Backpacking the Thousand Island Lake Loop | Ansel Adams Wilderness

Backpacking through the stunning Ansel Adams Wilderness along the PCT from Agnew Meadows to Thousand Island Lake, then over to Garnet Lake for the night. The following day led us along the John Muir Trail back past Shadow Lake and back into Agnew Meadows.
Total mileage around 20 - 22, completed on July 21st - 22nd, 2018.
Filmed entirely with an iPhone 8 Plus.
Music by Andrew Applepie:
/ @andrewapplepie
andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com/

[@psychdonbaseballcards5137]

Thousand Island Lake was one of my first backpacking trips back in the 70's. Love the high country.

[@pygmygiant]

Holy moly, what an utterly stunning place. I can’t wait to visit for myself one day!

[@JoshHerodOutdoorAdventures]

The sun coming up over the lake with the reflection looked amazing

[@ES-ge7bb]

I did this loop in the reverse direction a few years ago including Ediza Lake. Definitely a very beautiful loop. Thanks for posting your trip. Brings back good memories.

[@carolwells8388]

So very happy for you guys to be able to enjoy such beauty.Thank you for sharing .

[@inkjob12]

1000 Island Lake area...so beautiful....and so many mosquitos! A very popular and many times too crowded loop. Great fishing there also. Loved the video, as well as your other videos. Safe travels you two.

[@irispreciado5142]

Absolutely beautiful!! Can't wait to hike this trail! Hopefully next year. Thank you!!

[@cq7415]

Excellent....very beautiful scenery, lakes, mountains and very well done. You are very lucky to have a beautiful woman that loves to hike like that. Thanks for sharing.

[@tamgsmith8077]

Wow, beautiful freaking hike! Thank you for sharing. Loved the music. Totally fitting.

[@adkkev]

wow, those morning reflections at Garnet Lake are simply gorgeous!!

[@FRAGIORGIO1]

--Absolutely !! I was impressed.

[@larrykay6606]

Nice video. I did the exact same hike the same month you folks did as my first backpacking experience. Simply beautiful.

[@garyji]

Nicely done. Another item for the backpacking bucket list. Beautiful Alpenglow video.

[@evazkee7246]

Nice scenery. The mountains too

[@aceyorba]

Very Nice shots...You made it out before all the smoke.

[@MartinThmpsn]

A truly breathtaking hike. I hope to try it sometime.T hanks for sharing!

[@jerry-hn4sj]

That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[@grub32]

This is a great video of your trip. Thanks for sharing and we look forward to seeing more in the future- Outdoor Adventurer

[@gregr501]

Beautiful hike, thanks for sharing!

[@HEALINGMUSICSTUDIO]

With beautiful flowers and scenery I've been staying for a long time. Thank you for sharing. ^^*

[@All_Things_Out_Doors]

Looks like a great trip. Thanks for sharing!!

[@Byrod1]

Picture quality spectacular in every way, pleasure to watch.16 min only.

[@MrWhiitty]

@14:52 that amazing sound of river flows

[@kevlarsteiner8978]

Wonderful video. Beautiful landscapes Thanks Greetings from Spain

[@PinayinCzechRepablic014]

Wow beautiful place. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@ferdrewflores3612]

Very nice you two ! 👏🏼💯💢👏🏼🙏

[@Sheety33]

Thank you!

[@MountainFisher]

whenever I got a week off I used to go up there and fish for a few days. The outlet of Garnet Lake is one of the places I'd catch the most, just below the bridge. Beautiful views, thanks for the memories.

[@Sheety33]

Mountain Fisher Good to know! I’ll need to take my pole next time.

[@MountainFisher]

Sheety, the trout are in the pools going down along the trail from Garnet towards the High Trail. I used to catch them right at the bottom of the small waterfalls. Just drift a salmon egg into the roughest water and boom a trout! I'd keep a couple for dinner. Same for the stream out of Shadow Lake.

[@jjfjeff]

Nice trip, excellent views

[@johnleonard3806]

Garnet Lake may be the most beautiful mountain destination I have ever seen.

