After spending the night near Sonora Pass, I packed up and started driving south on 395 down to the Onion Valley trailhead. My goal for the day was Mt Gould, just over 13,000 feet. The drive up to the trailhead was slow with many many switchbacks. The parking lot was also full, so I had to park about a quarter mile down the hill on the side of the road.
Entering the wilderness.
There were lots of people on the trail, but I made good time up the hill. There were some excellent views looking back to the Owens Valley, and views of the always impressive southern Sierra mountains.
Plenty of water in the stream.
Looking back towards the trailhead.
The crowds seemed to thin out some after I passed the first few lakes, perhaps people were just going up for a swim or some fishing. At Kearsarge Pass I sat down and had a break to enjoy the view some and have a snack. There were lots of backpackers that looked like they were about to head deeper into the wilderness.
Heart Lake.
From here I thought it would be talus and scree cross country to the top, and I was partially correct. I had guessed the ground cover, but I found lots of use paths winding their way up to the summit area. I followed them when they seemed to be going the right way, or picked my own, better way. There were also a fair number of other people hiking up to the top.
Gould summit block.
At the summit I set up on the second, slightly lower summit. There was a group on the summit, so I didn't go up. I didn't have any problems getting contacts. I was tired, and I saw a cloud that didn't look very friendly, so I didn't linger too long. The return to the pass was very quick, with lots of slidey scree.
Looking west towards the Kearsarge Pinnacles.
After another break at the pass, I headed down the million switchbacks to the car. The parking lot was still overflowing when I got back. I grabbed another snack, then headed down towards Lone Pine, then back up to Horseshoe Meadows for the night.
Nice looking trees.
Trailhead: Onion Valley Trailhead
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Head up the trail towards Kearsarge Pass. At the pass, turn right and go up the scree/talus to the summit.
Red Tape: Permits required for overnight trips.
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