Ray and I just returned from a very enjoyable backpacking trip. We started at Wright’s Lake (el. 7000), about 15 miles north of Highway 50 near the crest of the Sierras, and then hiked east into the Desolation Wilderness. We camped at Grouse Lake (el. 8200), which is one of the loveliest lakes in the Sierras. The next day we hiked further up the trail to Smith Lake (el. 8800), which is not only strikingly beautiful but also featured fantastic fishing — Ray caught 15 fish and I caught 10, in just an hour or two of fishing. We then hiked down to Hemlock Lake (el. 8400), then back to camp, then about five miles away to Twin Lakes (el. 8000), then returned to Grouse Lake, fishing along the way. The next day we even did some geocaching, near Beauty Lake (el. 7000). All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip (if you don’t mind carrying a 50-pound backpack 1200 ft straight up)…
Here are some photos:
Ray at the Wright’s Lake trailhead
Arrival at Grouse Lake
Campsite — note stream in background
Smith Lake — el. 8800 ft
David enjoying the fantastic fishing at Smith Lake
One of David’s 10 fish (relax — we released them all)
Trail to Hemlock Lake
Ray landing a fish at Hemlock Lake
Twin Lakes
Back home to Grouse Lake at sunset
Beauty Lake — certainly a well-deserved name