[@ronaldrose7593]

Thank you, my friend, for another awesome video. Your photography is superb. Please take good care out there. 🤗

[@Sheety33]

Ronald Rose thank you!

[@billfisher3266]

That lake you camped at was beautiful!

[@janefromthecountry1820]

I just added to my travel list after viewing this and a few others on Ansel Wilderness. My dentist enjoys it here. All who wander, are not lost. 😂

[@profishant9891]

Wow, got some great shots with good light. Nice.

[@Michael_Tran]

Ahhh...the great outdoor. To replenish the soul

[@troygerrard5331]

Wow beautiful place thanks!

[@enkhbayaroyuntsetseg357]

Wow! Cannot believe someone was able to film this in 4k! Goodjob!

[@Sheety33]

Enkhbayar Oyuntsetseg thanks!

[@underthecarolinasky2363]

One of my dream hikes! -Mike

[@macross25]

Amazing video, love the views and so glad you guys stayed at Garnet Lake, my absolute favorite place to stay up there. Next time bring some fishing rods, the Trout there are superb!

[@Sheety33]

Thank you! Loved our stay at Garnet. Yes we need to renew our fishing licenses!! Loads of trout in the high alpine lakes.

[@wannabetowasabe]

I didn't notice, the first time I watched this, that you were calling the River Trail and the PCT the same route. There are three parallel routes in the northern portion of the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin canyon, north of Agnew Meadow. They are the John Muir Trail, the River Trail and the PCT. The River Trail is the easiest of the three and it stays next to the river most of the way up the canyon. You followed the PCT and the John Muir Trails.

[@HusbandnWifeDuo]

Love from Ontario, Canada! Admittedly, we had to search the web to find out the exact location of this area. We have never been to the US western states, but perhaps one day we will.

[@DadBodDrumming]

beautiful country

[@ashimaadventures]

We just did Ediza, Iceberg and Minaret lake but wow, this looks incredible! Guess it's next on my list

[@Sheety33]

It’s one of my favs! Great weekend trip.

[@bakerstreet101]

6:15s. I can't believe that is California! Amazing.

[@dididiiia]

Woooww😍😍amazing

[@johneason6540]

Great sunrise reflection shot on the lake. That's a keeper. When you left mammoth on the shuttle, were did you pick up the Agnew meadow th.

[@MrVino-oe7fs]

How many miles is it one way from trailhead to thousand island lake

[@romantitorenko286]

Круто!!!!! 😄 Красота!!!!!! Класс!!!!!!!

[@ericpmoss]

Thumbs up, just for the view at 6:19. Wow.

[@FRAGIORGIO1]

I wonder why you didn't use a hat instead of a cap. More protection from hail and rain as well as the sun. Beautiful trip and lovely views of so many lakes. A true delight My so is going to hit that trail in a month or so with some friends, so he shared this with me. As a kid I had a lot of trips to Yosemite with my parents and brother, with whom I made a 3 day 52 miles hike from the Valley up past Vernal and Nevada Falls to Merced Lake (13.5 mi) where we pitched our pup tent. The next day we hiked another 13.5 mi to Tuolomne Meadows for our 2nd day. The 3rd day was a tiring 25 miles hike down past Tenaya Lake to the Valley where our parents were camped. That was about 1955 or so. I don't understand why they speak of 1,000 Island Lake, as I saw no lake that fit that description, although they were all lovely. Thanks for sharing !

[@blakefuruike3879]

Great videos I’m doing this hike soon and I am wondering how you got the permit?

[@ColemanOutdoors]

Awesome video and hike. You sure that wasn't High Trail aka PCT? I was just there last week. You had more green and flowers, I had less people. Not sure which is the better trade off.😋

[@harrycha100]

Looks like he went in via PCT, havent' seen the full video yet. I have done the loop - going in on JMT/Shadow trail and out via PCT/HT.

[@Supaazn84]

great video! do you need a permit or anything for backpack this hike or ansel adams wilderness?

[@ouamoulton6743]

I am so jealous, I have been trying to get permits to do this hike, , never get it, nothing available. You guys are everywhere in this place.

[@eringriffith7143]

I read that they add permits every Monday since they are doing walk-up permits this year. River Trail and High Trail had permits available today!

