Consider hiking to the Palisade Glacier above Big Pine. It's an 18 mile round trip that gains 4500'. The scenery is stunning: water falls, turquoise lakes, great views of Temple Crag. It's the largest glacier in the Sierra surrounded by 14,000' peaks. The last half-mile is a boulder scramble up a 28% grade. With global warming, the glacier is doomed to melt in the long run. Be one of the last people to see it.
