RR: HR: Agnew Meadows to Shadow Lake

[lorabee]

After spending the closing weekend mountain biking at Mammoth, Art23rockpile and I decided to stay an extra day and take a hike Monday morning before driving home.

We decided to take the River Trail from Agnew Meadows to Shadow Lake , which was about a 3.5 mile hike each way. The trailhead was no more than a ten minute drive past the Main Lodge heading towards Minaret Summit.

- The first lake we passed was Olaine Lake.
- The 7th pic down is of Mammoth Mtn in the distance.
- Shadow Lake (2nd to last pic) Mt. Ritter (left) and Banner Pk. (right) are the peaks in the background when looking west from Shadow Lake.

What a great way to end the weekend.

[bighit8]

Excellent, did you guys swim in the lake? I was mistaken Lorabee. I did meet you at the after party at Bikes and Beers at the Tustin brewery. I did not know Art was the BF. Thanks for the pics.

[lorabee]

Originally Posted by bighit8

Excellent, did you guys swim in the lake? I was mistaken Lorabee. I did meet you at the after party at Bikes and Beers at the Tustin brewery. I did not know Art was the BF. Thanks for the pics.

Nope, no swimming, just kicked back briefly and headed back.

[art23rockpile]

Laura and I had an agreement that if I spent the majority of the trip doing "gravity" rides on the mountain with other STR folks, we'd stay an extra day and do a good hike with just the two of us. She did not need to twist my arm, as I spent much of my teenage years backpacking the San Bernardino Mts. and Sierras while in the Boy Scouts. MTBing has helped me to rediscover my roots... the Alpine trails and pristine majestic scenery nourish my soul.

Monday morning, we consulted my 'Mammoth High Country' map and chose a promising route. We had originally planned to go out for an hour and turn back, but a destination with the name of Shadow Lake sounded interesting so we decided to double our mileage. As we descended into a wooded valley, the scenery got better and better. We passed by Olaine Lake, which would be fine destination itself.

At about the halfway point, you cross a bridge and begin a climb that becomes quite rugged and rocky. It skirts a deep gorge where a stream flows down from the lake and is actually quite exposed... although hiking, it's not as noticable as when one is riding a MTB. The next thing we knew, the lake appeared. The photos will give a clue as to the awesome beauty of the place. Ediza Lake is a few miles further (near the base of Mt. Ritter). Many years ago, I did a weeklong hike with friends that included Ediza Lake.

Although I could not help but wonder what it would be like to do this route on a MTB (River Trail, PCT, and JMT are off-limits to bikes), I must admit that there is a certain aspect to the experience of traversing such terrain on foot which differs greatly to that of doing it on a bike. Not better or worse, just different. Truth to tell, much of this trail is far too rugged to MTB on anyway.

Our route was a total of 7 plus miles, and with a 20 minute stop at the lake, took a little under 4 hours. It was the perfect way for us to end an epic trip. At some point, we plan to turn such excursions into overnite or multi-day hikes, as I know from past experience the many magical places that can be found in these remote back country mountains.

[Pain Freak]

I miss hiking, but I would miss riding more,

[Letyrides]

That's looks spectacular. Thanks for sharing!

[Draheim18]

Thanks for sharing those pictures with us. If you like hiking, check out Zion. My family and I went there this summer, it has some really good hiking.

[art23rockpile]

Originally Posted by Pain Freak

I miss hiking, but I would miss riding more,

There is no reason to forego either! Some trails are better suited to hiking than biking, either because of the ruggedness/steepness or the 'wilderness designation'
(). The two sports go hand in hand: enjoyment of exploring new trails. And i'm finding that if one is a fit MTBer, he (or she) is automatically in shape for hiking.

Originally Posted by Draheim18

Thanks for sharing those pictures with us. If you like hiking, check out Zion. My family and I went there this summer, it has some really good hiking.

I had the opportunity to drive through Zion earlier this year, en route to a MTB trip. It looks awesome!

[ArrrKelly]

Does that lake have a boat ramp? Maybe we can get some jet ski's from cal epic and go nutz!