Looking over the other side of the pass, you can begin to see Summit Lake. Those bushes you see are pine trees. That's what a pine tree looks like at 11k.
Before we left home we had decided to hike past Summit Lake and down below 9600ft. No fires are permitted above 9600ft in Yosemite, and none above 9000 feet in the Hoover Wilderness. With night time temps below zero, we really wanted a fire, and it makes hot food prep possible. To save weight, I stopped carrying a stove several years ago. No fire, no hot food. We are currently standing in the Hoover Wilderness, but cross into Yosemite just past the far end of Summit Lake. Well... that was the plan anyway.
We've come down the pass some and I'm looking northeast up the intersecting canyon. Those are the Hoover Lakes. To the left of the picture is Summit lake. We must drop down into the canyon, then down into a gully and back up to Summit Lake. After climbing the pass, no one was looking forward to going back up.