An leisurely 30 miles in 5 days.
Joe, Amy, Rauser, Sudeep, Mike D, Utz, Lutz, Jeremy, Odog, Natty, and
Mojo.
Chipmunk Flat.
We arrived late at night at the designated meeting place: Chipmunk Flat
campground a couple miles from the Leavitt Lake Road turnoff. We hastily
set up camp in the most available spot. After igniting a duraflame and cracking
open the case of Coors light, we huddled near the bright but heatless fire
and talked loudly. We turned in to our tents soon after, eager to get our
vacation under way.
We lingered around camp that next morning. We had a short hike planned
for the first day, so we took our time getting packed up. Rauser who had
been running late the day before, had only just begun to get his food ready
for the hike, his food was scattered around the bed of his truck. The rest
of us waited for him with bags packed.
Leavitt Lake
The road to Leavitt Lake rattled us up past several RV campers, and dumped
us into the Leavitt Lake basin. The lake, surrounded by menacing looking
peaks on three sides, twinkled with icy water. Several teenagers hiked passed
us sweating profusely. As I looked upward toward Leavitt Lake pass, I realized
we'd soon be the ones sweating profusely. We strapped on our packs, strapped
packs onto the dogs, and velcro'd their boots on, and we were off.
The trail immediatley climbs steeply and doesn't relent. We passed a
tie-dyed shirt wearing dude. He carried a pair of skis on his shoulder,
and wore heavy ski boots on his feet. His brown border collie laid obediently
at his feet under the rare shade of a tree. "I've skied 48 consecutive
weeks up here." He bragged, pointing at tiny snow patches high up on
the mountains. We kept moving trying to keep the momentum going. Utz, Mike
D and Jeremy had long since blasted ahead of Amy and me. In the distance
they trudged uphill like tiny ants, bypassing a long switchback, opting
for an uncompromising straight-uphill route. Amy and I followed their painful
path. As the trail finally began to flatten, I turned to see the vast expanse
of mountains, and the refreshing lake below. I was rejuvenated, and as I
reached the incredible view at the top of the pass, my breath was stolen
by the boundless view. We sat atop the 10,600 foot pass and waited for Sueep
and Butz to arrive.
From Leavitt Pass the trail descends steeply. The loose rocky trail slides
very steeply to the left, down to Kennedy Canyon. I imagined a slip might
be very dangerous here. I urged Amy to be careful here. We each took our
turns slipping on the steep dirt, finally reaching the trail intersection
to Kennedy Canyon. Ahead, the ominous Big Sam zig-zagged upward to a treeless
peak. I began to mentally prepare for the following day's climb. We continued
toward Big Sam, eyeballing a potential water source. Ahead, Utz, Mike and
Jeremy staked out a great campsite, somewhat near a trickling stream surround
gorgeously by wildflowers. We'd hiked a minimal distance today, but I was
pretty tired.
Silent Pepper Camp
A simple hike to the stream became quite a issue. As each person returned
from a trip to fill water, or to clean themselves, they huffed and puffed
back to camp. This was certainly NOT sea-level.
The rest of the day was very relaxing. To the south, jagged peaks stuck
above us. To the north, rolling hills, to the east; the ominous Big Sam
beckoned, and west, Leavitt Pass bid us a safe trip. We absorbed the view
hungrily and fantasized about what was to come. Each of us read respective
books or magazines, and I vegetated under the hot sun. Temperatures varied
quite a bit. In the shade, a icy breeze chilled to the bone, yet a step
away, the sun was impressively hot. We traded back and forth to maintain
a comfortable temperature. Sudeep slept a short distance away, apparently
trying to stay out of earshot of Brian and my raunchiness, which was in
plentiful supply. Jeremy made himself scarce and set up his tent far away
from our area. He was determined to spend as much time solo as possible.
He debated splitting off from us and heading off by himself tomorrow. It
hadn't even been 24 hours,... were we THAT annoying?
As the sun dwindled, we savored the magic hour of light; the warm glow
just prior to sunset. We lit a small fire and settled into the evening.
