These images are from our thru-hike of the JMT in 98. We hiked from August 16 through September 3, southbound. The hike took 18 days to complete, covering about 220 miles. Solophile and I are indebted to Big Bird (of AT 97 fame) for the splendid hospitality in the Bay City, the time he took off to be our personal tour guide, and the great hitch out to Yosemite.
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Solophile at Indian Lakes Just above treeline again, we passed a number of Indian-themed lakes: Lake of the Lone Indian, Squaw Lake, Papoose Lake, Chief Lake, and Warrior Lake, There's irony in the names. By the mid-nineteenth century, American settlers had forced most of the Indian populations out of the Central Valley and flatlands. The Indians avoiding assimilation or annihilation retreated into their last refuge, the Sierras. With the discovery of Gold in the hills, even these retreats came under attack. The native populations had little reason to kill for the metal resource, but that didn't stop the prospectors from doing the same. |
