Lilium parvum. Monday, August 12, about 11:45 AM. After a long stay on the Benson Lake beach, it was time for the 1500' climb to Seavey Pass. Much is a grind, but the route crosses several wet and flowery areas.

Veratrum californicum var. californicum (corn lily). Another wet site dweller. I saw many of these on the hike, but this one was nicely lush.

The last push.

And through that granite opening, a pond. This isn't Seavey Pass. It's a mile on and 200' higher. But from here on it's just small ups and downs and a few pleasant lakes. This small lake has no name and is best identified by its 9015' elevation.

Just beyond Seavey Pass -- an unmarked and barely perceptible high point -- are three more ponds. Two are rather low and forest-lined. The other -- this, 9155' -- is more of a slice in the granite.

I was early enough to do an extensive search for a campsite. Here's what I found. It's a way back along the lake and not an established camp, but it offered a nice bedsite comfortably back from the lake. (Picture taken rather later, after dinner.)

Granite outcrops provided furniture. The shelf to the left of the bear canister turned out to be a great seat.

Spiraea splendens (rose meadowsweet) near shore at camp.

A panorama view of Lake 9155 from shore near camp.

There was a small granite rise behind camp. Around sunset I climbed up. It looks like a hard climb but I found a quite reasonable zigzag walk-up route. (Taken on my return; it was lighter when I left.)

Up top, a flat plain.

A pond.

And a vew of the Rancheria Creek valley I'll be walking tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 13. A nice little garden of corn lily, Lewis' monkeyflower, red elderberry, and Senecio as I head toward the junction with the Rancheria Creek Trail.

At the junction. Here I depart from the PCT. The sign reminds me that I'm not that far west from where I hiked in 2017, probably less than 10 miles at the nearest point. Someday I do need to hike the Kerrick Canyon stretch of the PCT just to the west.

North of the PCT junction, the Rancheria Creek trail first descends through forest ...

... to Rancheria Creek.

Open forests and some open granite beyond too.

About 3/4 mile on from the junction, the area opens up into what will be much more characteristic of the day -- open meadows in a wide valley.

There's a creek crossing. It was shallow and slow, but since I didn't any well placed rocks to hop across, I had to pull out the water shoes once again.

Up the meadows.

Different tiers are separated by rocky, steeper sections. I took a break along one of these.

It can be quite dry away from the creek. Ahead, the trail to Rock Island pass goes off to the right, in front of that triangular peak. The maps label the very top of the valley as Kerrick Meadow. I'm not sure if down that name applies down here or not.

Right by Rancheria Creek, the greensward remains.

There are more flowers tucked into these varied environmental niches than the larger scale pictures might suggest. Some samples): Viola purpurea (mountain violet).