Let's look to the east side which is really the main reward of the hike. There are a few high areas that block some of Mt. Dana from Mono Lake. You can see the very tip of it from down below, but these mountain peaks are what block it. It is all connected to what is called Dana Plateau. Sometime in the next few years I want to go all the way to the end down below. I will take pictures from down below back to where I was standing up here.
The highlight picture everyone tries to get is Mono Lake. Naturally, I was there a little too early in the day with the sun still on that side so it is a little more hazy that I would like, but it will do.
In one of the High Plains Drifter videos I mentioned that I was trying to find the "town" the movie was in from on top of Dana. Well, here is the picture. You can see the South Tufa formations to the right of the picture. Well, just move along the shore to the left and there is where the town would have been. I told you this all connects like a big puzzle.
This is looking toward the north again. Mt. Conness is to the far left and Matterhorn Peak is the the far right.
Mt. Conness. This was about a week before I climbed that one. It is interesting to see pictures of that mountain from different sides.
Naturally, I always keep tabs on my icon peak: Matterhorn Peak. What was funny about this one is if you look closely or click the picture you will see a small heart shaped piece of snow. This is always on there for most of the season. When I have hiked that mountain I always shoot for that heart of ice. Once around it the hard part of the hike is over. However, being a dry year the heart shaped piece of ice was gone the next week.
So, there you have it. A rough hike on the legs, but very rewarding with the views. I only wish I had done it earlier in the season with snow on the mountains. Maybe someday.
