“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.” James Joyce
If you are a person who is hard on yourself, one who is prone to depression, then you might be able to relate to this article. Late in August, Sharon and I took a three day trip to Mammoth. It had been over 30 years since we had been there and I was very excited to hike these majestic mountains just outside of Yosemite. For weeks, I had planned my hikes, with my longest one going to Shadow and Ediza Lakes. Once I got there, it took a little time for me to acclimate to the drier climate and the altitude. So I did a shorter hike on day one and the longer one on day two. This covers the longer one that I did on day two.
Leopard Lily and Cow Parsnip 
A field of Horsemint 
Swamp Onion and Larkspur
I arrived at the Agnew Meadows trail head at 7:30 on an overcast Wednesday morning. Sharon dropped me off, as the road closes after 8:00 am and only shuttles are allowed on the road between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm. That is how crowded it gets here! I was very excited to get started and the trail head was right there where Sharon dropped me off. I knew that this was going to be a pretty hard and long hike, so I prepared myself to take my time and enjoy the journey.
It started out with a pretty good climb along an open slope and I was grateful that the weather was overcast and cool. The wildflowers were absolutely stunning and covered the mountainside. As I continued to climb, the views were outstanding. At about mile 3, the view of the mountain range and a lake opened up and it felt like I was in a little piece of heaven. Needless to say, I was exhilerated! I figured I would arrive at Shadow Lake at around 4.2 miles. I knew I was getting close, so I checked my GPS.
My heart dropped…
I WAS ON THE WRONG TRAIL.
Shadow Lake surrounded by Banner Peak 
Lupine and Indian Paintbrush with Banner Peak 
Wildflowers galore
The lake that I was so enjoying across the way, was Shadow Lake. In my excitement to get going, I failed to see that there were two trail heads at the parking lot. I took the PCT which was the wrong one. This is the kind of thing that can send me into a deep depression and make me want to quit. I stopped to rest, so I could process everything. I had been so enjoying the wildflowers and views. I reminded myself that you can’t go wrong while out in nature…it is all beautiful. I decided that I would hike no more than 13.5 miles round trip as that was the distance of my original plan. I was told that Thousand Island Lakes is beautiful, but that would have put me at 17 miles and I wasn’t ready for that kind of distance in one day.
When I arrived at the junction for Thousand Island Lakes, I veered to the right as I saw that there was a little unnamed lake on the map. Trekking to that location put me at around 6.5 miles one way, so that became my new destination. I continued to climb along the mountainside and when I reached the top, I came upon this nice little pond. The mountain backdrop made for a beautiful scene. About 1/4 mile later, I arrived at the little lake. It was peaceful and beautiful with a few little snow patches still lingering. And it was buggy! I found a rock to rest and enjoy a snack, but I wasn’t going to stay too long as the mosquitoes were trying to have me as a snack. It was a good thing that I lathered on the bug spray!
After a little rest, it was time to head back to the Agnew Meadows Trail head. I looked forward to it, as the weather had changed some with blue skies and floating clouds. This would provide a different perspective to the spectacular views I had seen in the morning. And indeed, it did. I took it all in because I knew that once I arrived at the parking lot, I would be in for another adventure…taking the shuttle back to meet Sharon.
Shadow Lake 
Sulfur Buckwheat fronting the red granite 
Ominous clouds ahead 
Leopard Lily and Lupine rising up along the hillside 
Lewis’ MonkeyFlower 
Heading back towards the trail head 
A garden of wildflowers
When I arrived back at the trail head, I walked to the other end of the parking lot to see where I missed the “right” trail. There it was…with a sign that read “Shadow Lake”. I made a mental note as I will come back to do that hike in the future. Tired, sweaty and strongly smelling of bug spray, I arrived at the spot for the shuttle and happily got on, so that I could sit and relax a bit. Five stops (with the last stop having over 100 people in line for the shuttle) and over 30 minutes later, I got off and met Sharon at the car. I was absolutely thrilled to be off of, what turned out to be, a very crowded and cramped shuttle!
As I reflect about this journey, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the experience that the universe had for me that day. It would have been so easy to quit, beat myself up, and go into a dark place inside myself. But the spirit of nature, the depths of my soul refused to go down that road. Instead, it found another path for me to follow, and although it wasn’t the one intended, it was the one that I needed. I would’ve never discovered those views, the wildflowers, the little unnamed lake. More important, I wouldn’t have known the fortitude it took to push on to a new destination. And I know that Shadow and Ediza lakes will be there for me on another day.
Stunning photography, Diane! Just stunning. And you gave me a chuckle or two as well.
Thank you for taking the time to read some of my blog articles Jillian! I hope to see you soon!