9/23/14 The second day brought us past the Castle Domes, onto the John Muir Trail, past Dollar Lake, and up to beautiful Arrowhead Lake at 10,292' after another 2,800' of gain.
1 A chilly but sunny morning and breakfast at the campsite.
2 Heading out of camp East up the canyon along Woods Creek.
3 A look at the granite Castle Domes 2,000' above us.
4 Morning sun on Woods Creek cutting through the forest.
5 Impressive granite peaks everywhere.
6 Hiking through the meadows below Castle Domes approaching the junction to Pinchot Pass.
7 The bridge on the John Muir Trail crossing over Woods Creek. Definitely the coolest trail bridge I've been on.
8 Dustin heading over the bridge. This bridge is like something straight out of Indiana Jones, swinging back and forth, creaking like crazy.
9 Video of Dustin cross the bridge.
For best performance, you can view the video on YouTube.
10 The gaps in the wood slats could be tough if you're afraid of heights.
11 Dustin's video of me coming across the bridge.
For best performance, you can view the video on YouTube.
12 The view down Woods Creek from on top of the bridge.
13 Hmm.... "One person at a time on bridge". They didn't have one of these signs on the other side. No wonder it was swaying so much!
14 Heading South down the JMT with Diamond Peak in the distance.
15 Lots of cool creek crossings in this area. There's water everywhere.
16 A look back down the canyon. I believe the large peak on the right is Mt Cedric Wright.
17 One of the nicer meadows in the area.
18 Despite the dry year, there are still cascades flowing down the canyon along the way.
19 We saw a couple of these barbed wire blockades on the trail. Very similar to what I saw in Jack Main Canyon. I'm still not entirely sure what they're for.
20 A great trail sign on the JMT, which is also part of the PCT. There's definitely a noticeable change in the backpackers once you get on the JMT. We came across someone who had been on the trail for 21 days and asked us the date because he had lost track of time. The question everyone asks around here is "which way are you headed?". It took me a while to figure out that means "Are you heading North or South on the JMT?"
21 Dollar Lake with Fin Dome in the background. The first of many, many amazing lakes we would see over the next few days.
22 Dustin taking in the view.
23 Panorama of Dollar Lake.
24 One last view of Dustin and Dollar Lake, and then it's time to move on.
25 Another great creek crossing.
26 The stream connecting Dollar Lake to the lake above it. This section is unquestionably one of the most scenic areas of the loop.
27 Dustin arriving at the next pond along the way.
28 First view of Arrowhead Lake, our destination for the night.
29 An entire school of fish! I'm not sure what kind they are, but there were tons of them in the lakes.
30 We had arrived at Arrowhead Lake earlier than expected, so we decided to to hike completely around the lake.
31 Other side of the lake opposite the trail. Probably not too many people make it around to this side. We had only seen a few people today, and not a single person at Arrowhead Lake.
32 Further around the lake with good views of (I believe) Mt Rixford and Painted Lady behind Fin Dome.
33 Now almost completely around the lake and more great views.
34 One of my favorites pictures from the trip. Dustin, Woods Creek, and Fin Dome.
35 Woods Creek flowing out of Arrowhead Lake.
36 After scouting locations for a while, we decided on this prime location almost right on the lakeshore. It was Dustin's favorite campsite of the trip, and it's hard to disagree. We kept the rainfly off and had a great view of the stars from our sleeping bags.
37 Dinner spot right on the lake.
38 Sun setting on Arrowhead Lake.
39 The light is getting low as another beautiful day on the trail comes to a close.