Mt. Langley
Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:35 pm
Wife and I did an overnight trip to Mt. Langley on 7/11 - 7/12. Weather was warm but not too warm, wild flowers were out, and bug pressure was only bad at dawn/dusk. Map of our route:
https://caltopo.com/m/DANB
Day 1 - Left LA (sea level) and drove to Horseshoe Meadow (10,000') to start our trip. Hiked up Cottonwood Pass to the PCT, and took a short break at Chicken Spring Lake. Continued on the PCT until cutting north onto the Siberian Pass Trail to Lower Soldier Lake. Scouted out some potential sites near the lake, went to see the actual lake, then went to our chosen spot a bit back down the trail, near a stream for easy water access and an earlier start the next morning for our summit attempt. Walked through the Golden Trout Wilderness and into Sequoia National Park this day. Set the alarm for 4:15am.
Day 2 - Broke camp and hiking by 5am. Mosquitoes were awful at the stream but we filled up quickly. Permethrin on our clothes only seemed to help so much, and picaridin on our exposed skin didn't seem to dissuade them too much. Thankfully I don't think we got any bites, but not for lack of them trying. Made it to the saddle below New Army Pass just as the sun broke over the mountains. The final mile push to the 14,042' summit was brutal, climbing over 1,500' on steep, sandy scree. The way up was not always obvious, even with the large cairns. People were choosing their own adventure and making the slow shuffle up. The wind on the summit was bitterly cold, but the views were worth it. We stayed for maybe 30 minutes, then made our way back down to Old Army Pass. We had originally planned to take New Army Pass down, but didn't feel like climbing the extra 400 ft. up and had heard that Old Army was passable with one snowy section. We waited and watched one hiker cross the patch coming up the pass, and followed her line on our way down. That crossing was actually pretty sketchy and you really had to take your time, especially in slushy conditions. One particular step at the very end was pretty harrowing. My wife was not happy -- probably the most scared I have seen her on a hike. The earthquake that had happened in the few weeks prior also caused a lot of rock fall on this part of the trail, until you made it down to Cottonwood Lake #4. Once we were safely down, we took a rest where Lake #5 drains into Lake #4 on a really nice knoll. After that, we hiked down toward Lake #3, then took the trail branch to the east to walk by the unnamed lake there. Views were great -- glad we ended up taking this trail. Great views of Lake #1, and could spot Lake #2 behind it before dropping down Cottonwood Lakes Pass and in completing our loop back to Horseshoe Meadow. You enter the John Muir Wilderness once you drop down Old Army Pass, and re-enter the Golden Trout Wilderness where Cottonwood Creek turns to the south.
Day 1:
https://caltopo.com/m/DANB
Day 1 - Left LA (sea level) and drove to Horseshoe Meadow (10,000') to start our trip. Hiked up Cottonwood Pass to the PCT, and took a short break at Chicken Spring Lake. Continued on the PCT until cutting north onto the Siberian Pass Trail to Lower Soldier Lake. Scouted out some potential sites near the lake, went to see the actual lake, then went to our chosen spot a bit back down the trail, near a stream for easy water access and an earlier start the next morning for our summit attempt. Walked through the Golden Trout Wilderness and into Sequoia National Park this day. Set the alarm for 4:15am.
Day 2 - Broke camp and hiking by 5am. Mosquitoes were awful at the stream but we filled up quickly. Permethrin on our clothes only seemed to help so much, and picaridin on our exposed skin didn't seem to dissuade them too much. Thankfully I don't think we got any bites, but not for lack of them trying. Made it to the saddle below New Army Pass just as the sun broke over the mountains. The final mile push to the 14,042' summit was brutal, climbing over 1,500' on steep, sandy scree. The way up was not always obvious, even with the large cairns. People were choosing their own adventure and making the slow shuffle up. The wind on the summit was bitterly cold, but the views were worth it. We stayed for maybe 30 minutes, then made our way back down to Old Army Pass. We had originally planned to take New Army Pass down, but didn't feel like climbing the extra 400 ft. up and had heard that Old Army was passable with one snowy section. We waited and watched one hiker cross the patch coming up the pass, and followed her line on our way down. That crossing was actually pretty sketchy and you really had to take your time, especially in slushy conditions. One particular step at the very end was pretty harrowing. My wife was not happy -- probably the most scared I have seen her on a hike. The earthquake that had happened in the few weeks prior also caused a lot of rock fall on this part of the trail, until you made it down to Cottonwood Lake #4. Once we were safely down, we took a rest where Lake #5 drains into Lake #4 on a really nice knoll. After that, we hiked down toward Lake #3, then took the trail branch to the east to walk by the unnamed lake there. Views were great -- glad we ended up taking this trail. Great views of Lake #1, and could spot Lake #2 behind it before dropping down Cottonwood Lakes Pass and in completing our loop back to Horseshoe Meadow. You enter the John Muir Wilderness once you drop down Old Army Pass, and re-enter the Golden Trout Wilderness where Cottonwood Creek turns to the south.
Day 1: