The Ottoway Lakes Loop

Too bad I did not include the bridge in this shot, which I was standing on shooting down river. Here the river begins a hectic descent into the valley below, while the trail climbs well above the river on the left. You can se the trail cut on the left side.

Crossing to the South Bank

The Ottoway Lakes Loop, September 2004

The trail closed on the river and ahead a picturesque bridge came into view, spanning the solid granite banks of the river. Beyond I could see that the river began a plunge into the depths of a white granite gorge of the Merced River. I crossed the very cool bridge to where the trail was blasted out of solid rock. Here and there you could see where they had drilled and blew up a section of the trail. This blasted groove in the solid white Sierra rock went on for quite a ways and then angled for some level rock ahead. Below, the river water (such as there was) began its downward rush to the canyon bottom. At one point the river entered into a wide unblemished shallow "V" expanse of solid rock that had been smoothed by water and glaciers.

The trail, seen here begins to climb gently then moderately into the forest on the left to bypass the cliffs ahead.

The trail entered an area of wide mostly level granite pavements marked by lines of rocks. Then began a trail section unpopular with anybody out of shape, with sore feet, or very tired. The trail here has to bypass some granite cliff sections by climbing above the cliffs. I remember not liking it much the first time I did this, but I was in great shape this time and seemed only a nice diversion from the mostly downhill of this segment of trail. The trail mostly climbed gently over open rock until one point it reached soil, thick undergrowth and forest and climbed directly uphill for a fair distance. After this punishment (for some), the trail took a right and entered a section of thick undergrowth in a sparse forest on easy trail. Water may be possibly obtained along here most of the year. At one point I could look up at a vast unjointed granite slope that invited me for a walk. Early season the rock would be covered with numerous seeps and small cascades.