The first day out of Courtright was different from any other I have experienced in the area. It rained all afternoon. There were a few breaks in the storm, but for the most part it rained until I was soaked. My original goal was to make it to Dale Lake or Disappointment Lake. I passed by the Dale Lake Trail, which was marked by a sign for the first time since I have been coming here, and arrived at Disappointment Lake only to find every campsite occupied. I was so cold that I called out to the occupants of three nearby tents and asked them if it was OK for me to setup my tent nearby. A voice shouted out, "Yes," and I was set up within 20 minutes. I warmed up quickly, about the time the rain stopped falling. I got out of my tent, met my hosts, and thanked them profusely. They were nice kids and did not mind letting me stay close to their camp. It cleared off enough that evening to provide us with a nice sunset.

I slept warm and well in my new tent that night and awoke to a crystal clear morning in which the coyotes in the upper part of the basin yelped their joy for life. I looked back toward Disappointment Lake and realized it had already started to cloud up. However, views remained spectacular for the remainder of the day. The walk up to Hell-for-Sure Pass was not difficult, despite the name. I saw some fish in Hell-for-Sure Lake which I had thought was barren because of its high elevation. From the top of the pass, I spotted a large group hikers at the lake.

The trip into Goddard Canyon was relaxing and filled with beauty. Many gardens of wild flowers were in full bloom and I stopped to take photos several times. The group I spotted from the pass, 11 high schoolers and two leaders, caught up with me while I was taking my first lunch break.

The trip up Goddard Canyon took longer than I thought it would. Martha Lake and Reinstein Pass finally came into view at 1:40. After another lunch break, I headed around the east side of the lake toward Reinstein Pass which leads into Goddard Creek drainage. Another group of Outward Bounders were setting up camp on the west flank of Mount Goddard in preparation for an early ascent the next morning. Reinstein Pass seemed easier than it had been the last time and I reached the top at 4. Cloud cover was heavy again as I looked back toward Martha Lake. The descent into the valley was steep but uneventful. Ribbons of water cascade into the upper reaches of the Goddard Creek Valley from the Ionian Basin. I started setting up camp on Lake 10,212 at 6:30. 1 was surprised to see fish in the lake since I had not seen any the last time I had been through here. I caught 8 or 10 hybrids and kept the three largest which I ate for dinner. Almost everything had dried out from the day before and only a few drops of rain fell on this day. The sunset was particularly beautiful.

The next day, I stayed above the creek on the west flank of the valley. There were two tents near the creek and above the lakes below Lake 10,212. I was disappointed to see the tents but their occupants never knew I passed by. The lakes on the western branch of Goddard Creek offer numerous camping spots although I saw no fish in the lakes. The ascent to Blue Canyon Pass was easy enough. I decided against a trip down into Blue Canyon in favor of climbing Finger Peak. The climb was not difficult as long as I stayed away from the steep jagged rocks that make up a good part of the east flank of the mountain. The view from the crest rivals the view from Mount Goddard. I was surprised from reading the register that I was about the tenth visitor to the top that day. I saw no one else on the mountain until I met a guy heading up as I was almost back to the pass. As I descended back into the West Fork drainage, I noticed Finger Col which would provide entrance into Blackcap Basin.

By 3:45 1 reached the pass into Blackcap Basin. Yet another Outward Bound group could be spotted above Cathedral Lake, so I headed to the smaller, nearby Chapel Lake to try to find some solitude. I had Chapel Lake all to myself and the fishing was great to boot. My camp site had a great view of Finger Peak and there was enough wind to keep the mosquitoes down. I discovered that I had "taken" 36 photos with an empty camera. I sure was glad I had brought two cameras but I was disappointed about "losing" some of the photos, especially ones from the crest of Finger Peak.

The return to Courtright on the last day was long, 28 miles in about 11 hours. I saw a lot of people on the way back and visited with some backpackers for half an hour. They were in their 60's and had hiked all over the Sierra Nevada Range. Another group, on horseback, had suffered a major mishap on the Bench Valley trail. The trail had given away beneath one of the horses and its rider had been seriously injured when the horse rolled on him. The Bench Valley trail is posted as unfit for stock.

8 February 1998