Kings Canyon National Park, Sierra Nevada, California

June 25 - 30, 2000

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Part 2 of a photographic journal from a 5-day hiking trip into the upper reaches of the Bubbs Creek valley. An overview map documents our journey. Please click on the photos in the journal to enlarge them...

Back to Back to first part of the journal.

Day 3: Ascent of University Peak (13632 ft. / 4155 m.)

Paulina and I head for the summit of the locally dominant peak. We traverse the mountain east to west via a class 2 ridge from University Pass (also class 2) to University Shoulder (class 2), finally descending into the Keasarge Lakes Basin

A hard day, more than 30km of hiking, a lot of it in high altitude. Altitude gain about 1200 m.


University Pass: Our first glimpse of the desert valley east of the Sierra Crest.


What are these flowers called? They are the only vegetation above 4000m.


Summit photo (looking south) The weather is getting worse, time to go down!


Looking north: Palisades and Mt. Goddard on the horizon
Looking west: Kearsarge lakes.


A picture from a plane? No, just a view of the lakes in Onion Valley from the summit


The rain caught us at Kearsarge Lakes. By the time we got to Bullfrog, it was over...
Day 4: Vidette lakes and descent back to Junction meadow

A rest-day after previous day's ascent...


Breakfast with a view at Viddete Meadow camp


Lower Vidette lakephoto by On


One last view of the University Peak...


Waterfall between the two meadows
At Vidette Lakes


Above Vidette Meadow, Mt. Gould and Dragon Peak in the distancephoto by Paulina


On and Orly descending from Vidette lakes


Two waterfalls...
Day 5: Junction Meadow to Cedar Grove

A hard and hot day... With our knees hurting because of the descent, we weren't in the mood for picture-taking.

Bonus Pictures

Two views of the Getty Center in Los Angeles. View from the garden . Looking back at the garden from a balcony.

Photos by Robert Zeithammer unless noted otherwise