Early in the year, Chris had applied for Labor Day weekend permits both in Mineral King and Cottonwood Lakes – successful in getting both, he eventually selected the Cottonwood Lakes option for the easier drive and the easier trail, plus the fact that Carter could fish more at the latter destination. Although we had six spots on the permit, in the end it was just Chris, Carter, and Dani making the trip, and Friday morning found us meeting up in Mojave and heading northward. The Cottonwood Lakes area is accessed from Horseshoe Meadows where the trailhead lies at just over 10,000′ – for years now, while driving on Hwy 395 south of Lone Pine, we’ve noted the Horseshoe Meadows road as it switchbacks its way up the eastern Sierra escarpment, and this would be our first time driving it. Predictably, it was a bit thrilling going up, ascending over 6,000′ from the Owens Valley floor through a series of long, steep straightaways interspersed with about a dozen hairpin turns – Carter said he never wanted to drive it again, ha. By noon, we arrived at the busy trailhead – there’s a walk-in campground here, and the main parking area was packed full, so we parked in the nearby overflow lot that also supports an equestrian area with a separate trailhead. From the main TH, we walked mostly westward through open forest up a low ridge where we turned north and dropped gently into the Cottonwood Creek drainage – about 1-1/4 miles in, we crossed the South Fork of Cottonwood Creek and continued north through a lengthy flat and sandy section, eventually turning westward and starting to climb more deliberately along the North Fork of the creek. At about three miles, coincident with the steepening grade, Chris’ hips began to ache and his pace slowed considerably – Carter and Dani went on ahead, waiting for him where the trail forks, the north branch heading northwest up to Cottonwood Lakes 3, 4, and 5 and Army Pass while the south fork continues west to Lakes 1 and 2 and New Army Pass. We hadn’t yet decided where we’d try and camp but, since New Army Pass was a likely day hike option for the following day, we stuck to the southern route, figuring we’d camp at Lake 2 or Long Lake beyond. Again, Carter and Dani went up ahead while Chris limped along behind, his hips feeling worse the further he went. Slow and not all that steady, he eventually made his way past 11,000′ and up a pair of switchbacks onto the lakes basin plateau, rewarded with a beautiful view of Mt. Langley, elev. 14,026′, to the northwest beyond Lake 1. A few hundred level yards further west, Chris came to Lake 2 and found Dani and Carter – they had arrived some 40 minutes earlier and chosen a fine campsite south of the trail with views north up the basin over Lake 2 and west to Cirque Peak, elev. 12,894′. We had seen smoke from the Castle Fire in the Kern River drainage to the west, but the wind held the smoke west of the Sierra crest all day and through the night, making for lovely blue skies over Cottonwood Lakes – that would change, but for now it was a wonderful scene as we made dinner and had a relaxing evening.