Kern-Kaweah and Kaweah Basins

Looking back at the pass (left of the small peak center horizon) over Colby Lake, I could see that most of the snow had already melted from the initial onslaught of the day before. The fair weather seemed a cruel joke to those of us running out of time.

Leaving Colby Lake

Kern-Kaweah and Kaweah Basins via Colby Pass, September, 2000.

As expected, the next morning was crystal clear and sunny. I would be a warm day. We got up at our usual early hour to a chilly morning. We blew through the morning chores and took all of our gear over to the clean granite slabs nearby and laid them out to dry, once again doing our imitation of a wilderness yard sale. The sun was not on us just yet so we amused ourselves till the gear dried out. I marveled at the frozen pools on the rocks and picked up sheets of ice off the water. I had to go and find and dig out of the snow my stashed broken chair and put it out with the rest of the gear to dry. It was also a golden opportunity to take some great pictures and explore the area some without having to deal with rainfall or snowfall. The outlet area was especially nice due to the calm reflections off the lake in all directions, and the strong light on the surrounding peaks. Finally the sunlight reached us and sparkled on the snow covered landscape encouraging another round of picture taking.

This the same picture as the cover for this issue of Sierra Trails. Colby Lake and the Great Western Divide.

I belongings quickly dried out and as the morning rapidly warmed up we set about the tedious business of packing our backpacks. Once again, Dave won the race and hit the trail with me soon after on his heels. I took one last look at the snow decorated view of Colby Lake, then turn my back on all that beauty and fled down the trail.