Inyo Crossing
February 2022
Anthony proposed this trip as a “mellow” weekend trip that would be ideal for a big group. We’d be crossing the Inyo range from Owens Valley, dropping into Saline Valley, and finally ending at the hot springs. Clax, John, Ari, Anthony, Lexi, and I would all make it out for this romp. Anthony’s conception of mellow is more aggressive than most, and we ended up spending some pretty full days hiking, scrambling, and navigating snow in this remote range east of the more forgiving Sierra. It was still a great weekend with some guest appearances by Zack, Noe, and Stephen.
We started outside of Lone Pine in the evening, hiking to the base of the range and setting up camp for the night. In the morning, we’d set off for Forgotten Gap, the pass that would see us up and over the Inyos. A faint use trail led about halfway up the climb, where it both faded and was replaced with a healthy amount of snow. None of us had traction devices, and Lexi was quite uncomfortable with this kind of steep and unstable terrain. She persevered nonetheless, and we all took a long break at the top of the pass. The Inyos most prominent peaks loomed above us to the north and south, and a spectacular view of the Sierra greeted us across Owens Valley. As I often say, the Inyos offer a fantastic place for exploring during the shoulder seasons in the Sierra.
On the east side of the pass, we followed a surprisingly nice use trail with manageable amounts of snow. The steepness again proved a challenge for Lexi, but she maintained high spirits and pushed on. Eventually, we descended into Beveridge, an old mining town in an extremely unlikely location. Somehow its inhabitants managed to bypass all of Beveridge Canyon’s dryfalls, charting a path up the steep ridge and eventually down into the upper canyon. They hauled enough building materials for a small town, complete with mining equipment and a few modest dwellings. We checked out the famous Frenchy’s Cabin, filled up water, and slowly made our way down canyon. Eventually, we stopped to sleep for the night on the foundation of an old structure in the canyon.
In the morning, we cracked on, and after some agonizingly slow terrain, made it to the mouth of the canyon. Once on dirt road, we rocketed through Saline Valley, eventually splitting into two groups—one that would go up and over the Saline Valley Sand Dunes, and another that would follow the dirt roads. Lexi and I took the road and were soon picked up by some nice folks in a truck. Strangely enough, this ride led to Lexi getting a job several months later, as the woman who picked us up was looking for someone to replace her at her company.
We made it to the hot springs and were greeted by some friends who drove in the night before. Since it was Presidents’ Day weekend, the place was busy as could be, but it was a relaxing good time all the same, as the hot springs always prove to be. Anthony, Ari and John crested the dunes and we watched for a long time as their figures transformed from specks on the horizon to full sized humans at the springs. Clax, in typical form, was completely neurotic in the best way possible—he nearly broke John’s truck driving into the springs, spent hours driving in circles in a futile attempt to get cell phone service, and told Lizard Lee (the famous camp host) that our group might be lost and in need of a rescue since we didn’t arrive until midday (a perfectly reasonable time for us to arrive). But once we all united he settled down a bit which was nice to see.
All good things come to an end, and we left after the sun set over the Inyos. We all met at Anthony and Ari’s place in Bishop and partied the night away, because not only was it Presidents’ Day (praise be to James K. Polk, my favorite president) but it was also Anthony’s birthday. We all drank on his behalf and reveled in the glory of a weekend well spent.