We started at the Crabtree trailhead (upper right above), and went in 20 miles (12 by horse) as indicated by the red line above.We stopped by 9-10 lakes during the course of our six day journey. Green is our return.
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8/9/98, Sunday: Four of us (my 25 year old son, David, a neighbor Jeff, and his friend Dave and me) drove From Redwood City, CA.to Miwuk Village, out of Twain Harte, which is north of Sonora, on Hwy.108. Stopped at Diamond Jim's for dinner, and spent the night at a nearby Motel, having a good meal and night's rest before our early morning ordeal, and week long adventure.<top of page> (back to jobar's homepage) |
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8/10/98, Monday: Had breakfast, and left for Citernella's where we were fitted for horses. Wilderness permits not given out there as in the past, so we sent Jeff out to get them. Then we drove ahead to Crabtree trailhead to meet the horses there. Spent 5-6 hours in the saddle, making it to mosquito infested Wood Lake where we camped the night. No fish were seen jumping. |
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8/11/98, Tuesday: Hiked (on foot now) to Cow Meadow Lake, where the trout seemed plentiful, but where we only rested for lunch before we continued on to climb 600 feet to Lake Latorra. This was the most picturesque lake we encountered, the swimming and fishing was good. And we didn't even take the best campsite which was further down the lake. We were the only people on the lake, thanks to the kind scoutmaster who moved his troop over to nearby Douglas Lake which wasn't much in comparison. Trout for dinner, but not easily caught (on power bait or salmon eggs) because of abundant mosquitoes. But we didn't spend much time fishing either. We were expecting better at the next stop. |
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8/12/98, Wednesday: Make our way to the north end (source) of Huckleberry Lake. There we met a cook for a horse camp where people packed in and were fed like kings. Jeff and Dave visited the campsite of a local who along with three friends had 14 mules pack in all sorts of exotic food, wine, and even extra chair (for guests, what else). They were there for 2 weeks, packing in from Kennedy Meadows, 20 miles to the north. I was able to wade 75 yards in the lake, the water was so warm, and yet there were still trout jumping all around me. Couldn't catch much on bait, and our expert friend said the fish hadn't been biting that day. Jeff caught a 15 incher, the mosquitoes subsided, and we had a pleasant night stargazing. |
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8/13/89, Thursday: Now that we were 20 miles in the wilderness, we planned to take three days to go out, visiting many more lakes but taking the routes with the least amount of climbing. The hike out of Huckleberry was the most brutal, but we made it in about 45 minutes. Retraced our route through Lake Latorra where we took a refreshing swim. Then down 600 feet of switchbacks to Cow Meadow Lake where we stopped for lunch. Crossed the creek, and started crosscountry to find our destination Yellowhammer Lake. Cherry Creek meadow was breathtaking, though the mosquitoes prompted us onward. |
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Up the side of a mountain we went, trusting the compass reading of two paramedics and my son the Eagle scout. A storm seemed to be coming in, but we seemed so close. No lake to be found, but near the top of the mountain the rains came. We covered our packs with plastic garbage bags, put on our ponchos, and sat low in the rain hoping not to attract notice of lightning bolts. David played his flute, but I was concerned at having to cut the trip short and follow Cherry Creek to Cherry Lake and get a ride up to our vehicles. Just as quick, the storm stopped, and we found spotted a cabin which was built in 1922, and was marked as Yellowhammer Lake. Jeff tricked us to camp on the lake, but it was pretty still. |
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8/14/98, Friday: After taking a compass reading and consulting our topo, we headed out again crosscountry, this time foraging our trail over a sheet slab of granite for about 2 miles until we reached Big Lakes. There we swam and ate lunch, and watched some fisherman, and some lady who was bathing with her dog and disturbing the quiet of the wilderness with her endless conversations with the reluctant canine. After the break we started climbing up the wash and gained 320 feet in elevation where we filled our canteens with snow, and started our descent to Pinegress Lake, where Jeff and David went for a swim. Then off again cross country to Rosasco Lake with a storm on our heels. Just made it when hail a centimeter in diameter pelted us, and we shared the only campsite with a father and son team, Rich and Eric. It rained for two hours, and David and I napped in our tent while Jeff and Dave hiked around the lake. |
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8/15/98, Saturday: This 10 mile hike out was the longest, but our packs were lighter, and we in better condition. We descended hundreds of feet to Cherry Creek in about 30 minutes, passed the remains of a dead horse, and crossed and rested at the bottom of the gorge. Uphill a ways, and then level hiking to Lake Grouse, which we just passed. A two mile hike uphill and down to where we began the trip. We poured water over ourselves in the parking lot, and then head out to Margaritas for dinner on the highway, exhausted but glad to be back in civilization. From there Jeff and Dave headed to Moraga, and David and I went back to our home in Redwood City, fulfilled and happy with our trip. <top of page> (back to jobar's homepage) |