Forum Index > Trip Reports > ansel adams wilderness lollipop loop + volcanic ridge + banner peak 11.1.19 - 11.3.19
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rubywrangler
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PostThu Dec 05, 2019 1:06 pm 
Nighttime temps were in the single digits while I was in Yosemite so I stuck with dayhikes. But by the end of the week it had warmed up slightly so I decided to head into the Ansel Adams Wilderness for a few days. Holy crap, what an awesome place! Definitely one of the highlights of my month-long road trip. The road into Devil's Postpile NM had closed earlier in the week which unfortunately added a few miles of road walking each way, but on the upside I had a very popular area almost completely to myself for a whole long weekend. My route began at the fee station, down the road to Agnew Meadows camp, and then up to Shadow lake and Ediza lake. The Shadow lake trail generally follows the outlet stream, which is full of trout. Every lake and stream I passed in the Sierras seemed to have fish - are they all stocked?
sunrise from minaret summit viewpoint
sunrise from minaret summit viewpoint
shadow lake trail
shadow lake trail
shadow lake, ritter, banner
shadow lake, ritter, banner
volcanic ridge and meadow
volcanic ridge and meadow
ediza lake
ediza lake
ediza lake
ediza lake
After stashing overnight gear, I started up toward Volcanic Ridge. The only info I'd found said the route was class 2 on the north side. However much of the north side was iced over so there was probably more routefinding required than usual. Also the altitude really slowed me down above ~11k. It took about twice as long as expected but eventually I made it to the Volcanic Ridge summit (11,468). Great views of the whole area from here - the Minarets, Ritter and Banner, and all the lakes are visible.
moat that didn't go
moat that didn't go
minarets, iceberg lake
minarets, iceberg lake
ritter, banner
ritter, banner
volcanic ridge summit pano
volcanic ridge summit pano
I descended the southeast slope of Volcanic Ridge to a saddle, and then dropped down to Minaret lake. There I picked up the trail that skirts Minaret, Cecile, and Iceberg lake. The trail is mostly good and easy to follow when melted out, except for one steep and eroded section where you descend into the Iceberg cirque. I followed the trail back to my hidden overnight gear, then set up camp in the dark on the first established site I came across on the southwest end of Ediza lake. There was another group of 4 camped across the meadow, and they were the only people I saw on this trip.
minaret lake
minaret lake
minarets
minarets
volcanic ridge
volcanic ridge
cecile lake
cecile lake
minarets and cecile
minarets and cecile
iceberg lake
iceberg lake
In the morning I packed up and headed toward Mts Ritter and Banner. I had planned to climb Ritter via the SE glacier route, which is described on summitpost as consisting of "fine grassy ledges and cascading watercourses." But all of the cascading watercourses were hard ice, and I could not find a way through or around it. After an hour of frustrating attempts, I bailed on Ritter and headed for Banner. The climb was straightforward (hard snow, class 2 rock, more hard snow) until I ran into a bergshrund at 11,750' which blocked access to the snow gully that you normally take to the Ritter-Banner saddle. I had not seen any info or trip reports describing a route through the adjacent cliff band, but I decided to see if I could find a way through. It turned out to be pretty easy, just a couple of long ramps with a few class 3 moves in between - as shown in my GPS track below lol.gif
first light on ritter & banner
first light on ritter & banner
minarets and meadows
minarets and meadows
ritter, banner
ritter, banner
icy
icy
banner snowfield
