Scott and I decided to check out the Rock Creek Trail, which meanders through Little Lakes Valley near Mammoth. The altitude at the trailhead is ~10,000 feet, and there’s very little altitude gain or loss along this popular trail. It’s also dog friendly, which is nice. We hiked in about as far as possible and camped at Gem Lakes, below Mt. Morgan. The weather was clear and we didn’t get the greatest photos, but it was a nice, quick trip. This area seems well-suited for a short intro backpack with kids or dogs. It also seems to be a good area for a winter snowshoe trip. In fact, several of us planned to do just that in 2009, but a freakishly cold weather system forced us to abandon our plans. Reports showed temperatures in the negative teens, which would have been miserable. Steve would have died in his 35 degree bag. I’m always looking for a way to kill Steve, but this seemed excessively cruel.
