We woke stoked to get moving on our short day into Mammoth to meet up with our friend Kira in town. We popped our heads out of the tent to see the sunrise basking the surrounding peaks in golden light. It was windier than expected as we packed out things up and moved out of camp. However, the lake was stunning and the stellar views on the climb towards the pass were keeping our spirits high!
We trekked up out of the valley that cradled Purple Lake to a stellar ridgeline where we were blasted with incredible views of Sharktooth, Silver, and Graveyard peaks to the west. What an incredible ridgeline we thought, just as the wind stared to pick up. We quickly dipped into the next valley that housed Duck Lake which was still draped in the night’s shadow and the morning sun hadn’t yet found its surface. On the far side of the lake there were beautiful peaks with a large waterfall feeding the lake’s source. Sadly, no ducks were in Duck Lake, the only letdown of the day!
We finally found our turnoff for Duck Pass and our descent into Mammoth Valley. We crossed a few creeks stemming from small waterfalls over grey slate faces at the rim of the shaded valley. We waved goodbye to the lake and climbed up and out towards the pass.
After a good short climb we found Duck Pass and were not disappointed with the views. Barney Lake and the lakes below were a welcome sight as we both knew a warm shower was not far away. We had a few small creek crossings as we excitedly descended down the grey valley toward Mammoth. Day hikers started coming into view who smelled of fresh laundry and we knew we were close. We finally got a glimpse of a trailhead and our first sight of a car in several days. Kira was waiting with a huge smile at the trailhead! We piled into her sweet converted van and headed into town for a shower, some food, and maybe a beer sampler!? It was a good day!
- Hike Stats – Total Miles: 8.5
- JMT Miles: 3 (Mile 149 – 152)
- Duck Lake Pass to Mammoth: 5.5 miles
