We had a pretty epic day today, started by heading up Minaret Creek, then scrambled up to Cecile Lake. A very steep descent to Iceberg Lake took us to the trail down to Ediza Lake. We followed Shadow Creek trail until it intersected with the JMT, then followed that north to camp on the pass above Garnet Lake. I don’t know today’s mileage, but it was probably around 10 miles.

I woke up this morning early with to catch sunrise on the Minarets. The rock formations looked stunning in the golden-orange light of dawn. I watched the sunlight creep down into the valley while I ate my breakfast and let it dry my tent a bit before packing up.

Out of camp, we started by walking around Minaret Lake, and then up the creek. A short distance up the creek, we began a steep scramble to Cecile Lake. Near the top, it was steep enough to need hands and feet in a few places.

There was no established trail around Cecile Lake, instead we had to find out own way over the talus slope to reach the lake outlet. From the outlet, it was a steep and loose descent down to Iceberg Lake. There was more talus to cross before reaching an established trail on the eastern side of the lake.

Walking around Iceberg Lake gives incredible views of the Minarets up close, a perspective you can’t get from the PCT. After Iceberg Lake, we drop down to Ediza Lake with crystal clear waters and great campsites on the far side.

Down from Ediza Lake, we followed the Shadow Creek trail. The trail was a welcome change from scrambling and it felt good to walk on a good surface for a while.

Shadow Creek intersects with the JMT and we followed it north for a couple of hours until it reached a saddle over Garnet Lake. We hadn’t planned on camping here, but it was slow going in the morning so we set up camp and appreciated the views from the pass.