Off the beaten path, a summer shore excursion

While Nirvana awaits more engine repairs (the subject of another post, another time), I ventured off for a week-long backpacking trip in the Sierra’s with Pia. It’s the third summer we have made such a father-daughter trip, and the second time we have gone to the Kaiser Wilderness in the Western Central Sierra.

We had a fantastic time!  And we seem to have found a favorite place to go that I expect (hope!) we will visit many times again in the future.

Once again, the peaceful and restorative quality of the wilderness, and particularly this part of the Sierras, was our reward for what was actually a fairly easy hike.  The visual beauty and deep quiet of this landscape is very fulfilling. 

Our trip started off with the drive to Huntington Lake near the end of route 168, East of Fresno, parking the car at the Potter Pass Cutoff trail. 

Last year we had a great hamburger at Huntington Lake Resort, but this time around the kitchen was closed, so we grabbed some snacks and headed up to the trail head.  

From the car park, we hiked 4.5 miles to Upper Twin Lake, over Potter Pass and its great view of the snowy mountains of the Sierra range.  We hiked along the Round Meadow cut off trail, a trail that my dad and I helped build 40 years ago!  The trail was in great shape!

OUR ROUTE IN RED

While the Twin Lakes area of the Kaiser Wilderness gets lots of visitors on the weekend, we have found it to be fairly empty during the week.  A few other campers at Upper Twin Lake, but this year we didn’t see anyone between Upper Twin and Jewel Lake.

We camped at our favorite spot above Upper Twin Lake.  That helped us escape the mosquitos and gave us a great view to the East and the spine of the Sierras. 

The following day we took a day hike to Sample Meadow.  The trail was lightly used, and the deep forest was beautiful.  We hiked as far as the Forest Service road that leads to Sample Meadow (yes, you can drive there from a different direction!), but we didn’t see the meadow and felt we should turn-around and head back.  But we got see Round Meadow from a different view, and the hike alone was worth it. 

The heavy snow in the Sierras this past winter meant that there was lots of water and wild flowers.  And lots of mosquitos!  We encountered snow banks in the shade at 8,500 feet.

The next day we packed up and headed off to the higher lakes under Kaiser peak.  We had camped at George Lake last year, and day hiked up to College, Campfire and Jewel lakes.  This time we were determined to camp at Jewel lake, and having scouted the route the year before we felt confident we could make it.  The trail mostly ends at George Lake, and becomes spotty after that, so climbing to the other lakes requires a bit of cross country hiking.  But there are cairns marking a reasonably discernible route.  We were very much off the beaten path! Having given ourselves lots of time, we made good progress up to College, then Campfire and then Jewel lake.  There were no signs that other hikers had been there recently or even this year. 

As we approached Jewel lake, the snow fields become larger and more frequent.  We were able to avoid them, but it wasn’t surprising when we arrived to find the lake’s deep bowl almost completely surrounded in snow.

Yet it’s beauty was unaffected and the one (and only real) campsite was clear and dry.  But not for long!  Within an hour, the thunderheads had gathered and there’re was light rain.  I started to set up a shelter, and just in time as it quickly turned to hail!  We had to sit out the first burst under a tarp.  We were able to set the tent up before the next burst and waited out the hail and rain which dissipated in less than an hour. 

The next morning we were paid a visit by a lone marmot, who boldly came into our camp and sniffed around our gear before leaving.  I had never seen one behave like that, but he seemed healthy and content.  We decided to spend the day at Jewel lake and not attempt to climb to Kaiser peak as we had hoped.  The weather was unsettled and the snow fields significant enough that being exposed on the high ridges wasn’t a good choice.  We had a bit more rain and hail in the late afternoon, but were treated to some beautiful ground fog in the valley below.  Needless to say, we had the whole lake to ourselves.  Perfect for peace and contemplation.   

our camp at Jewel Lake, 9,800 feet

A happy camper.

Throughout the trip I had been even more mindful of the trees than in the past.  The forest on the way to Huntington Lake is quite damaged by past years of drought and the pine bark beetles, so that maybe something like 40%+ of the trees are dead.  Now that it’s been a few years since the peak dye off, and most of the dead trees have lost their needles, they are not as noticeable in the dense forest.  At the higher elevations, like Upper Twin Lake (8,500 feet), maybe 3% or so of the trees have died.  

But what is most striking is the age and girth of some of the trees at these higher altitudes.  The junipers in particular are massive.  Considering the rock they are growing on (without much soil), and the short summer season, they reach a size that is astounding.   How old must they be? 

What I came to realize this year is, that when you know a place, you know how to make the most of it. I’ve been back to the Kaiser Wilderness several times over the past 40 years, and it has not changed. Knowing how to get off the beaten path, even when one is present isn’t that hard to do. And in this case, that meant getting great vistas, comfortable camps, and avoiding people all within short distances. The Sierra's in general are a great destination in the summer for such trips, as they are actually pretty benign - so you don't need lots of clothing or a heavy tent or other gear. Also, short distances keep your calories in check so you don't need a ton of food. I also realize that I have to use a little bit of money to overcome my age! Buying super light gear and a great sleeping pad really do make a difference.