If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. White Chief Canyon is the favorite hiking destination for both Trail Guy and me. This summer has been full of disruption, so I hadn’t made it there yet, while Trail Guy had gone several times. First point of interest is the Spring Creek bridge, with fireweed in bloom now.
That trail is STEEP, but you reach your destination in about 2 or 2-1/2 miles. (It is about 1 mile to this sign, and no one knows exactly which point is 1.8 miles from the sign.) In order to distract myself from the difficulty, I counted wildflower varieties. Before reaching the junction sign, I counted 29 different wildflowers. 
After the junction, Trail Guy insists that there are only three steep grades. I insisted that he show me where each one begins and ends. That kept our minds off the difficulty, and although I believe there are actually four steep grades, now I understand what he is referring to. However, the lack of oxygen to my brain may preclude my ability to retain or pass on that information.
See the cones at the top of those two red firs? We both hope that it portends a heavy winter.
Hello, White Chief canyon!
Hello, little pond!
Hello, weird ugly lichen!
Almost to our destination, but no plans to cross the creek and go see the mining tunnel. (Can you spot it on the white wall?)
Hello, Seep Spring Monkey flowers!
I continued counting wildflowers and found 14 more varieties after the junction.
My feet don’t hurt in my new “hiking boots” (Crocs All Terrain model) but it always feels wonderful to put them in icy water. (my feet, not my shoes)
That jagged-top peak is Vandever, the one on the right side of Farewell Gap. It appears much rougher from this viewpoint than from the Mineral King valley floor.
A marmot was quite interested in sneaking up on Trail Guy and inspecting his lunch.
Someone has made quite a pile along the trail to indicate where to head down to the creek crossing and head up to the mining tunnel. Can you spot the tunnel in this photo?
Obviously, there is a drainage of some sort here for the Bigelow Sneezeweed to run up the hillside. People are often discussing drought, but the truth is that we had twice as much rainfall last winter as the previous one.
Farewell, White Chief.
This is “everyone’s” favorite juniper. I have painted it quite a few times.
I painted it once from this angle, which isn’t quite as impressive.
We made it home, dusty, tired, and happy to have visited our favorite Mineral King destination once again.
Do you have a favorite Mineral King destination?
This is Ranger’s Roost, AKA Mather Point, looking through the timber of Timber Gap. When you are looking at Timber Gap, it is the bump to the left/west. The Mather Party came over Timber and saw Mineral King. I drew the cover in pencil and colored pencil for a book about it, but I haven’t read it. I just look at the pictures. (This was a second edition—the original drawing on the first edition went missing so the publisher commissioned me.)
I felt sort of tired, and thought, “How disappointing, I’m out of shape”. It later occurred to me that middle-aged people who are truly out of shape don’t hike 13+ miles in one day at high altitudes (or low ones either).
The trail looks positively bucolic, but there are armies, platoons and relentless swarms of ravenous bugs.
There is a meadow before you begin climbing to Eagle Lake, and it was full of Jeffrey Shooting Star and Knotweed. (and bugs that bite.)
