Gary-Summer: August 2, 2019 - College and Campfire Lakes

Friday, August 2, 2019

August 2, 2019 - College and Campfire Lakes

Title: August 2, 2019 - College and Campfire Lakes
Hike Info : Description : Menu : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Trail head: George Lake

Hike Info:

Type: Cross-Country Hiking

Trail: None

Destination: Kaiser Peak

Actual Destination: Campfire Lake

¹No GPS on trip. So I do not have any readings to share.

Description:

I got up about 8:10, with Sherri right behind me. I think we both must have been waiting for each other to crawl out of our bags and face the mosquitoes. It is a beautiful looking morning with no wind. So the bugs will discover us soon enough.

George Lake

Even at the late wake-up time, neither of us were moving quickly. It is after 9:00 when we had our oatmeal. then washing up and getting a day pack together takes more time.

It is about 10:30 when we take off. The plan is to go to College Lake and decide what we want to do. Kaiser Peak is an option if we feel energetic. Or possibly an easier extension to Campfire and Jewell Lakes. Or we can just come back down to camp.

Starting off, we go back the way we came in, crossing the creek. Then around to the other side of George Lake. I think I have found a use path, so we start our climb up. Sometimes we follow a use trail and then it disappears and we end up just figuring out what would be a good path up. As we go up, I wonder, can we get down this way?

Looking Northeast

You know how I was saying yesterday that my body is doing better than expected, except for being out of shape? Today I wonder about both. Doing a lot of rapid and deep breathing. Also the heart rate is up to a pretty good clip. By resting I can bring it back down.

Still I love this kind of walking. The route finding, picking my way through rocks towards a goal. Besides this way nobody knows when I am resting and when I am pondering a route. Sometimes I come across a duck which gives a clue. Other times I think we can get up that crack. Sherri is game.

Gary looking for the route

I do not usually talk about smells or sound in my blog-I guess I am much more of a visual person. But as we go up, I am starting to smell something. There is a deep minty smell filling the air as I step. Looking around, I see a leaf shaped like pennyroyal-my favorite mint. The refreshing scent will accompany us most of the day.

Unnamed Peak

College Lake comes into view. We stop for lunch a little after noon. There, we decide that Kaiser Peak is not in the cards for this trip. But resting up after lunch is enjoyable. So we decide we are up to doing another half of mile with about a 60-80’ rise to Campfire Lake. Besides it looks gentler than what we came up to get to College Lake. Once again, Sherri is game-got to love that girl. So we sort of meander up to Campfire. There is only one section which is steep and that is pretty short. Still I am huffing and puffing and ready to sit when we get to the lake. Also somewhere around College started getting a headache and it is not going away.

I am glad I remember Nat talking about it several years ago. It is a bit of eye candy. A small, quiet lake with at least one fish in it. While I did not spot any great places to lounge, it is a perfectly good Sierra lake and we are making the most of our enjoyment of it. There is still some snow on the sides and we are all alone. We sit for awhile enjoying it and getting rejuvenated.

College Lake

After staying at Campfire for about half an hour, we start back down to College Lake. The descent is not a problem. The one section which was at all steep, we circumvent. One of the things you get by going the same route as you went someplace is to see what you missed by not having eyes in the back of your head. We were treated to a section of the Sierra Crest to the east of us. Worth the price of admission to Campfire.

Far edge of Campfire Lake

Once at College we take a ten minute break before starting down. Going up, we were trying to figure out where the use trail and ducks were and where they were trying to lead us. But we have the advantage going down: we start on the use trail and can spot the ducks all the way down. So we do not have to go down any steep cracks, only try to pick out a faint trail in places. So we can enjoy the journey more and be aware of the surrounding beauty.

Campfire Lake

When we get down to George Lake, we need to go across a large slab of granite. A perfect resting place to enjoy the lake. We take a 30 minute rest across from our camp site. after a bit I see movement around our campsite. there are people here. How dare they invade our lake!

College Lake from above

We walk back to our camp, but there is a lot more people than just the couple which we saw. None seem over-friendly, neither unfriendly. Many of them are camped right in back of us, which leads to a persistent problem: where to go and relieve ourselves. I guess we will solve that problem soon.

We rest and read for a little while longer. But then we can no longer put off the inevitable. That is to make dinner. Like all of Sherri’s camp meals, the “make” is a bit misleading. She has done all of the hard work at home. So all she has to do is to measure out our portions for tonight and then boil water. Then we wait for ten minutes, and voila! A great meal. Tonight’s is a Szechuan Veggie Noodle.

But it is the after dinner entertainment which makes the evening memorable. Sherri looks across the lake and comments that she thinks someone is swimming-no biggie, but it is a bit late. Then she wonders what is swimming? After the splashing gets past the sun’s glare on the lake, there is a duck and a whole line of her ducklings. Amazing watching them paddle across the lake, over to where I have been drawing water. Once in the little shallow area, momma duck starts to bob up and down. One by one the ducklings get the idea and they are all head down, rear up. Not sure if they are actually catching anything, but it is great fun watching them.

Ducklings

We stay up for a little while longer. But the sun has gone down behind Kaiser Ridge and it is cooling down. Also it is dark enough to perform one’s personal business without being bothered by those who are camped close by. By 8:30 we are in the tent and 9:00 I have finished reading and shutting my eyes, hoping the headache goes away soon.

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal and add-ins, such as dried peaches, strawberries, nuts, granola. Tang.	Ritz Crackers, Peanut Butter, Nutella	Szechuan Veggie Noodle, lemon cookies	Clif Bar, GORP, Scratch, Coffee Candy