Last weekend I went on my first backpacking trip to the Sierras. It's technically my second visit to the region, my first being a brief 24-hour escape to Sequoia National Forest, land of overwhelmingly giant trees, small red "snow plants" and meadows full of corn lilies. It was a car-camping excursion spent overwhelmed by the height of the mountains, the clarity of the Kern River and the scenery, and the fun of escaping the smoggy air of Southern California with some out-of-town guests.
This second trip was an overnight backpack, albeit a brief one. We hiked out of Horseshoe Meadow trailhead, up to a pass, and north on the Pacific Crest Trail to Chicken Springs Lake. After a night spent acclimating at the trailhead campground, we headed out on the trail. A total lack of understory vegetation was the first thing I noticed. Giant trees cast their defined shadows on bare white rock and sand and surrounded us for the first 2 miles. A few lupines formed low silvery mounds like little area rugs here and there in the forest.
As we climbed up the pass, slowly (though we beat a small pack of boys and male adults WITH our 30 lb packs!), we began to see some more vegetation- a shrub in the oak family (name escapes me), looking a little like a small magnolia, and some more flowers popped up here and there. Totally unexpected for me, as flowers bloom in my area in the winter and late spring into early summer. The late summer is a time for senescence and seed dispersal. Nevertheless, purple sages, large yellow asters and others popped up here and there, it seemed, just to keep us from succumbing to the thin air and our eagerness to sit and rest.
The final push to the lake was tough, as my pack wasn't adjusted properly (my fault), and the chest strap was missing, so I had tied a bandana between the straps, basically putting weight on my collarbone. I was eager to take off my pack!
At the lake, the scenery was unbelievable. Thick, hardy pines dotted the rocky area surrounding the lake. Nearer to the water, a small area of meadow formed a wonderful carpet of grass, and small flowers. We spent the afternoon photographing those, pumping water and then cooking our meal at an overlook over Big Whitney Meadow.
An experience to remember, especially literally the cool weather at the moment as I go about my day-to-day research planting seeds, and remembering that it won't be 104 degrees all winter!
