A Backpack Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets

On the right horizon the mighty fang of the Clyde Minaret lords over all other Minarets. When John Muir first saw it, he decided it was unclimbable, and some have found out the hard way that it was...for them. At least one climber is buried up there. More on that later. Notice the red spot on Clyde Minaret? It is actually there, and not some photographic flaw. More glaciers chew the flanks of the Minarets.

Minaret Lake: South

A Cross-Country Traverse of the Minarets, August/September 2006

Well, Minaret Lake is worth the effort to get there as these pictures indicate. Minaret Lake is really two large east-west lakes with a narrow channel between them. Also, there are numerous bonus lakes and ponds surrounding the lake, as well as sporting a use trail to Cecile Lake (more about that later). Above, the jagged fangs and teeth of the awesome Minarets rake the clouds, while at the southwest corner a lone sentinel Minaret watches over Minaret Lake, similar to the way Clyde Minaret broods over Cecile Lake to the west of Minaret Lake.

This is looking south-west down the south shore of Minaret Lake, where there is some spots for tents here and there. Minaret Lakes very own private Minaret stands alone to soar over the lake and dominate this section of the horizon.

A little scrambling gets you up on the solid rock dam that impounds Minaret Lake, and here and there along this shore there are some level spots to place a free-standing tent. In 1999 I was lucky enough to find a group of trees protecting a very sheltered flat spot just large enough to pitch my bivy-tent. It was also very windy and while I was out looking around, the wind blew a goodly amount of dirt into my tent. That taught me to always seal the door.

Looking from about mid-way on the south shore looking north-east along the lake.  Here you can plainly see the solid rock dam that impounds Minaret Lake. On that natural dam you can see clumps of trees, one of which hid my camp of 1999. Just above mid-picture and hidden is the eastern-most lake of the Minaret Lake basin with a trail going to it.

All the walking down the dam is easy, as long as you don't stumble into someones camp.