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Big Sam
It loomed ahead of us. It was indeed intimidating. I hadn't been at this
altitude before and was worried about the 1200 feet we'd be climbing today.
Mike D, Utz, and Jeremy, who'd decided to move forward with us today, took
off ahead of us and bolted toward Big Sam. Butz who was lagging as usual
and finished packing just as Rauser and Sudeep rounded the turn ahead of
us. Amy and I patiently waited as Butz continued to fumble with his gear.
Utz, Mike and Jeremy were long gone by the time we got on the trail. We
pushed forward, the moon hung high in the sky above us. The view was unreal.
The trail began with a gradual climb and slowly steepened. Just as the trail
began to switchback, Amy realized Otis was missing a bootie. Angrily I threw
my pack to the ground and doubled back to find his boot. For $40, I'd be
damned if Odog was going to loose a boot now. I stomped back down the trail
and moments later found the straggler boot. We continued up the loose gravel
and jagged rock trail to the 5-6 switchbacks that would bring us to one
of the best views of the Sierras. It was awe inspiring. In the distance,
we could see High Emigrant Lake, Grizzly Lake, and Emigrant Meadow Lake.
I grabbed a energy bar, whipped out the camera and took some snaps. Just
as an icy breeze blew threw me, we made the decision to head down the other
side.
Running Horse Camp
We switched back and forth down into the valley below. We moved cross
country and bee-lined for Emigrant Lake where Jeremy spotted a pre-established
camp overlooking Emigrant Meadow Lake. In the distance some horses grazed
silently. We lounged for the rest of the day, reading and mellowing with
the view in the distance. Amy and I explored the meadow, catching some rays
on a rock outcropping near the lake. Rauser got his fly rod and with Sudeep
and Natty, headed to the lake to make an attempt at catching dinner. Butz
and Utz, took their turns bathing in the stream. We made the term "power-lounging"
appropriate.
When the magic hour arrived, Amy heard a distant, "WWwhhooooAAA!"
followed by rapid thuds of hooves pounding trail. A white steed bolted over
the rock outcropping and like lightning crossed the meadow in a hurry. Two
tiny figures tried to follow the horse as it crossed over a hill in the
distance. We named the campsite appropriately, "Running Horse."
As night fell we lit the campfire, dined and turned in early.
Cross -Country
I woke early and inconsiderately read quietly aloud to Amy from the book
she was reading, "Into Thin Air". After everyone was roused we
began slowly packing. Jeremy had left earlier in the morning and headed
off solo toward Brown Bear Pass, and over to the Louis Lakes. We had made
the decision to skip Dorothy Lake and adventure down a cross-country route
through a canyon and head toward Cinko Lake. We headed up and over historic
Emigrant Pass, overlooking Emigrant Meadow to the West, and Grizzly Peak
to the South. We were going to the left of Grizzly Peak where the map showed
an unmaintained trail. Once we reached the trail intersection to the left.
The "trail" evaporated, and we were left on our own. As we hiked
through a gorgeous meadow, we passed a lone hiker with a float tube strapped
to his back. The meadow gave way to a small rocky waterfall where we dropped
our packs and had a nice lunch. After a short rest we packed up again and
continued down the trailess canyon.
It was a straight forward route. If we followed the contours, it was
nearly impossible to miss the trail intersection. Still, uncertainty was
in the minds of the mapless. I was the only one with a map handy, and the
route finding was entrusted to Rauser and me to find our way. Doubts arose
and quickly we assured everyone we were on the right track. A mile and some
bushwhacking later Rauser stood ahead with arms stretched. He stood on a
narrow dirt trail. The short 2.7 miles down the canyon seemed like 7. It
had taken us significantly longer tthan I had expected. But we were in the
right place, and we were safe. We made a right on the trail, passed a stagnant
pond on the left, climbed a bit, and with a hollar we arrived at Cinko Lake.
It was gorgeous anc clean. A large campsite was right in front of us. We
all sropped our packs and splashed into the crystal cold lake. We were blessed
again with a fantastic campsite. More power-lounging, and more reading followed.
Rauser readied his rod and headed out again determined to catch something
other than a cold. |