The problem of writing up a trip after 2 months of traveling is that things collide in your memory. In this instance, the beginning of the trail to Edith Lake gets mixed up with the one to Big Pine Lakes. Maybe because the trailhead and the initial a few hundred yards looked similar. I remember stopping at the trailhead, take picture of the trail map and walking into the woods. But I do that at all trailhead; my trailhead ritual wasn't particular to these two trails. Perhaps the fact that both trails had the body of water to the left at the beginning of the trail and then started ascending shortly after made their memories fuse. The trail to Edith Lake briefly skirted Pettit Lake and then veered to left to start the counter clock-wise loop. The Big Pine Trail had the Big Pine Creek to the left and then veered to the left in similar fashion.
So, I no longer have much memory of how I got to Edith Lake other than crossing the creek with a young couple. I got to the water's edge and was having a snack. It didn't occur to me that I had to cross it to continue. A couple came and thought I was looking for a way to cross. There was no obvious crossing. The water wasn't too deep -- about knee high at the deepest point -- so I figured we should just cross it. But the young man went downstream to look for an easier way. He eventually found a log bridge and we walked over it. It probably was easier just to ford the creek than walking over the gnarly log, but we kept out feet dry. We split up shortly after -- they walked faster than I did -- then I saw them taking lunch break by the creek. They must bush-whacked a few hundred yards down to the river when the trail started ascending. I was lying on a log and taking a break when they caught up with me at the junction to Edith Lake. They continued on and I never saw them again. I camped by Edith Lake and they must've either continued on or decided to turn back at the junction to Imogene Lake where the snow made it difficult to continue on.
A little birdie told me that there are good spots up on the top of the hill near the outlet. I climbed and voila, there was a few perfect tent sites. I took the dry one at the top that had view of the mountains on the other side of the valley and the Farly Lake in the valley in distance. Then I commuted to the lake for daily bathing with ice water. You can easily erase the memory of cold bath.
I stayed here for two nights. I figured I could day-hike to Imogene Lake which was the original destination. I was exhausted by the time I got to Edith Lake and decided to camp there. The trail to Imogene Lake looked gruesome -- lots of switchbacks and steep climb -- and there was no way I could make it. Camping and then day-hiking to a spur trail usually works out really well and I was sure it would here. Turned out, the trail to Imogene Lake was impassible. The gruesome trail, probably with lots of rocks and steep fall-off one the side of the trail, was covered was snow. My foot fell through the snow as I climbed next to a boulder and dangled in the big gaping hole. That is probably how Kim Hong-bin, an experienced mountaineer, fell through crevice in Himalaya. It probably was a safe-looking stretch of the trail. The snow suddenly gave way, exposed the crack and he fell. I turned around at that point.
The collapsible 5L wash basin was the smartest purchase I made for the backpacking. I have to wash in the evening to sleep. Without washing, the sticky body stops me from falling asleep. I took the basin down to the outlet creek, scooped the ice water and took a bath.
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