It is a no-brainer vacation for Gerry and me. The price is right, and the travel is minimal. (It is about a 3 hour drive to Lone Pine, and then less than an hour from Lone Pine to the wilderness parking lot.) The camaraderie is superb, the naturalists are excellent, and the scenery is spectacular!
This year, we were fortunate to have naturalists Adam Lieberg, a wildlife field biologist, and Daniel Kruth, whose focus is geology. They provided a wealth of knowledge, plus they are fun and interesting young men, and great hike leaders. In the evenings, the learning continued with presentations. I especially loved the Bear Rub video Adam shared with us. (Check out this short under-four-minutes You-Tube. You won't be disappointed!)
We didn't take much, since we have to backpack it in three miles from the parking lot to camp. We took only minimal gear. I don't mind being a bit stinky, so wearing the same hiking outfit several times is no problem for me. We do have hot showers twice while we are there, on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It gets cold at night (down into the 30s) so we did bring warm clothing, plus rain gear, and our sleeping bags. Meals are provided, so we didn't have to worry about food.
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| Arrival at camp Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm, after a 3-mile hike. |
Golden Trout Wilderness Camp is a special place. The camp is a lovely home away from home. We have our own private tent-cabin. And, there is a log cabin which serves as the dining hall, reading room, etc. Chef Marcus returned as camp chef. He upped his game this year and all the meals were quite good.
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| Our tent is the third from the left. |
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| Our log cabin and dinner hall |
Hiking every day is a pleasure. Being away from technology is also a real treat. No emails, no TV, no internet, no radio, and no politics!
I also love when we arrive back at camp in the late afternoon following a hike, and have time to hang out and relax. I usually write in my journal or read a book.
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| Gerry relaxes post-hike. Comfy! |
Wildflowers galore. Lots of purple.
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| Shooting Stars |
I might as well wear the color of the day on the next day's hike to Cottonwood Lake.
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| Gerry captures me from afar with his telephoto lens |
Beautiful vistas every day and everywhere in the Sierras.
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| So happy to be here. Who wouldn't be? |
I am not sure why, but the birds were particularly active this year. There were several expert birders in our group who shared their binoculars and their knowledge on the various species.
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| Red-breasted sapsucker. |
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| Clark's nutcracker |
The geology is fascinating, as is the poop. When you are on a hike with Adam, you spend a lot of time examining scat.
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| Pica poop |
I never tired of seeing nature's bouquet of wild flowers.
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| Common Madia |
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| Mountain heather |
Our wilderness week lasted from Sunday afternoon until Friday morning. Every day was a fun-filled adventure with a glorious hike.
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| A gentle stream, close to camp |
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| A scenic mountain lake, our destination one day |
Nothing lasts forever, and our week ended all too quickly.
But, the memories remain etched in my mind.
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| A day in paradise up at lake #5 |
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| Gerry navigates the "rock path" on the way back to camp |
To quote our former governor, Arnold Schwartzenegger, "I'll Be Back.!" You can count on it.