banner snowfield
pleasant terrain
pleasant terrain
cecile lake
cecile lake
250' left to the saddle
250' left to the saddle
bergshrund
bergshrund
cliff band
cliff band
view east from the ritter banner saddle
view east from the ritter banner saddle
view west from the ritter banner saddle, lake catherine
view west from the ritter banner saddle, lake catherine
From the saddle, I slowly worked my way up the west talus slope. The routefinding was a little tricky. I ended up too close to the ridge, even though I was trying to stay left (away from it). There are cairns and intermittent trail, but I didn't notice them until I got near the summit. Banner (12945) was the high point of my trip and wow, the views are glorious. Up close view of Ritter, Catherine and Thousand Island and Garnet lakes below, Mono lake in the distance... But I was well past my turnaround time so spent just a little time absorbing the view before hurrying down. Mainly I wanted to get past the cliff band and back onto the snow before dark - which I did, barely.
banner talus
banner talus
thousand island and garnet lake
thousand island and garnet lake
thousand island
thousand island
nydiver lakes & ediza
nydiver lakes & ediza
ediza to cecile
ediza to cecile
iceberg & cecile
iceberg & cecile
summit view west - catherine, mt davis
summit view west - catherine, mt davis
ritter
ritter
back on snow before sunset, whew
back on snow before sunset, whew
I descended the Banner glacier by headlamp, retrieved my overnight gear from the basin beneath the peaks, and headed for Nydiver lakes basin. A few people had mentioned these lakes in a nwh TR earlier this year, and they were therefore on my 'can't miss' list. I set up camp and had dinner in the dark, set my alarm for a half-hour before sunrise, and immediately passed out. In the morning, the brightness of the sky woke me before my alarm went off and I was totally confused. It didn't dawn (haha) on me that daylight savings had ended until I switched my phone out of airplane mode when I got off the trail. Thankfully I didn't miss the sunrise completely - I opened the tent door to an incredibly beautiful scene, which just got better and better as the sun lit up the surrounding peaks.
definitely in top 5 campsites ever
definitely in top 5 campsites ever
middle nydiver
middle nydiver
minarets reflection
minarets reflection
sunrise
sunrise
upper nydiver
upper nydiver
leaving nydiver lakes
leaving nydiver lakes
After breakfast, a little exploring, and a lot of photos, I headed over Whitebark pass to Garnet lake. Garnet lake is beautiful but sooo long. It took me nearly two hours to traverse the length of the lake (possibly because I left the trail to get closer to the lake and ended up on a scrambly, brushy route clown.gif). At the eastern end of Garnet, I picked up the JMT, which took me back to the Shadow lake trail to complete the lollipop of my lollipop loop. Then it was an easy couple hours back to Agnew Meadows, and an annoying uphill road walk back to the car (hooray for crocs! and slippers!).
ritter banner from whitebark pass
ritter banner from whitebark pass
garnet lake from whitebark pass
garnet lake from whitebark pass
garnet lake
garnet lake
garnet reflection
garnet reflection
leaving garnet on the jmt
leaving garnet on the jmt
best tree
best tree
Totals were ~32 miles and 10,800' of gain, but this trip felt pretty grueling - I think I only stopped for one break over three days. If I could do it again I would spread it out over a couple more days and spend more time at the different lakes. But it was such a treat to visit this place without the usual logistical complications and traffic! Plus when I got back to Mammoth, I stopped at Black Doubt brewing for refreshments and met this adorable creature, Hazel.
All 131 photos and 14 videos

