What kind of traits are you looking for when choosing a campsite in high elevations with minimal gear like a torso length pad or low rf value pad like the thinlight? I'm talking about areas with zero tree cover, surrounded by rocky peaks and maybe an alpine lake or two.

A good example of what I'm talking about would be the kings canyon high route. Here's a nice video put on by Andrew Skurka: https://youtu.be/1OAJv8L_yCI

He found a site or two with some tree cover in the video I believe but say you're camping in places like the valleys depicted here with very little greenery except for maybe some grass near a body of water.

I assume the moist ground near the water would be softer but bodies of water also tend to absorb a lot of heat from the surrounding environment making the general vicinity cooler at night. Further back from the water maybe on a raised area of dry ground, safe from any falling rocks, you'd be introduced to more wind (likely to die down in the night) and a harder more compact sleeping surface.

I would be really interested to hear what people here think the optimal site selection would be in similar situations, taking into account of course variables like specific highs and lows of the day or general weather patterns that might influence the decision.