Mt. Whitney From Cottonwood Lakes

From the switchbacks the view back towards the remains of the Sierra Crest and the Great Western Divide are very nice. The small basin below was an unexpected pleasure. A part of Siberian Outpost can be seen in the distance.

Peaks, Passes and Trails

Mt. Whitney Trip from Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. June 2000.

Day 5, July 3rd, 2000:
Our shortest mileage day so far. Unlike the day before, I awoke early and refreshed. I was totally acclimated and ready for anything, so it was a shame the biggest challenge was behind me. Well, that was not really so and the day would prove to be very interesting and a good reason to be in the high country.
We were packed and out of camp in record time, and I was sorry to leave such a nice site. We hit the trail and confirmed where the trail met the main trail at the end of the long meadow leading to Soldier Lake. The grade was gentle and the view forested to the junction where the area became more open and the meadows allowed views upward to the ridges above us.

The tail leads to the Army passes and the outer flanks of Mt. Langley. This is a nice timberline stroll.

On new trail at last, we climbed the gentle grade upward. As the trail veered gradually left, to my left I noted a very pronounced medial moraine. I have not seen many medial moraines, a moraine formed down the middle of a glacier bed, that are easily recognized as such in the Sierra. The trail followed the moraine upward into a cirque, then mounted the slope to the right to meet a few moderate switchbacks.