Sierra Nevada: Mount Langley, Cirque Peak and Cottonwood Lakes

Did a backpack trip to this beautiful area of the SE Sierra Nevada. Mount Langley is the southermost of the California 14,000' peaks. Its the less visited neighbor of Mount Whitney. The cottonwood lakes are one of the few places you can catch the elusive Golden Trout.

All the photos are with my hiking/backpacking set-up...40D and 24-105L. Let me know what you think

Cottonwood Lakes from atop 12,900' Cirque Peak

Great photos again, Calicokat! I'm going up for my Fall colors trip in two weeks.... literally trembling with excitement (my uncle lives in Bishop, so he provides a 'base camp'). How was the weather up in the mountains?

Lovely lighting and composition in #2.

I agree - number 2 is the pic of the bunch.....love that subtle reflection. Nice set

Beautiful, rugged country. No. 2 is definitely a winner in my book. Thanks for sharing. As a flyfisher, I gotta ask: Where's the pic of the Golden Trout?!?!?

I miss backpacking! I going to try and get up to Yosemite and maybe some of 395 in the next month. Got to see the fall colors. I Great series, but I love the second one. Thanks for sharing!

They all turned out very well and so did the entire gallery on smugmug. Good job and a wonderful hike.

madhatter04 wrote in post #6346585
Great photos again, Calicokat! I'm going up for my Fall colors trip in two weeks.... literally trembling with excitement (my uncle lives in Bishop, so he provides a 'base camp'). How was the weather up in the mountains?

Thank you. We had out of this world weather. Clear (did not see any threatening weather the entire week we were up there. It was chilly at night (teens), but could not ask for any better weather.

jgrussell wrote in post #6346931
Lovely lighting and composition in #2.

thank you, it was nice waking up to this scene every morning

Ted23 wrote in post #6346983
I agree - number 2 is the pic of the bunch.....love that subtle reflection. Nice set

thank you, I was never able to get more reflection before the sun overwhelmed the scene

Hikin Mike wrote in post #6347257
I miss backpacking! I going to try and get up to Yosemite and maybe some of 395 in the next month. Got to see the fall colors. I Great series, but I love the second one. Thanks for sharing!

thank you. Backpacking the Sierra's is like nothing else

Tsmith wrote in post #6347590
They all turned out very well and so did the entire gallery on smugmug. Good job and a wonderful hike.

thank you, glad you saw them all

Randy1213 wrote in post #6347000
Beautiful, rugged country. No. 2 is definitely a winner in my book. Thanks for sharing. As a flyfisher, I gotta ask: Where's the pic of the Golden Trout?!?!?

As requested....I caught five over the course of a week.....we did not have flies But the golden kastmaster's were the ticket on two pound test

me and my first Golden.....all fish were released un-harmed

Nice series with #2 being best IMO.

Not to spoil anything but even though the Golden Trout you caught and released may have appeared unharmed and swam away after you put them back in the water, they almost all surely died a short while later.

I was just there, took my P and S, not my 40D. I went in over Cottonwood pass, then north behind Langley (been there), Muir (been there), Whitney, (been there), Russell (been there too), and out over Shepherds Pass. Four days, three nights, fantastic trip.

I love your shots and wish I had taken my better gear. Here's some from my trip

From the car at 50mph

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monochrome wrote in post #6348367
I was just there, took my P and S, not my 40D. I went in over Cottonwood pass, then north behind Langley (been there), Muir (been there), Whitney, (been there), Russell (been there too), and out over Shepherds Pass. Four days, three nights, fantastic trip.

I love your shots and wish I had taken my better gear. Here's some from my trip

I see you are using the 'Bearicade' on the second photo. I could never afford that one. I used the 'Garcia Machine' instead.

Been to Whitney too....back before my knees went south.

All the ultralight stuff is in deference to three knee surgeries. So far so good, but arthritis will probably set in early.

I've never done the main Whitney trail, I've done the mountaineer's route. One of my favorite one night trips is to hit Iceberg Lake by noon on a Saturday, drop the pack and do Whitney and Muir, then return to camp. Wake up Sunday and hit Russell, then make it out in the afternoon. This trip was a pure trail trip, different from what I've done in the past. I really enjoyed it.

monochrome wrote in post #6349530
All the ultralight stuff is in deference to three knee surgeries. So far so good, but arthritis will probably set in early.

I had a knee replacement in 2005 and it went bad, so both of my legs (knees) are now fused straight...meaning I can't bend my knees any more.

I never did the mountaineering route. I'm not sure if I'd like the 'exposure' there!

Nice images Cali! I realy like the early light of the 2nd image.