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THE ANSEL ADAMS WILDERNESS spans an area of 231,533 acres. Elevations within the wilderness range from 3,500 ft at Hells Half Acre along the Middle Fork San Joaquin River, to 13,157ft at the summit of Mt. Ritter. It is arguably some of the most beautiful landscape to be found anywhere in the world.

The wilderness was renamed from the Minarets Wilderness to honour the famous landscape photographer and environmentalist by the 1984 California Wilderness Act. The 1984 law also more than doubled the size of the Minarets Wilderness, extending it south from its original southern boundary in the vicinity of Hemlock Crossing and Devils Postpile all the way to its current extent near Lake Thomas Edison.

Mt. Ritter and Banner Peak along with the Minarets are awe inspiring for climbers and outdoors men of all types. John Muir considered the alpine beauty in this area to be unsurpassed by any other terrain in all the range. He also considered Ediza Lake to be the most beautiful of all the multitudes of lakes in the Sierra.

The below report is at the 10,591 ft level. It will give you a good idea of the weather conditions at camping spots such as Thousand Island Lake, Garnet Lake, and Ediza Lake.

Saturday  11/2  Snow likely, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny and cold, with a high near 28. Wind chill values as low as 11. West southwest wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
 
Saturday Night 11/2  A 30 percent chance of snow after 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 14. Wind chill values as low as -2. Blustery, with a northwest wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
 
Sunday 11/3  Sunny and cold, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -5. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
 
Sunday Night 11/3  Mostly clear, with a low around 17. Wind chill values as low as -3. Windy, with a north northeast wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 25 to 30 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph.
 
Monday 11/4  Sunny, with a high near 38. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 25 mph becoming west 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
 
Monday Night 11/4  Mostly clear, with a low around 25. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
 
Tuesday 11/5  Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. West wind 5 to 10 mph.
 
Tuesday Night 11/5  Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. Blustery, with a west wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northeast 15 to 25 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph.
 
Wednesday 11/6  Mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 26. Windy, with a northeast wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
 
Wednesday Night 11/6  Mostly clear, with a low around 16. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph.
 
Thursday 11/7  Sunny, with a high near 35. Breezy, with a north northeast wind 15 to 20 mph becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph.
 
Thursday Night 11/7  Clear, with a low around 21. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northeast in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
 
Friday 11/8  Sunny, with a high near 40. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph.

Above Weather Report Powered by the National Weather Service

Shasta Lake Helen

Photo shows North Side of River Trail

Psalm 8:3-9
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!


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