a bit of a downclimb here

Once we reached Beville Lake we started looking for the trail. But all we found were a million mosquitoes!

original_24435bfe-5231-42bd-9622-456f2cf4ba34_pxl_20220604_180122165 — Skunky Monkeyflower

Ranger Lake was so full of mosquitoes I didn’t even get a picture. We both grabbed water as quickly as possible, found the trail to Silliman Pass, and started ascending to escape!

pxl_20220604_1815389532 — Fleeing Ranger Lake

pxl_20220604_1826568292 — Dog Vomit Slime Mold (no joke – this is what it’s called!)

At Silliman Pass there was a nice breeze and we were far away from the bogs below, so we took a good long break. The view showed us the basin we crossed yesterday to descend from the Kings-Kaweah Divide to Crescent Lake.

pxl_20220604_1917433462 — Finally, a reprieve!

I was really afraid Twin Lakes were going to be as bad as Ranger and Beville Lakes, but there was nary a bug. It was paradise!

pxl_20220604_2006355602 — Southern Twin Lake

We set up camp and planned to do a day hike to Little Lakes, but then a crazy fog bank rolled in, obscuring our view of the route above the lake that we would need to take.

Steam rose from the lake, making the whole place feel like Middle Earth.

pxl_20220604_2105220702 — ChiaGlyph refills his water

The clouds moved in and out, and there was enough visibility that we thought it would be safe to give our trip to Little Lakes a try.

pxl_20220604_2131258972 — Ascending the ridge above Twin Lakes

pxl_20220604_2137180522 — King’s Sandwort

pxl_20220604_2157319342 — Big slabs on the ridge

We headed for a saddle that lies between Silliman Pass and Little Lakes, but we ended up ascending above it near peak 10224 before heading down to an absolutely-gorgeous meadow on its southern side.