Lake Mary Loop

Yesterday I parked at Twin Lakes above Mammoth and hiked back into the Lakes Basin.

An ice bound picnic table on the shore of Lake Mary with Crystal Crag off in the distance.

I like the contrasting and complimenting colors here.

Mammoth Mountain

I saw a couple cross country skiers and a few snowmobilers but no other hikers.

I recently got an iPhone 8 and I've been testing out the camera. It actually has nice dynamic range. It could be a little crisper but hey, for the sensor size it's doing good. I like it.

Some nice red tint.

I hiked 7.8 miles and there wasn't too much elevation gain at all. It was a nice workout because it was all snow.

The wind was 15-25 mph with gusts to 40 mph. It put a chill in the air.

There were some nice clouds forming and disappearing over the crest and they were providing some interesting light.

I'm ready for less snow.

Crystal Crag

Twin Falls above Twin Lakes.

The Sierra Nevada contain exquisite beauty.

Mammoth Mountain still produces toxic gases that kill trees and also killed three ski patrollers in 2006.

The thing about snow hiking is that it doesn't matter if it's two feet deep or twenty, you're still walking on top of it.

So many great compositions out here.

I see a heart in the ice.

This was a really nice, enjoyable hike. 

Heading back down to the trailhead.

The Mammoth Crest in back with Crystal Crag, Twin Falls and Twin Lakes.

I went back out there today and it started snowing on me. The wind was atrocious.

I very much recommend hiking back in the Lakes Basin if you ever find yourself in the Mammoth Lakes area. The path I took is really only accessible after the cross country ski season closes and before the roads open for the season, but don't let that deter you. There are tons of trails to hike in the area.