Devil's Postpile Nat'l Monument & Vicinity
Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2016 6:06 pm
I'm traveling on US 395 along the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California. Today was hiking to Devil's Postpile and Sotcher Lake.
Beginning of the trail to Devil's Postpile
Devil's Postpile was formed after a glacier cut a narrow valley and subsequently lava flowed in to a depth of 400'. As it cooled, it fractured into hexagon shapes (called nature's perfect shape). When a fracture got about 10", it would branch off 120 degrees and then repeat when it reached 10" again and again until it formed a hexagon. As it cooled it formed the basaltic columns.
Sotcher Lake. The trail goes all the way around the lake.
Mammoth Mountain is a huge ski area. I took the gondola to the top.
At the top! 11,053'. That's snow behind me.
View from the top. The jagged mountains to the left are called The Minarets.
Sandi
Beginning of the trail to Devil's Postpile
Devil's Postpile was formed after a glacier cut a narrow valley and subsequently lava flowed in to a depth of 400'. As it cooled, it fractured into hexagon shapes (called nature's perfect shape). When a fracture got about 10", it would branch off 120 degrees and then repeat when it reached 10" again and again until it formed a hexagon. As it cooled it formed the basaltic columns.
Sotcher Lake. The trail goes all the way around the lake.
Mammoth Mountain is a huge ski area. I took the gondola to the top.
At the top! 11,053'. That's snow behind me.
View from the top. The jagged mountains to the left are called The Minarets.
Sandi