The Retreat from Mt. Florence

We approached Mt. Florence from Merced Lake, leaving the trail towards Isberg Pass and heading up the West Ridge route.  The last saddle in the middle postcard is where we sat down, ate some food and at noon turned around to be able to get home in a reasonable amount of time.  No summit on this second attempt.  There was still 20 miles to go before a hot shower, food, bed and seeing our loved ones.  There will be a third journey to Florence and it may be in the middle of October if my plans and the planets align.  If not this year, then next.  Enjoy.  The last postcard shows how far from the Valley we were, as Shane hikes down the alpine tundra with the east face of Mt. Clark being miles away.

The Approach to Mt. Florence

Friday afternoon we hiked to Merced Lake to camp for the night and approach Mt. Florence from that direction the next day.  Mt. Florence is the pyramid shaped mountain in the center of the top and bottom photos.  The hike is 20 miles each way from the valley.  The middle photos are some of the views along the way Saturday: the 2nd postcard is looking towards Volgalsang Pass, and the 3rd postcard is looking towards the Clark Range.  Enjoy these today, with Part 2 coming tomorrow.

Soul Cal Summit

A labor day weekend trip up to Cucamonga Peak last Sunday.  Next hiked back when I lived there growing up, but wish I had.  This was fun.