Sierras Too Good to Share (Almost)
Friday, June 15th, 2007
Things have been fairly stressful for us this month so Steve and I decided that we wanted to enjoy the rush of having everything that we need in a backpack even if it was only for a day. So late Friday night we packed our backpacks and the next morning we headed up to the Desolation Wilderness with puppy in tow for 2 great days of adventure.
We took I-50 past Placerville (cute town!) into the El Dorado National Forest and began our hiking just past Wrights Lake. From the trail head we hiked about 2.5 miles up 1400 feet to Grouse Lake where we camped at about 8200 ft. Although the hiking was a bit challenging at parts (snow and slick granite) this was a great intro to backpacking as it was just challenging enough to give you an idea of what backpacking is like without being so tough that you loose your desire to try it again.
During the day there are a lot of day trippers who make the hike up to the lake but by about 4pm everyone had left and we had this small alpine lake completely to ourselves. I believe the National Forest Service allows only 4 people to camp at the lake per night so despite the short distance from civilization you really feel like you have gotten away from it all. There was also a lot of wildlife. Just at our campsite we saw chipmunks, a marmot, and trout jumping in the lake. It is just amazing that gems like this still exist and we are certainly planning on exploring this area more this summer, just as soon as our muscle aches go away.
If you are thinking about making the trip yourself here are a few things you should know:
- Bring lots of insect repellant! We were literally swarmed the second we got out of the car. Despite wearing deet and long sleeved shirts and pants for the whole time I was there I still look like I have the chicken pocks (they even bit through fabric).
- Portable water filters are great here as there is plenty of water on the hike and it will save you from having to carry a large supply of water up the mountain.
Raider with his prize (a deer leg to the best of our knowledge)
Steve