One of my favorite summer trips to take photographs is backpacking into the Sierra to one the beautiful and remote lakes. In early July I did a a 16.5 mile round trip hike to the stunning Lake Ediza in the Ansel Adams wilderness outside Mammoth. Carrying about a 40 lb pack including photo gear I was able to hike about 1500 feet of elevation gain in 7.5 miles in just over 5.5 hours. Ediza is one of the most beautiful lakes is the Sierra with drop dead views of both Mount Ritter and Mount Banner. After arriving, hot and tired, I made camp and realized I was the only one camping at the lake due to a fresh mosquito hatch that was hungry for any flesh they could find, namely my dog and myself. We braved the evening and with almost no breeze and had to retreat early into the tent after dinner to escape the ferocious attacks. As we zipped up the tent, many mosquitos were swatted before we could settle down for the night. At dawn, despite the bugs, the reflections of Mount Ritter and Banner, and the Minaret range of the Sierra was spectacular. The lack of wind, although helping the bug population to swarm made for smooth reflection shots on Lake Ediza.
Truely, one of the best lakes in the Sierra, Ediza sits at about 10,000 feet right under the highest peaks of the Minarets. After shooting until almost 9am, I decided to hike back to the trailhead, cutting my trip short to escape the biting bugs. I had taken over 100 reflection shots that morning despite the bites. I will plan on visiting Ediza again but next time perhaps, after the big bug hatch. I have tentative plans for another backpack this fall to a lake above Ediza. When I finally made it back to the trailhead, I had pleanty of blisters to show from hiking almost 17 miles in less than 24 hours. Was it worth it? Yeah, it was.
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