There are places that I see and decide that I want to visit, and eventually I do visit them. Three short, steep and beautiful hikes during my weekend in the Eastern Sierras, including a quick one in Granite Mountain Wilderness before leaving.
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I wake up to a beautiful autumn morning at tranquil Obsidian Campground -
Now-yellow cottonwood trees line the road as I drive out of Obsidian Campground -
I hate to be leaving Obsidian Campground so soon, but I have some exploring to do -
The 50+ mile drive down Highway 395 to the Mono Lake area has many scenic moments -
I eventually find myself in the Inyo National Forest, in an area called the "Punch Bowl" -
Back on Hwy 395, I find a nice stop between the Sierras and the Mono Craters -
Without a plan, I've just decided to drive a few of the dirt roads in the area of the Mono Craters -
I wind around Pumice Valley, ending up on a dirt road that passes some of the Mono Craters -
Burnt plant stumps tell that there was a brush fire here in Pumice Valley not too long ago -
Sometimes it's worth driving these dead-end roads just to see what's at the end -
This sandy road seems to lead up into the foothills of the Crater Mountain area -
I pause to take a look back across Pumice Valley to the Sierras -
Well-worn tire tracks tell me I'm not the only one to drive up this way -
My road ends near one of the smaller Mono Craters -
I'll park under these pine trees, since I might want to camp here tonight -
Let's go for a walk, maybe one of these steep hills is hikeable -
A lot of rock falls down these hillsides -
Hey, there's a bit of a trail here! -
The trail started out steeply, but I've reached a stretch where the grade is reasonable -
Jagged rocks look down from above -
As I continue, the world is getting steeper -
It's a slippery landscape, but, so far, I'm able to hike up it -
I'm not sure what's at the top of this big hill, but I'm almost there -
I've just arrived on what turns out to be a saddle between more hills in the Mono Craters -
So this is what it looks like higher up in the Mono Craters... -
And there's Crater Mountain over there -
I've started climbing that adjacent hill, but the wind is almost blowing me over -
I climb another nearby hill for more views over to Mono Lake -
To the east, I see the Cowtrack Mountain plateau in the Granite Mountains Wilderness -
A few pine trees do manage to grow up here in this sparse landscape -
A network of roads remains from the days when the Mono Craters were being mined -
This heavy cable is residue from when these Mono Craters were being mined -
Here, an old road cuts through a rough upper edge in the Mono Craters -
Mono Lake looks close below from up here in the Mono Craters -
Here's another view over to the Granite Mountains Wilderness plateau from the Mono Craters -
I'll follow that dirt-bike track... -
Terracing is visible from here in the old Mono Craters mining operation -
Not all the rock up here in the Mono Craters is gray... -
I'm on the moon! -
I think I'll walk through that Mono Craters gateway... -
I'm standing here wondering if there's a hiking route to Crater Mountain over there -
I'll walk past this pinnacle and start looking for a way back down to the FJ -
It looks like I'll be heading back down to Pumice Valley on my uphill route -
It's a steep and slippery downhill, but the footing isn't too loose -
Down we go... -
Pine cones, rocks, and me, we all go down -
I stop to take a look back up the slanted world that I'm hiking down -
A small pine tree appears to grow out of a boulder sliding down the hillside -
I arrive at the bottom of the hill, along with many rocks -
Sedimentary layers in this rock contain shell-like bubbles -
I'm back at the FJ now and have just decided that I won't camp here tonight -
I drive back down into Pumice Valley toward the Sierras, past pines and rabbitbrush -
Goodbye Mono Craters for now, I enjoyed visiting you -
Sunlight weakens as I drive up Pumice Valley toward the Panum Crater area -
A fading sunset illuminates the Granite Mountains Wilderness as I drive Hwy 120 -
I've just stopped near Sagehen Summit to enjoy the sunset, and it's a good one -
I wake up to solitude at Sawmill Meadow, then suddenly, the sound of chain saws -
I'll walk around and see what's here, since I arrived here after dark last night -
Hmmm, here's the trailer for the folks who are sawing down a tree or two nearby... -
And here's the Sawmill Meadow outhouse, which I'll use shortly -
Sawmill Meadow has an old cabin -
Property of the United States and has Frank and Steve's graffiti -
Inside the cabin, some of the framing appears to be rather recent -
Sawmill Meadow is that open area behind the FJ and the tent -
The outhouse is in decent condition, to my surprise -
I walk over to Sawmill Meadow itself and see many baby pine trees growing -
A nameless mini-mountain at the north end of Sawmill Meadow gets my attention -
The loggers leave with their freshly cut tree and I begin my hike up to the Glass Mountain Ridge -
I almost walk on these little California aster-like flowers -
This part of the trail up to Glass Mountain is quite steep -
The steep trail provides great views across to the White Mountains -
The trail rises across a scattering of obsidian -
I zoom out for a wider glimpse across the Sawmill Meadow valley to the White Mountains -
Upward... -
Old pine trees lay across the land in abundance -
The trail is powdery and slippery in a few spots -
The Glass Mountain trail rises on an interesting angle -
I'm glad I brought my hiking poles along with me today! -
I pause to catch my breath and take in the views some more -
This looks like a good place to sit and relax before vertigo catches up with me -
After a 15-minute break, I decide to hike back down to Sawmill Meadow -
Back down through the pine trees... -
This obsidian field calls for another short break to take in the view across the valley -
The obsidian trail! -
A few switchbacks help tame the route a bit -
This trail seems fairly well used, but I haven't met any other hikers here today -
It hasn't taken long: I'm already back down in the yellow cottonwoods and near the FJ -
I fuel up with a cup of coffee and a bowl of Orlik Golden Slices at the FJ before leaving -
It was dark when I drove up to Sawmill Meadow, so I'm enjoying the views on the way back down -
I get to drive through another bright patch of cottonwood trees -
In the distance is Granite Mountains Wilderness, my next destination -
Back on Hwy 120, I look across fields of rabbitbrush to the White Mountains -
Highway 120 escorts me across yellow Adobe Valley to Granite Mountains Wilderness -
I feel happy to leave pavement and drive the dirt road into Granite Mountains Wilderness again -
The FJ parks at the end of the dirt road and I begin a short late-afternoon hike -
My hike begins on an old road that's supposedly closed, but obviously is still driven -
In no time, the FJ is a mere blot in a landscape of yellow rabbitbrush -
A single set of tire tracks continues as I hike up the closed road -
Aha, there's one of the wild horses that are known to inhabit Granite Mountains Wilderness! -
How long will this wild horse allow me to look at it before running away?
