Day 1, Monday: North Lake to Lamarck Col

After a hearty breakfast I indefatigably make way upwards toward the pass. I pause to talk with an exhausted dad. A young man perseveres with only flip-flops on his feet. I set up camp at a small tarn near the top.

In the morning I fixed a very hearty breakfast of three breakfast burritos with eggs, scallions and chorizo. Then after dropping my car down at the trailhead parking lot, with a little trepidation, I began my climb up the trail to Lamarck Col. My goal for the day was a small desolate tarn at an elevation of 12,700 feet, nestled just under the col (or pass) on the eastern side. To reach it would be a climb of 3,500 feet in about five miles. But one step at a time, right?

After a couple of miles and an initial climb of 1,300 feet I took a snack/water break at Lower Lamarck Lake. There I met a fellow about my age relaxing in his campsite, reading a book in the shade. He related to me that his son had invited him to join him on a North Lake to South Lake trip at the last minute (a classic High Sierra route). Having fond memories of himself having done this trip in the past he agreed. But after getting to this point mild altitude sickness was starting to take its toll, and he felt he should just call it and make this lower lake his destination. He had a great attitude about it though, and was happy to just be out here.

Climbing higher I just stuck myself in low gear and ground it out. The heavy breakfast seemed like a weight in my gut, and I had no particular appetite for lunch. The trail wound up through a desolate lunar landscape of coarse sand with embedded rocky outcrops. Adjacent jagged ridges dropped precipitously down to the Owens Valley below me.

I came across a troop of young men marching rapidly down from the crest. It was the last day of a multi-day expedition for them—they had already come far since morning. One of them was simply wearing flip-flops on his feet, his boots having delaminated some days back. But he was cheerful, and seemed to embrace what others might have considered a grievous setback.

Finally late in the day I arrived at my desolate tarn just under the col. But my spirits were high, having made the climb with a fully loaded pack and less of an exhausting effort than I had expected. I broke my fast with one of my freeze dried meals, having entirely skipped eating lunch.