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| Backpack | 22.98 Miles |
3,760 AEG |
| | Backpack | 22.98 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 3,760 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | My sister and her boyfriend wanted to come visit us in Phoenix. I reminded them that they were trying to visit Phoenix in summer. So we negotiated on a location that would be somewhat equidistant between southern Oregon and Phoenix. All that to say, we decided on an over-nighter in the Cottonwood Lakes Basin of Inyo National Forest.
Friday, June 1
We left Phoenix at 2:30pm and arrived at the walk-in campground at 10:30pm. Not bad! The drive went by super fast. We talked about the route, and after listening to other backpackers, decided against our original plan. I had hoped to stay at Lake 5 and ascend up the Old Army Pass route, where we would connect with the Langley trail and summit the peak as a day hike. Of course, none of my plans ever seem to come to fruition. But this is often for the best.
We heard from some backpackers that Old Army Pass was impassable, even with ice axe and traction devices. Plan B! Camp at long lake and check out New Army Pass area.
Saturday, June 2
We were on the trail early and soaking in the sequoia and white volcanic sand views. Langley came into view at mile 5. This spot near Lake One is beautiful. Several minutes later, Melody began to feel sever pains in her foot. We thought it was her new shoes, but regardless, we soon realized that this might prevent the group from summitting Langley on Sunday.
We set up camp on the northwest side of long lake and slowly made our way up to High Lake. We soaked our feet and boldered around some rocks near the lake. Returning to camp, I noticed another group had built a fire, violating the many signs we had passed on the trail that clearly prohibited fires.
Sunday, June 3
We went up to New Army Pass. Melody's foot was feeling a lot better, but we didn't push on towards Langley. While the group took a break at New Army, I headed down to Old Army Pass. I wanted to see Lake Five from above and check out the snow conditions. The reports were correct. There's no way I would feel comfortable climbing up this route, even with mountaineering equipment. The slab of snow was just too precarious and steep. It reminded me of something I used to ice climb when I lived on the east coast. I also noticed that Old Army Pass is minimally signed. In fact, the NPS sign doesn't title the pass. It just mentions the Big Horn Sheep.
The hike back was uneventful, but we circled around through the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek to make things interesting. This trail is not in great condition, and a little difficult to find at times. It was nice to have the change of pace, but it became clear that the FS is decommissioning this route. From the main trail, there were logs rolled across the intersection with South Fork Trail. |
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| - there's nothing like finding Water in the Desert - |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
