Sabrina Basin, John Muir Wilderness

"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out until sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." - John Muir

So reads the sign at the Sabrina Basin trailhead that leads into the John Muir Wilderness of the Inyo National Forest, a 20 minute drive up my street. Brent and I headed out on the trail for a single night backpacking trip. The trail begins just below the Lake Sabrina dam at 9,125' elevation and follows the lake through aspen and willows, becoming sagebrush scrub dotted with conifers and covered with wildflowers this time of year. Continuing higher, you pass through lodgepole pine forest and the trail steepens with switchbacks cut into the granite. We finally reached Blue Lake, only 3 miles in but at 10,400', had lunch, and decided to set up camp there. After a refreshing nap, we set out much lighter and followed a trail to Emerald Lakes, giving us stunning views of the peaks surrounding the Basin and more alpine wildflowers.

We spent a nice evening at camp alongside Blue Lake, enjoying dinner and swatting mosquitoes. It rained in the night, making the extra weight of our tent fly worthwhile. After breakfast, we headed back down the trail, much easier in this direction and minus three meals. We plan to return, probably as a day hike, and explore more of the lakes deeper into Sabrina Basin.

Aquilegia pubescens alpine columbine

Aquilegia formosa x Aquilegia pubescens

Sedum lanceolatum narrow-leaf stonecrop

Castilleja linariifolia long-leaved paintbrush

crossing Lake George's outlet

lodgepole chipmunk (Tamias speciosus) shows the way

golden-mantled ground squirrel Spermophilus lateralis, SPELAT

Phyllodoce breweri red heather

Mt. Haeckel from Emerald Lakes

yellow-bellied marmot Marmota flaviventris

Thompson Ridge, Blue Lake

clouds reflected in Blue Lake

Bird list: song sparrow, yellow warbler, brown-headed cowbird, dark-eyed junco, mountain chickadee, Clark's nutcracker, red-breasted sapsucker, brown creeper, Cassin's finch, dusky flycatcher, yellow-rumped warbler, golden eagle, Steller's jay, western wood pewee, olive-sided flycatcher, northern flicker.

More pictures are available here. Enjoy !