[@wannabetowasabe]

You are lucky you did this hike when you did. Today the Mammoth area and the area you hiked in a socked in with smoke from the Lions Fire and the Ferguson Fire. My wife and I live in Mammoth and were in Arizona for most of May and then all of June and July. We came back to heavy smoke nearly every day and would love to see some monsoonal moisture show up and knock the fires down and clear the air. The one thing I don't like about hiking in that area is the soft sand on the River Trail between the Shadow Junction and the base of the climb up to Agnew. It is a bit more tiring per mile than most trails in this part of the Sierra. Often it is at the end of a trip and is difficult to negotiate. The increased mosquito population in the section along Olaine Lake can often be very unpleasant also. Everything else in that area is pure pleasure, however, which makes up for it.

[@Sheety33]

wannabe to wasabe Sadly the fire is pretty bad now. We completed this trip when the fire was originating. Hoping for a huge storm to come in and wipe out the fires.

[@HanBaiDisciple]

What would be a go summer month to go to avoid the mosquitos if there were no fire?

[@Sheety33]

Mid August and beyond!

[@Strikeshotz]

What trails did you start with ?

[@jameshunt1221]

heaven

[@Sheety33]

James Hunt 🙏

[@tofuyam7361]

Nice video

[@Sheety33]

kira zeno 🤙

[@aaalllen]

Hi... YT randomly recommended your video. Awesome lake reflections. Do you have a prefilter or something on your smart water bottle?

[@ianmandel352]

I was going to backpack this loop clockwise from Agnew Meadows , but i think u did it the smart and easier way doing it counterclockwise..Any tips ?

[@Sheety33]

Ian Mandel start early

[@jasonforester7292]

Good video dude. It would be super cool if you taught yourself how to do some time lapse photography, you could get some pretty epic footage both in the day and night if you did, would love to see it in your videos.

[@Sheety33]

Jason Forester haha! I am capable of time lapse photography, just didn’t take or add any to this video. Cheers!

[@rjcote45]

​@@Sheety33 You did a perfectly fine video that some would call beautiful. Why do some people feel the need to tell you what you should do and then to be so pugnaciously condescending about your skill set and what you should teach yourself to modify it to their wishes??? Why doesn't Jason Forester do all the encompassing logistics to find and plan and outfit a backpacking trip AND take the time off from work AND travel to the location AND do all the physical work of hiking AND finally do his own filming/photography himself??? It seems the web generation don't really get the concepts of respect and boundaries and feel their social voyeurism entitles them to some sort of implicit set of "audience rights" that include "laying a trip" (i.e. making some sort of self entitled demand) upon a stranger who did not ask for or authorize their intrusion into their life. For my own part I'd like to say Thank You and I accept your video as is and found it great!

[@Merlinsluck]

Amazing trip! What was the temperature like? How cold was it overnight? Would you consider this trail strenuous or ok for beginners? Thanks for sharing, im so glad places like this still exist.

[@Sheety33]

Richard Ng thanks! Temperature was 80 during the day, and in the high 50’s at night - very comfortable. I would consider this a long hike for beginners - maybe finding a shorter hike for a first time out. Overall there is not much climbing, but the distance may be taxing on backpackers / hikers who are less experienced. Hope this helps!

[@destineyrosa7609]

I know this is an old video but do you need a permit to hike this ?

[@ignatiusjk]

Hoe long did it take you to hike to Banner Peak ??

[@blakeadkins138]

How and where do you reserve a permit for this? I looked it up on recreation.gov and it doesn’t give clear description of an area to reserve.

[@harrycha100]

I think it's under Inyo National forest. You gotta check the Inyo website for the entry TH etc. and rec dot gov for permits. I have been there twice and going from a different route in 2 weeks

[@kaylacassidy3040]

This was just filmed with an iphone? jeez definitely thought you had a nice camera to film this it looks great

[@johncraig3948]

You did not Camp at Thousand Island Lake not take any video there? In 1973 & 1974 I Flew Up on Sierra pacific Airlines from Burbank to Mammoth took free shuttle to the Ski Lodge then Hitch Hiked Into devils Post Pile & then up the san Juaquin River trail! It took me from either 8:30 Am or 9:00 am to carry my 70 lbs. pack with 2 weeks supply of food until around & 7:00 Pm to get to Thousand Island Lake where I camped by the lake.

