TR Bloody Canyon/Mono Pass and the smoke report

We're back from a short trip in the Ansel Adams Wilderness east of Yosemite, where we started in sparkling clean air, and were quickly introduced to the smoke from the Rim Fire. This is a steep hike up out of Walker Lake...but there are some great views on the way up, and a nice creek to follow. We stopped at Lower Sardine Lake because we found a nice campsite on the West shore...and we weren't sure there were going to be any better ones at Upper Sardine. And it was lovely.

Here's a shot of what it looked like before the smoke arrived:



And here is what it looked like a few hours later...when the smoke from the Rim Fire blew in on a westerly gale.



The next day we decided to day hike up to Mono Pass, where we were tourists through the old mines...



And then we headed home a bit early, thinking that it would be good to breathe some clean air...but the trip was still a wonderful adventure. Here is a link to the full photo set:

https://picasaweb.google.com/balzaccom/BackpackingInTheSierraNevadaBloodyCanyonAndMonoPass#

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Thanks for sharing your trip Some great captures, in your album!

Another striking example of wind-dependent smoke conditions as well.

Really cool. I've been to Parker Lake and really liked the views there, but I really need to go to Walker Lake and beyond.