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostThu Dec 05, 2019 1:55 pm 
Awesome. Now I'm starting to think I'm getting close to being due for another trip to CA. I haven't been in the Sierras in shoulder season when cold temps and ice were a factor. I've always been in the summer when the opposite can be an issue. At the higher elevations air temp isn't necessarily a problem, but the sun is INTENSE! It can beat the hell out of you. Was there still a lot of radiant heat from the sun, or was it less so this time of year? Anyway, Ive hit some portion of Garnet/Thousand Island/Nydiver/Ediza/Minarets 3 times, definitely high on my list of best places I've been.

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Nancyann
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PostThu Dec 05, 2019 10:14 pm 
I’m drooling over these pictures! My son is stationed in Cali now so my crystal ball is hinting at a visit to the Sierras next year...

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rubywrangler
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 12:48 am 
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:
Was there still a lot of radiant heat from the sun, or was it less so this time of year?
Hmm, it was sunny the whole time but I never felt like I was roasting, so I'd guess less radiant heat this time of year. Thanks again for your suggestions! I'll get around to posting the third and final Sierra report in the next couple days. Nancyann, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos! I hope your crystal ball is right.

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Sculpin
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 8:44 am 
up.gif Great images, and thanks for the memories! Did a very similar loop in 1988, including Nydiver Lakes. We had no beta to speak of, my brother-in-law just thought that the lake basin looked interesting on the map so we should go there. Thirty years later, if I close my eyes, I can still see it... winksmile.gif Bears were a big problem up there. We did a "rock hang" (over a cliff) because there were no trees. Very dicey because the Sierra bears understood how ropes work, or at least that if you bat at them, you get the food moving and maybe something good would happen. But the mandatory use of bear cans ended all that, to the extent that you now would almost certainly be fine without one because the bears are not up that high anymore.

Between every two pines is a doorway to the new world. - John Muir
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RichP
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 9:07 am 
Lucky you. Looks like the quiet time of the year to visit. Those long nights though..

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Bosterson
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 1:35 pm 
Great TR. I've wanted to get up Ritter and Banner since c. 2003 when I found a Bob Burd TR online. I camped at Thousand Island when I did the JMT but still haven't been up to Ediza. That scrambling around up there looks great, nice work! What were the overnight lows? Maybe early fall is the time to go, and I am about 16 years overdue to actually get that done. biggrin.gif Here's Ritter/Banner from Thousand Island in 2012:

Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE! BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! (-bootpathguy)
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Get Out and Go
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 5:26 pm 
Nice trip and photos. cool.gif This one has some optical illusionish qualities about it. dizzy.gif
upper nydiver
upper nydiver

"These are the places you will find me hiding'...These are the places I will always go." (Down in the Valley by The Head and The Heart) "Sometimes you're happy. Sometimes you cry. Half of me is ocean. Half of me is sky." (Thanks, Tom Petty)
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Anne Elk
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 5:46 pm 
Great pics, Rubywrangler, several calendar contenders in there. This one's my favorite -
Nice composition, lighting just perfect. The "decisive moment" as (I think) Ansel used to say.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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Bosterson
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 6:00 pm 
Anne Elk wrote:
The "decisive moment" as (I think) Ansel used to say.
That was Cartier-Bresson. wink.gif

Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE! BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! (-bootpathguy)
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Anne Elk
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 6:48 pm 
Bosterson wrote:
That was Cartier-Bresson.
Whoops! Thanks for correcting the attribution. Been a long while since photography class. embarassedlaugh.gif But the concept still applies. For outdoor pics, you can't beat being in the right place when the lighting is perfect.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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rubywrangler
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PostFri Dec 06, 2019 11:49 pm 
Thanks, everyone! Bosterson, that is a lovely photo! Thousand Island is on my list for a future trip. Overnight temps were mid 20s the first night, mid 30s the second night.

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lanzscape
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PostMon Dec 09, 2019 11:22 am 
Excellent report and beautiful photos. I backpacked in this same area in late August/early September. Glorious country. I wanted to get up to Nydiver Lakes but I was sorry I could not fit it into the trip. Even sorrier now that I've seen your photos.

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gb
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PostTue Dec 10, 2019 9:09 am 
Beautiful images and a beautiful area. I've been into that area four times, twice in summer and twice in spring. From Lake Cecille, I took one of my favorite images of a four hour long star trail shot against Clyde Minaret. Although I did not have a tripod, there was a convenient stump. I've skied both Ritter and Banner in spring. Probably the coldest night I've ever spent out was in May near Thousand Island Lake. Although it was pleasant early May weather, we made the mistake of camping in a low area. On snow in a tent I shivered all night long in my 28 degree bag. I'd guess the overnight temperature was around 0 F. The Sierra are high and dry enough that even with 60 degree daytime temperatures, it is common for overnight lows to dip to the 15-20 F range except mid-summer. Clyde Minaret was a very challenging climb; physical. The Fifty Classic Climbs route has a fair amount of route finding. It is easy to get into 5.10 climbing with meager protection.

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HermitThrush
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PostWed Dec 11, 2019 7:38 pm 
What a fantastic trip, and great pictures! Were any permits required?

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