Trailhead Elevation: 9,200 ft.
Top Elevation: 12,010 ft.
Total Gain: 2,810 ft.
Distance: 9.5 miles r/t
We drove from White Mountain Peak to the Onion Valley trailhead, getting there around 10pm. It took us a half hour to decide what to do, but we finally decided to throw on our headlamps, and backpack up to Little Pothole Lake, in the dark. I had never started a backpack at night, but it was exhilarating in its own special way. The stars were bright and animals were making their usual noises. After about an hour, we arrived at the lake and set up the tent. Considering we had already hiked 15 miles above 11,000 feet earlier that day, sleep came immediately.
I woke up with the sunrise, as usual when in the mountains. Phil was up soon after and we got up and started getting ready for the day. We planned on hiking up to Kearsarge Pass and then heading back to Los Angeles. After breakfast, we packed up and started to hike to the next lake. After arriving, Phil decided to end his hike there, since he was completely exhausted still from the day before. I still wanted to get to the pass, so we parted ways. There are few things that I enjoy more than hiking to high alpine lakes, above the tree-line, and this was no exception. After a couple tough miles, I arrived at Kearsarge Pass. The view was incredible, looking into Kings Canyon National Park at yet another string of lakes. I found a perfect spot to sit and enjoyed the last of my banana chips and trail mix. Knowing Phil was chillin back at the lake, I grabbed my pack and headed back down, and a couple hours later we were back at the car. Dinner on the mind, we decided to head up to a cafe in Whitney Portal to grab a supposedly awesome burger. With Mt. Whitney looming overhead, it was a perfect way to end a pretty sweet weekend.
