Minaret Lake

After backpacking for two nights in the Ansel Adams Wilderness I had one more nearby lake I really wanted to see. In order to catch good early light I started on the trail about 4:30am with a headlamp which got me up to dramatic Minaret Lake by 7:30am. This lake is nestled right under the southern portion of the Minarets which are a series of 17 jagged peaks south of Mt. Ritter, topping out at 12,270ft. Definitely a dramatic setting and well worth the effort to reach. By the time I got back to my car I was really ready to be done hiking, having completed 66 miles in six days, 56 of that in just four days.