Big Five / Little Five Lakes Loop

This is the summit of Sawtooth Pass where my pack rests. There is sort of a short trail section here close to the pass on both sides. Looming overhead is Sawtooth peak, with Needham Mountain down the ridge.

Views From Sawtooth Pass

Big 5, Little 5 Lakes Loop and Sawtooth Pass, August 4th to 7th, 2000.

Looking east, I could see Mt. Whitney, Mt. Langley and Cottonwood Pass, all of which I had visited some weeks before. That summer I had finally climbed Mt. Whitney from the west, and viewed it from almost every direction, either from Sierra destinations or from Owens Valley.
Below Columbine Lake looked like it was given the wrong name. Maybe this is the lake that should have been named "Guitar Lake". Beyond the lake I could see the cut of Big Arroyo, Chagoopa Plateau, the Kern trench and the Rock Creek Drainage, all embedded in glorious scenery marching to the horizon. I was reluctant to turn my back on such splendor.