“There it is!!” I say to Ray as I point excitedly to a large hole in the mountain. We have hiked about 1.5 miles and 1000 feet down from where we camped last night at Lower Mills Creek Lake. We are dropping into what is called “the Second Recess”. There are four “recesses” that drop down into Mono Valley, the main east-west valley that drains into Lake Edison and Vermilion Valley Resort. These recesses are all “hanging valleys” that are elevated and truncated as they steepen and drop to the much deeper Mono Valley.
Think smaller glaciers carving out U-shaped canyons that connect with a big behemoth glacier carving out the main canyon. Big behometh glacier has a greater rate of erosion, more water flow, and/or softer rock that erodes quicker. For these reasons, the valley floor of the main valley is deeper and the hanging valleys are elevated above it.
Vermilion Valley Resort detours us about 12 miles away from the Sierra High Route. This is a resupply location that is probably not necessary as a Sierra High Route hiker could make their next resupply at Red’s Meadow. But we had built in a few side hikes and a diversion before Red’s Meadow to Iva Bell Hot Springs. The Iva Bell Hots Springs was one of our favorite side hikes on the John Muir Trail and we are excited to go there again. The added side hikes and diversion to Iva Bell adds enough miles and days to make it worth it for us to stop at Vermilion Valley Resort. Besides, it is always nice to shower, do laundry, and eat a few big meals.
Right now, though, I am not thinking about a shower, food or a comfortable bed. I am looking at a big hole in the mountain. Roper describes it as an “unusual Sierra sight” and something “that is so incongruous the mind struggles to explain it”.
As Roper explains, it is a large gigantic, heart-shaped hole too deep to be a gouge left after a rockfall, and perhaps a cave but “caves don’t occur in granite”. Of course, being geologists and loving mysteries that are not easily explained, Ray and I go into much arm-waving.
There are at least two sets of fracture patterns in the granite that helped contribute to forming it. But it is odd – a deep cave in granite. Perhaps one day we will come back and explore it closer. It is at least a mile away and we don’t really have the time to go check it out. For now it will remain a mystery that perhaps a few hikers will stop and ponder.
After pondering the large “hole”, we continue down the Second Recess hiking another 2.5 miles until we reach Mono Creek. We cross Mono Creek and meet up with the Mono Creek trail that will take us down to and around Edison Lake to Vermilion Valley Resort. Once we are on the Mono Creek Trail we get into a rhythm and go into “cruise” mode. It is a pleasant hike and we go through a few deep forests of Jeffrey Pine.
The trees are so amazing here. We are at Vermilion Valley Resort by 2:30pm.
Exciting! Raised my curiosity regarding a “Hole in Granite.”
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The “conjure-gate.” Sheer mystery.
Does the hole have a name? I attempted the SHR route back in 2011, but we bailed after 60 miles. The snow was miserable etc, etc. I still need to go back and make it happen.