Wednesday, August 12. I spent the first night just out in the woods a few miles from Mammoth Lakes. The road toward Inyo Craters had what was obviously a regularly-used informal campsite. I did meals in town. The Perseid meteors put on a nice show.

Thursday, August 13. I caught the first (7:30) shuttle bus from Mammoth down to Red's Meadow. I was ready to hit the trail by about 8:30.

The first part of the Fish Creek Trail is a very wide, very popular route to Rainbow Falls. It starts in the trees but quickly comes to the edge of the 1992 Rainbow Fire.

More of the path to Rainbow Falls. The haze is from this year's Rough Fire in King's Canyon.

A hour past the falls, the trail re-enters open forest (and open rock).

It's only mid August, the some of the aspens are showing color.

I didn't remember much from my trip here in 1982, but I do remember walking over the open granite, full, at the time, with penstemons. Today there were one or two in spots, but most was pretty bare. San Joaquin Mountain in the far background.

Cold Creek. This was the last water until I hit Fish Creek almost four miles ahead. These are alders near the water, but there are a few California black oaks in the area too. I'm at about 7000', but in a warm exposure.

Solidago sp. (possibly S. elongata).

Looking up the Fish Creek valley. Scattered dead lodgepoles: bark beetle damage. Today's destination, Island Crossing, is down at the bottom, many switchbacks down. Less haze in this direction: it's coming up from the Central Valley, not over the mountains.

Finally, down to the Island Crossing bridge. The island, and the old crossing, are are about 1/3 mile upstream. The old bridge washed out in 1982. Good to be here: it was a long hike on a hot day.

I chose a campsite a few hundred feet beyond the bridge. The tent will go in the shade behind the big tree.

After dinner I walked east on the trail a ways. Fox Meadow below with the north wall of the Fish Creek valley behind.

Monkshood in a moist spot on the trail near the meadow. This was the one of the few buggy spots on the trip. (Picture taken tomorrow morning.)

I walked the 1/3 mile or so down to the general area of the old crossing. After 30+ years, I couldn't identify the old bridge site or our ford. (The bridge was out in 1982.) This is just a representative and scenic spot. I do recall Fish Creek being bank full and the crossing being thigh-to-waist deep.

Back to today's Island Crossing bridge.

Friday, August 14. The Fish Creek trail beyond Island Crossing follows the stream through forest for the next few miles. Woodwardia? Lady fern?

In the forest. The smaller creeks are down in this dry summer, but at least this one still was flowing.

Near the junction between the Cascade Valley Trail (with Ida Bell hot springs a short way along it) and the Minnow Creek Trail. After mostly forest hiking it was nice to have a section with good views. Next, however, is a long viewless uphill slog under firs and hemocks: almost a 2000' climb.

Open views again (finally) at the top of that long forested climb. Virginia Lake is in that crack at the right. Up here, firs and hemlocks have given way to mostly lodgepole pines.

The trail junction to the Lost Keys Lakes. This is as far as I got in 1982. (I recall a much rougher sign then.)

Nice view across the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin to Banner and Ritter from the Lost Keys lateral trail. Very little haze today: the smoke mostly went elsewhere.

I set up camp a flat well above -- and a few hundred feet back from -- the middle Lost Keys Lake. There are three Lost Keys lakes, each maybe 1000' apart. I visited all three in the course of the day.

Panorama of the Middle Lost Keys Lake. Just a nice small lake tucked under a granite hillside. I've read the name commemorates exactly what it suggests. I wonder if they found them.