Solo 3-day trek through the rocky and dramatic mountains of the Easter Sierras and Ansel Adams Wilderness. The trek started and finished at Silverlake near June Lake, between Mono and Mammoth in the Owens Valley. Day one took me straight up the side of a mountain, past a cable car rail and two dams, and to a peaceful, private beach on Gem Lake. The next day I climbed out of Gem to Thousand Island Lake. I stopped at Clark Lake, which is a small, serene, grassy and mossy stop, with ducks swimming and water shallow and clear enough at the shore to watch small trout swimming around. Then after lunch, I climbed down and back up to Thousand Island Lake, which though busy and a bit of a climb, being at 9,800 feet, is so beautiful with Banner Peak in the background, and islands speckled across the lake, it's not a sight you'd want to miss and is completely worth the trek!

The hike back was 7.5 miles and completed all in one day. Though mostly downhill, the last 5 miles are quite challenging, as the boulders and rocks are often loose and sharp, and the slope is very steep. But as usual for this mountain range, the views and the experience make it worth it!