Day 6: Heading Home

 

We woke up super-early on our final day in the wilderness, and began hiking in the dark at 5am - We Must Go!

We woke up super-early on our final day in the wilderness, and began hiking in the dark at 5am – We Must Go!

Mount Gayley and Mount Sill shine with alpenglow as we hike in the darkness of the forest down below before dawn

Mount Gayley and Mount Sill shine with alpenglow as we hike in the darkness of the forest down below before dawn

 

Alpenglow on Temple Crag up above Third Lake as we hike down the NF Big Pine Creek Trail before dawn

Alpenglow on Temple Crag up above Third Lake as we hike down the NF Big Pine Creek Trail before dawn

Morning Light through the trees and flowers and ferns on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Morning Light through the trees and flowers and ferns

The sun keeps getting brighter as we head down the NF Big Pine Creek Trail toward Second Lake

The sun keeps getting brighter as we head down the NF Big Pine Creek Trail toward Second Lake

 

Cell phone camera shot of Vicki and her backpack in front of Temple Crag and Second Lake

Cell phone camera shot of Vicki and her backpack in front of Temple Crag and Second Lake

Panorama shot of Temple Crag as the sun rises over Second Lake on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Panorama shot of Temple Crag as the sun rises over Second Lake

First Lake and Mount Alice from the NF Big Pine Creek Trail in the morning light

First Lake and Mount Alice in the morning light

 

Vicki and I shadow-kissing on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail in the early morning

Vicki and I shadow-kissing on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail in the early morning

Looking back up-canyon toward Temple Crag on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Looking back up-canyon for our final view of Temple Crag

Happy Vicki posing next to some Tiger Lilies on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Happy Vicki posing next to some Tiger Lilies

Lon Chaney's Cabin on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Lon Chaney’s Cabin

 

Kid Mountain appears as we round the corner and head down toward Second Falls on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Kid Mountain appeared as we rounded the corner and headed down toward Second Falls

The creek and trail narrow as it prepares to plunge over Second Falls on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

The creek and trail narrow as it prepares to plunge over Second Falls

Kid Mountain, Peak 13103, and The Thumb from the NF Big Pine Creek Trail as we near First Falls

Kid Mountain, Peak 13103, and The Thumb as we near First Falls

 

Zoomed-in view of Clyde Glacier far up the South Fork from the North Fork Big Pine Creek Trail

Zoomed-in view of Clyde Glacier far up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek

View up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek at the Clyde Glacier, Middle Palisade, and Norman Clyde Peak

View up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek at the Clyde Glacier, Middle Palisade, and Norman Clyde Peak

 

The view east down the Big Pine Creek Valley as we head down the exposed final mile to the trailhead parking lot

The view east down the Big Pine Creek Valley as we head down the sun-exposed final mile to the trailhead parking lot

We found a shady grove and took a boot-off break, where Vicki squirted cool water on her feet with the spray nozzle

We found a shady grove and took a boot-off break, where Vicki squirted cool water on her hot feet with the spray nozzle

We were glad we woke up so early because it was still morning when we arrived back at the car

We were glad we woke up so early because it was still morning when we arrived back at the car

 

Happy Vicki eating an ice cream cone after hiking all the way back to the car on the NF Big Pine Creek Trail

Happy Vicki eating an ice cream cone after hiking all the way back to the car

 

 

 

 

For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page

For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page

 

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