Day 5 - Hike from Upper LeConte Canyon to Evolution Lake
Continuing over Muir Pass to the north end of Evolution Lake through the Evolution Basin gave us new scenery with every turn, and views up the rugged back sides of Mt. Darwin and Mt. Mendel.
14 Photographs
1
Sparky negotiates a rocky creek crossing on our way up to Muir Pass, while Sharon and Anne look on.
2
Signs of civilization on Muir Pass! A stone hut offers welcome shelter from the cold wind on this exposed pass.
3
I can reach all the way across the Evolution Basin! Wanda Lake and Lake McDermand are the first in a long string of barren lakes we’ll pass as we work our way up the basin.
4
The northern-most lake in the basin, Evolution Lake, brings us into some vegetation again.
5
“Ah! I’ll just find a soft spot to lay back on for a while!” Sharon, Julia and Clare share soft spots while resting by Evolution Lake.
6
This little pocket of vegetation has some wildflowers we haven’t seen in other areas... These Meadow Paintbrush stand out with their brilliant scarlet-purple heads.
7
The convoluted shoreline on Evolution Lake makes for nice scenery.
8
The banks of the lake occasionally explode in color with these clusters of Black-Eyed Susans.
9
Another nice view of the lake.
10
Margi sports a hat full of Mountain Pennyroyal, which makes great tea!
11
Dinner at our cozy camp on Evolution Lake.
12
The view at sunset over the lake...
13
...becomes even more dramatic as the colors deepen and the moon rises...
14
...but just a little ways over the hill, I’ve found a five-star tent site with a five-star view of the sunset!