Backpacking Rush Creek to the Spectacular Thousand Island Lake | Ansel Adams Wilderness

My friends Maureen Welsh, Susan Neu, and Melissa Neu Santos head out for a three-day backpacking trip from Rush Creek to Thousand Island Lake in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. This trip has been on my bucket list for a while, so I was thrilled to be invited by Maureen.
We logged approximately 10 miles with over 3,000 feet of ascent and 700 feet of descent on the way to the Thousand Island Lake. The first 2 miles of the trail were very exposed to the sun...and STEEP with 2,000 feet of ascent in that section alone. The trail takes you past Agnew Lake, Gem Lake, Crest Falls Creek, Billy Lake, Rush Creek, Clark Lakes, and the final destination of Thousand Island Lake. Banner Peak provides a magnificent backdrop to the lake.
During a bio break near the Gem Lake dam, I stumbled upon a debris field of sorts about 50 feet above the trail. It was very concerning finding shoes, a coat, tent stakes, and other backpacking items as you can see from these photos. I reported the find, along with photos (@6:52) and the GPS coordinates to the Mono County Sheriff’s Department. They plan on investigating to see if there have been any missing persons reported, or if they rescued someone in this area and the contents of their backpack may have been left behind. You never know what you will find out there!

Thanks to Maureen and Susan for providing extra videos and photos. I am not usually seen hiking on my videos. LOL!

Our main gear list follows.
Tents:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dirigo 2
Zpacks Duplex
REI Quarter Dome
Tarptent Rainbow

Backpacks:
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 3400
Gossamer Gear Mariposa
Deuter ACT Lite 60+10 SL
Osprey Ariel 65L

Stoves: JetBoil and Soto Windmaster
Bear Canisters: Bear Boxer and Bearikade Scout and Weekender

Видео Backpacking Rush Creek to the Spectacular Thousand Island Lake | Ansel Adams Wilderness канала Maryann Hazel