W6/SS-085 Cirque Peak

 I woke up early after camping at Horseshoe Meadows, and was glad to see most of the smoke from the previous evening had blown away. After a quick breakfast I set off since it was pretty chilly out.

One of the meadows at sunrise.

The trail starts off with a flat, sandy section as it works around the edge of one of the meadows. The trail gradually gets harder as it turns into packed dirt. After about two miles, you reach the base of the climb up to Cottonwood Pass. This is where the switchbacks start.

Brushy meadow on the way up to the pass.

It was still early and cool, so I made good time up to the pass. There were a few people heading out as I was going up. At the pass I got on the PCT and started going north.

The one lake you pass on the way.

This section is relatively easy, gently undulating trail. The PCT is very well worn and easy to follow. The PCT goes across the west flank of the mountain, getting lower the farther you go. I walked far enough to be sure to get around the cliffs at the south end of the ridge, then stepped off the trail and started heading up. I decided it would be easiest to side hill up to the summit rather than go straight up then across the ridge.

The summit slowly getting closer.

The off trail portion was not as difficult as I thought it might be. There was plenty of space between the rocks that it wasn't talus hopping. The elevation did make it relatively slow going though. Smoke started blowing in as I made my way to the summit, significantly reducing views.

Whitney and Langley.

When I first got to the summit I could see Mt Whitney a few miles to the north. By the time I left it was totally obscured by the smoke. A few other people stopped by while I was operating. The peak was much more popular than I would have expected. After a while, the altitude and smoke started giving me a headache, so I packed up and headed down. I took the same route down.

Smokey meadow in the afternoon. Hard to capture the post-apocalyptic red tone everything had.

Near the pass a couple passed me and asked how far it was to "the lakes". I told them there was one a little ways ahead. They then told me that there were a bunch of lakes, the Cottonwood Lakes. I had to tell them they went the wrong way back at the trailhead to get to those lakes, they were on the other side of the mountain. I'm always surprised how far unprepared people make it into the woods, and surprised the SAR teams aren't constantly getting them out.

There were quite a few people hiking around in the meadow, but many fewer people stayed to camp the night. They were probably smarter and went somewhere less smokey. 

Trailhead: Horseshoe Meadows
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Take the trail to Cottonwood Pass, then the PCT north. Cross country to the summit. Could also go over New Army Pass and around the cirque.
Red Tape: Permits required for overnight trips.