June 2001 

On to Mammoth:  We ran down from the summit of Mt. Dana so that we could get to the Mammoth ranger station in time to pick up our permits.  We also drove up to the Minaret Summit viewpoint to watch the sunset over the Ritter Range.

Looking north from the summit.  Tioga lake and Highway 120 are visible just below Mt. Dana.  Also visible is Saddlebag lake and its access road.  Mt. Conness is the high point poking up.

Looking east from the summit over the Owens Valley and US Highway 395.  The Dana Couloir, a favorite springtime ritual for backcountry skiers, is in the foreground.  Notice the two skiers ascending the couloir from below in Glacier Canyon (circled in the photo).

Rich and Griffin on the summit.  If you look carefully, just over my right shoulder, you can see the twin summits of Banner Peak and Mt. Ritter, our goal for tomorrow's climb.

A closer view of the summits of Banner and Ritter, this time seen from Minaret Summit above Mammoth Lakes  

We arrived in Mammoth around 4:30 p.m., just in time to stop off at the ranger station to pick up our permits, then buy a few beers and head up to Minaret Summit for some route reconnaissance.  Note the trusty brown bags to camouflage our beers (Dude in Mammoth liquor store:  "you want some sippin' sacks with those beers?")

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