[@drtonpop2522]

Nice video. What dates do you guys go up there? How was the mosquito situation?

[@Sheety33]

drtonpop Mosquitos were pretty bad...the type which are so small and light when they land and bite you can’t feel it...until the red bumps appear. We did this over the weekend of 7/21 - 22.

[@drtonpop2522]

Thanks for info!

[@EMSFREAK101]

Is this area pretty socked in in June usually?

[@Sheety33]

Horsecrazed it can be...really depends on the winter snow fall and early summer heat.

[@ThreeDogsTwoCatsAndAWife]

Great video, as always! How did you like shooting on iPhone only vs GoPro/a6500 combo? Do you carry a tripod or gimbal? Your pans are really smooth!

[@Sheety33]

Ernest Butiu thanks! It’s fun transitioning between the cameras. If I went on a trip with just the iPhone I wouldn’t be worried. I carry a small Joby tripod that does the trick!

[@ThreeDogsTwoCatsAndAWife]

Sheety33 cool! Your content is great, and I hope you don’t run out of Eastern Sierras to cover. We were in Lee Vining, and the Sabrina Basin this past summer. A LOT OF BUGS EVERYWHERE THIS YEAR!....Happy Hiking and backpacking, dude!

[@Sheety33]

Ernest Butiu thank you very much, I appreciate it! I hitched out of saddlebag lake today and asked the driver if he thought it was possible to hike every trail in the Sierra. He told me “hell no”. So, based on his word and my knowledge of the Sierra trail system, things are looking good🤠

[@coffeedollsvp]

Do you recommend hiking boots or will running shoes suffice?

[@Sheety33]

Personal preference….trail runners for me.

[@coffeedollsvp]

@@Sheety33 do Bears frequent the area?

[@chriswingfield6851]

nice view the scenery wasnt bad either

[@dilippatel3268]

at the 11:57 mark wasnt your tent too close to the lake?

[@UVJ_Scott]

Grew up in CA, hiking and camping in the sierra’s but the state is too messed up to live there now... what a shame as there are no more beautiful places than the Sierra Mountains.

[@david17500]

Well i think that's up for debate lol definately a must go for wilderness lovers from what I see tho!

[@oceandrew]

It's only messed up if you can't live and let live... and that is a personal choice.

[@coachwidereceivers557]

No he's talking about all the lunatic liberals living in the state. I got it.

[@david17500]

@@oceandrew when their trying to force vaccinate which is proven to not be completely safe & to cause permanent brain damage in one of so many & u.s. gov. have paid over 4billion$ to 6000+ PROVEN vaccine injured children that is too messed up for me & exact opposite of live & let live

[@oceandrew]

@@david17500 Yes David. Whatever you say, David. #antivaxxersarepeopletoo #flatearthersnotsomuch.

[@faithingod9554]

Keep your 6ft distance LOL just kidding

[@LeahsLover]

shoulda stopped at Schatts and picked up a sandwich.

[@jbleezy3875]

This made my B eye quiver💩💩💩💩😂😂😂😂

[@SpaklesDr]

you say river trail I say high trail...

[@Sheety33]

Correct! We took the high trail 👍

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Gosh this looks tedious.

[@tonics7121]

Ditch the music. Otherwise great photography.

[@AlfieLW]

Has anyone ever told that girl she talks to much?!

[@ehong1011]

If you got a permit, your ranger would have told you to not setup camp within 100ft of water. Your video is beautiful, but please don't demonstrate/encourage behaviors that violate Leave-No-Trace and hurt nature in the process.

[@007geoman]

I assume you don't get a wilderness permit? Because when you do you are told not to camp within 100' of the water. There is a reason for this rule but I won't go into it. It's people like you that show no respect for the area that diminish the experience for all those to come after. These areas are not just yours to take but to take care of. Next time back off away from the water or meadow 100'!

[@californiaexplorer5836]

that could have been someone else's tent that he filmed

[@Households1234]

Boring!