Mokelumne II

Un-opened flower of columbine, Aquilegia
formosa. This species was common along
the south shore of Caples Lake.

In my last post, I wrote about my trip to Round Top and Forth of July Lakes in the northern part of the Mokelumne Wilderness. A perfect time for exploring the high Sierra, I planned another visit. The following week I took my oldest son and returned to explore the Emigrant Lake trail, also in the northern part of the wilderness.

We started at the western point of Caples Lake and followed the southern shore of the lake under relatively dense tree cover. After about 3 km, the trail left Caples Lake to turn southward, and the trail began to climb in elevation. It roughly followed Emigrant Creek, a very small creek connecting Emigrant Lake with Caples Lake. Ascending towards Emigrant Lake there were a few small beautiful meadows, one in particular was a sea of waist-high bright green corn lilies, not yet in flower.

The sky was clear but the wind blew in strong gusts at Emigrant Lake where the trail ended. Like the lakes I visited last week, Emigrant Lake sits at the base of an arc of grey rock and snow. Ben and I climbed a few hundred feet up to a ridge from the eastern shore and had a great view of Emigrant Lake to the west and Caples Lake to the north. Overall I found some plant species not observed on my earlier trip. Here is a sampling:

Three species of Castilleja.

Frasera sp. I only found one individual of this species, but its large stature and very interesting flowers made it stand out.

Wyethia, or "mule's ears". This plant was common.

Calochortus. I only saw two individuals of this genus, both growing on a
relatively rocky, sun-exposed slope near Caples Lake.

Pectiantia breweri. This rather unassuming plant has the most incredible flowers
on close inspection. In the close-up photo to the right look for the five yellowish
petals. Each has pinnate branches to give the whole flower a web-like appearance.