Hike to 11,709’ Kearsarge Pass on Film
Back in June we camped at Onion Valley Campground above the town of Independence in California’s Eastern Sierra, and day hiked to Kearsarge Pass. Getting to the pass is a challenging hike; its 11ish miles round trip, with 2700 feet of elevation gain to 11,709’. Our camping and hiking crew consisted of myself, my partner Jason, and our friends Alex, Mark and Shelly… and Gary and Karen (my and Alex’s mini aussies). June is a great time to hike in the high sierra, and we luckily had a dappling of clouds that offered occasional shade from the hot summer sun, and were plagued by just a few blood-thirsty mosquitos. The altitude was challenging, but manageable— perhaps in part because we had hiked the evening before to Robinson Lake, and slept at the campground at 9600’. It’s beneficial for acclimatization to spend the day active at higher altitudes and then to sleep lower.
On the hike back down, we stopped at Flower Lake to relax, fish and take a quick dip in the (very cold) lake.
Shot on Contax G2 with Kodak Gold 200 and Ektar 100 film.
Heart Lake
A very bristlecone pine tree, likely over a thousand years old and still alive!
Big Pothole Lake. Here’s where I switched to a new roll of film and started shooting Kodak Ektar.
Kearsarge Pass borders King’s Canyon National Park
Mark on a boulder at Kearsarge Pass
The descent.
Flower lake swim club!
Do I look cold? Trying to keep as much of my body out of the water while floating on a very tiny tube.
Jason and Gary having a nap.
Afternoon view down to Onion Valley.
Click to see my AllTrails recording of this hike!