Mammoth Pass, McLeod Lake and beyond, August 15 2015

posted in: Hiking with Dogs, Photos, Trip Report |
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With the local forecast nearing 110° F, my wife and I decided that we should head north for a few days. I had planned to hike to Duck Pass (which I ended up doing Sunday August 16), but we did not check into our hotel until 2:30 am. I decided to sleep in, then head to the Horseshoe Lake area to see what alternatives I could find. 

Stopping at turn off at Twin Lakes, I saw a map and information board that mentioned Mammoth Pass. I didn’t know anything about or if there was a good view (it didn’t look like it was above tree line), but I decided to give it a shot. Here is the track from my hike:

Geek Stats

Distance: ~6 miles || Duration: 3 hours || Elevation Gain/Loss: ±1,236 || Max Elevation: 9,416′ || Difficulty: Easy

The  gallery below (~26 photos) loads slowly. Thank you for your patience.

Gear

  • WoolX Merino Wool
    • Lightweight Merino Wool Hoodie
      • Great first hike with this hoodie. When I started hiking it was in the mid 40s and in the 60s when I finished. I was comfortable wearing just the hoodie and a t-shirt for the entire hike.
  • Farm to Feet Merino Wool Socks
    • Madison Solid Hiker
      • This week I wore these at the gym twice this week for cardio, then on this hike.
      • Lighter and thinner than the High Points that I love, they work well with my Oboz Traverse Lows for tasks and hikes where I don’t need the extra cushioning or warmth of thicker socks.
      • I could have worn them for my afternoon hike and the next day, but opted for clean socks since they got really dusty.
  • Oboz Traverse Lows
    • Worked great on this short hike.
  • Deuter Airlite 28
    • Awesome pack. The perfect size for my day hikes. My full review will be posted within the next couple of weeks.
  • Cotton Carrier Camera Vest 
    • The best system I’ve used for carrying a DSLR.
    • With the cooler temps, I didn’t notice any of the extra sweating I had experienced on previous hikes in Southern California.
  • Geigerrig
  • Kurgo
    • Baxter Dog Backpack
      • The design of this pack is unique compared to the other packs we’ve tried. I was really curious how well it would work with our crazy mutt. It’s essentially a harness with two floating saddlebags.
      • It seemed to carry the weight well once I got the bags equally balanced, which took some work. It seems to be more sensitive to weight than the other packs we’ve tried.
    • Quantum Leash
      • One use and I gotta say, it’s the best leash we’ve had. It is very versatile and can be used in several configurations.
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