Lake Ediza, Ritter Range Backpacking Trip, July 2013

This was John Muir and Ansel Adams' favorite Sierra lake, and mine too. It has it all: beautiful water ringed by green meadows and forest, set at the base of the rugged, majestic Minarets and the duo of Mt. Ritter & Banner Peak. And this year was a great wildflower year, which we hit exactly at peak bloom (about 3 weeks early this warm, dry year). I was amazed at how little the lake had changed in the last 30+ years – the meadow hadn't encroached into the lake, the willows hadn't much enlarged their meadow footprint, and its popularity hadn't caused egregious wear and tear. One noticed change was marked deterioration of the ancillary trail along the lake's north shore – rock falls had made this route pretty much impassible while carrying heavy packs.

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