![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2857/9364803949_7cfb52c11f.jpg)
Ray admires the view
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2856/9364160815_c8a4cb8c83.jpg)
Evolving view as we climbed upward
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/9364446405_d4bdf6243a.jpg)
View to Surprise Valley
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/9367675788_0377c2f749.jpg)
View now to Warren Peak (far) and Peak 8298
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/9364696891_54971d6e35.jpg)
Last view to Warren Peak and Cottonwood Creek
![california view nevada modoccounty summittrail surprisevalley southwarnerrange loweralkalilake](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/16189820001_f579d1a760.jpg)
Lower Alkali Lake
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5489/9368100812_972b0be227.jpg)
View towards the small town of Alturas
![birds video modoc flycatchers leastflycatcher june2011mtndmn](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5276/5850738163_9fb9a83917.jpg)
Least Flycatcher (voice only) video June 13, 2011
![california flower purple wildflower fireweed onagraceae chamerionangustifolium chamerion modoccounty myrtales pattersonlake southwarnerrange](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7540/16187996361_c75bf562a0.jpg)
View From Patterson Lake
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/9364389957_422c0d7e5a.jpg)
We enjoyed the shade wherever we could find it
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/9367398866_496b1191df.jpg)
Trail through the hellebore
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3700/9364326973_2f48a4e18f.jpg)
Peak 8298 at dawn
![california](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7468/15895807620_1eb81680c1.jpg)
Surprise Valley, CA (0827)
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7355/9367373420_b1f84c121f.jpg)
Not a particularly healthy stand of trees
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3700/9367099970_ec90cd6a18.jpg)
Cliffs, catching the morning glow
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/9366929340_00a9a33036.jpg)
A small creek hides in the shadows
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9366962148_463702414d.jpg)
We would get up nearly to the top of Squaw Mountain
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/9366988188_dcc371121b.jpg)
Cliffs above Cottonwood Creek
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3690/9364542845_c36066078a.jpg)
Oregon is just beyond Upper Alkali Lake
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9366974896_56c9df981e.jpg)
You can just see the tip of Squaw Mountain
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7393/9368196964_4c2b08b46f.jpg)
Squaw Mountain, behind us now
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/9364358181_2a9186d400.jpg)
One last brief climb before rejoining the Summit Trail
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3744/9364852799_9c43b2004e.jpg)
Ray, on the slog away from Cottonwood Creek
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/9364170905_bd6bd4e865.jpg)
Peak 8298, as we continued to gain elevation
![wsweekly41 south warner wilderness patterson lake warren peak summit trail owl creek modoc national forest alturas cedarville northern california hiking backpack](https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7329/9367536894_fbb59358c6.jpg)
False summit of Squaw Mountain
![california panorama mountain green nature forest landscape solitude cloudy hiking wide overcast panoramic trail noblex alpine backpacking summit warren modoc cottonwoodlake](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1082/1058465718_0b1289fb7b.jpg)
Along the Summit Trail to Cottonwood Lake, Modoc National Forest, CA
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3696/9364524093_617b542382.jpg)
The Warner Mountains, to the north
![california lake creek forest hiking south peak trail national warner backpack owl summit patterson warren wilderness northern cedarville modoc alturas wsweekly41](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3766/9367702532_90a263c465.jpg)
I shouldn't look ahead to see how high we have to go, it's demoralizing