Day 2 - Lyell Canyon to Booth Lake

Day 2 - Lyell Canyon to Boothe Lake. 9.8mi, 2129ft incline, 1125ft decline.
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Looking bright eyed and bushy-tailed as we set out for the Evelyn Lake area. We left no trace.  The climb up to the plateau was about 1700' in 3 miles. On one of our breather stops I went ver to check out Ireland Creek storming down the sheeting (or exfoliating) layers of Kuna Crest Granodiorite which is a few million yearas older than the Half Dome Granodiorite (90Ma or so).  Kathleen makes short work of a stream crossing.  Sean makes the crossing look effortless. 
A lovely little flat area about 1.8 miles into the climb. Quite a few little snow-fed streams flowed into Ireland Creek here. I would wager there would be a pretty good camp site somewhere near here.  Sean primes the new water filter.  Kathleen enjoys the view.  There wasn't much snow on the ground. Satellite data had warned we may encounter some thick patches here but it was really sparse. 
A cool chunk of hornblende phynocrysts. Apparently the Kuna Crest granodiorite is known for the stuff. Lens cap is 72mm or 2.83in in diameter for scale.  The spur trail to Ireland Lake actually looked quite heavily covered in thick patches of snow. From another vantage point we could see solid snow fields nearer the lake.  Yup, that's the way.  RJH4033 
Finally, after a long 1800' grind the views started to get rewarding.  Looking back towards the Kuna Crest.  Kathleen with a wonderful background looking due west towards the Cathedral Range. (Johnson Peak on the far right.)  We survey the area to find a quick and easy way down since the trail was covered with snow. Fletcher Peak on the left of center and the Cathedral range to the right of center. 
Just a cool old dead tree.  The moon! And if you look very carefully in the middle of the photo you can see Jonathan and Brian who had run over to check out the ridgeline.  The moon! And if you look very carefully in the middle of the photo you can see Jonathan and Brian who had run over to check out the ridgeline.  Fletcher Peak with another look at the snow. 
Do you see what I see??  A Sierra Nevada Mountain Yellow Legged Frog. A federally endangered species and pretty darn cute. This one was about three inches long. : Sierra Mo  Kathleen made it across all this snow in running shoes with nary a complaint.  Kamp and Brian finally caught-up after coming off the ridgeline. 
Brian thought he was posing for me, but I was using him as scale for the cool frost wedging in the rocks behind him.  Our first view of a still-frozen Evelyn Lake. We had originally planned this area to be a possible camp site.  BAM! My geology radar was screaming when we set foot on these megacrysts of potassium feldspar (K-spar). I knew immediately that we had crossed into the Cathedral Peak Granodiorite which is about 88 Ma. World class crystals with muddy boots for scale.  The boulder of K-feldspar megacrysts was about 4' x 3' x 2' and was very heavy. Had this been outside the park I would have been very tempted to haul it off to school for our rock garden. 
Evelyn Lake.  Evelyn Lake with Fletcher Peak in the background. When the snow melts an easy cross-country route to Townsley lake can be found opposite of the lake.  Striking undulations in the tundra-like meadow. I would assume that collapsed ground squirrel burrows would be to blame, similar to mima mounds.  Small meltwater pond next to Evelyn Lake's outlet. 
View to the NE from the N shore of Evelyn Lake.  Had I to do it over, I would have traipsed to the inlet in the center of the photo and fished that area hard. I had a few passive strikes on a Z-ray lure from the skittish fish near the outlet, but I think the inlet would have been money. Also, note the amazing veins (dikes) in peaks behind the lake: a telltale sign this area was intruded fairly close to the surface as the Cathedral Peak Granodiorite intruded the area. Geologic maps have the cliffs listed as Jurassic-aged microgranodiorite (didn't cool as long so crystals are smaller).  Crossing Evelyn Lake outlet and spooking the trout.  Sean at Evelyn's outlet. A 13" trout had burried its head in the cutbank so Sean gave its tail a tickle. 
Mt Conness is the tallest peak on the left-center of the photo. White Mtn is dead center. Conness was 11 miles away from this vantage point and White Mountain about 9.5 miles away. Clear day!  Unnamed knob reflecting in the meltwater.  Climb out of Evelyn Lake's basin.  One last look at Mt Conness for good measure. 
I can never have enough feldspar photos for Laura (lenscap is 72mm).  The trail dropping from Evelyn to Vogelsang Camp was unexpectedly the wettest and snowiest part of the trip. NOAA satellite info had shown nothing in this area.  Our first look down Rafferty Creek Canyon. It would be our path home the next day.  Fletcher Peak from the base of the aptly-named Fletcher Lake. 
Sean and I took a quick 6 minute detour up to Townsley Lake to see if there were any mind-blowing camp spots free of snow. This is the view from the outlet's falls into Fletcher Lake.  Townsley Lake. No really great flat, ice-free camp spots. But there were TONS of golden trout that were calling me stupid for leaving my rod with my pack on this side-hike.  On the way out I noted a crazy pile of boulders that half-looked like a rock-fall and half-like an old glacial moraine. Forgot to take a photo, but instead to a Google Earth snapshot. The moraine is so small and so young, I can't help but wonder if this is a remnant from the little ice age.  Awesome Jurassic-aged metavolcanics and metasediments that were brought down by glaciers from just above Hanging Basket Lake. These rocks are probably the volcanic remnants of the volcanoes created on the surface of the Earth by the Cathedral Peak and Half Dome plutons (magma chambers several miles deep) 
Voglesang camp had yet to open. I had never been by it. Quite a set-up for folks who can afford it.  This sign had us in stitches. Smoking propane IS dangerous.  What a majestic dead tree.  Thank goodness the stock trail to Vogelsang and the built-up boulders. They acted as stepping stones for us to move on to Booth Lake. 
Mountain Goat 101.  Finally, our camp for the night at Boothe Lake. Vogelsang Peak in the background.  We had a way too-friendly marmot at our camp that needed constant shoo-ing away.  Fletcher Peak reflection. 
Fletcher Peak reflection.  Our camp at the end of Booth Lake. A WONDERFUL site.  After a good burrito dinner I again felt up to being all photography. Fletcher Peak.  Fletcher Peak. 
Mmmmm... burritos.  Brian asks why the burritos must dissapear so fast. It was supposed to be a pasta night with spinach, but we had enough beans and rice for burritos again.  Killer shot of Fletcher and Vogelsang Peaks.  Sean tries his luck one last time before the sun went down. The moon was high. 
Milky Way - Booth Lake #1 - My first attempts at preconceived astro photography. Boothe Lake's axis lined-up perfectly with the galaxy's equator.  Milky Way - Booth Lake #2  Milky Way - Booth Lake #3  Milky Way - Booth Lake #4 (4:15am nearing sunrise)