The personal and professional website of Douglas Van Bossuyt
We settled down for a second night at Pearl Lake next to the big rock on the moraine. It was a great place to watch the day turn into evening and then night.
Sun fading away above Cathedral Lake.
Little John seeing the last light with Pearl Lake already in darkness.
The haze to the west over the North Fork of the Kings River.
What a beautiful place to camp.
In the afternoon, we hiked up to Chapel, Midway, and Cathedral Lakes underneath the watchful gaze of Finger Peak. This little lake with the gnarled tree is Chapel Lake.
A better view of Chapel Lake with Finger Peak in the background. The little dark notch is where we would have come over had we been able to get over the first pass on Finger Peak.
Looking down toward Midway lake. I suspect it might have been named for Midway Island. Many of the features in this part of the Sierras were named for people, places, and things from WWII by returning GIs.
A long-dead tree retains its beauty. I have a photo somewhere of my mom and me sitting below this tree from around 2004, the last time I visited this place.
Looking up toward the notch. It would have been a difficult proposition to come down that icy, snowy slope with backpacks but no crampons or ice axes. Probably it was for the best that we couldn’t get around Finger Peak.
Down by Chapel Lake, we saw a mother marmot and her babies. She stayed up on the rock until we were within ten feet of her to give her babies time to make it into the rocks.
The rock cairn that marks the cross-country route down to Pearl Lake. Once horses came up this way. You would need to have an extremely sure-footed horse to make it up here these days.
We decided to go on a morning hike to see some of the lakes above Pearl Lake in the upper reaches of Blackcap Basin. There are no trails up here. The terrain is open enough that you can pick your way easily across the mountains toward the treeless alpine lakes.
We first came upon Division Lake.
Next came Battalion Lake.
There are gorgeous wide-open views no matter which way you look.
Looking down on Pearl Lake from above.
This might be Soldier Lake (unnamed on the topos).
Heading out across the vast expanse of granite in search of more lakes.
Looking down on Ewe Lake.
Mount Goddard peaking over the shoulder of Little John Mountain with Ram Lake. One of these days, I need to climb that mountain.
Ram Lake is really striking with the dark metamorphic rock intruding at one end of the water.
Climbing up and away from Ram Lake looking out toward Lightning Meadow, Blackcap Mountain, and to the right up in those mountains are several other lakes (Rainbow Lake, Confusion Lake, Valor Lake, and Ambition Lake).
Lightning Meadow was full of water this year. I believe there are some new camping and fire restrictions around Lightning Meadow which is pretty funny since almost no one ever goes to that meadow anymore.
Spying Pearl Lake in the distance with Finger Peak looming large in the background. We would have come through a second pass to the left of Finger Peak if we had been able to go through the first pass where we encountered snow.
Above Division Lake, we spied a mature adult bald eagle. When my parents were in Blackcap Basin about a half dozen years ago, they also saw a bald eagle. I wonder if it is the same eagle or a descendant. The only reason eagles are able to live at this high of elevation is because the lakes have been stocked with fish.
We found this cute little frog baking in the sun far away from any water near Division Lake. We helped him get to a little puddle of water so that he wouldn’t cook in the sun.
One last view before heading back down to Pearl Lake.
