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.

Menu

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

Extra Photo's

Sherri Climbing

A view from our route

College Lake

Gary climbing the slope to Campfire Lake

Gary looking over Campfire Lake

At Campfire Lake, looking towards Jewell Lake

Campfire Lake

College Lake

Sherri filtering water for return trip

George Lake

Add caption

Animals

Ducklings

Lizard

 
Flowers and Plants

Philox

Unknown

Fungi

August 20, 2014 - George Lake to Kaiser Peak to Huntington Lake

Title: August 20, 2014 - George Lake to Kaiser Peak to Huntington Lake

 Trail head: George Lake

Hike Info:

Type:  Backpacking

Trail: Cross-country and Kaiser Peak Loop Trail

Destination: D&F Pack Station

Distance: 6.90 miles

Start Time:  10:33am

End Time:      7:20pm

Travel Time: 8:46 (0.79 mph)

Moving Time: 6:44 (1.03 mph)

Elevation Rise: 1,347'
Elevation Descended: 3,218'

Maximum Elevation: 10,339'

Description:
What a great morning! A bit cold, but stayed in my bag way beyond my normal camp time-my bag was warm. No winds, sky is clear. Should be a great day! We sort of mosey around camp for awhile, no need to get ready until 10 or so. So packing is lethargic. We may go up to College Lake as an interim point.

George Lake from Kaiser Ridge

About 9:15 we are packed and ready to go. So we climb up a ways, about 200' towards College Lake. There Sherri waits and I go back down to George to wait for the meet up. Going up Sherri was not impressed with my route-a bit too much following cracks up the rocks. How I got down was not much better. Even did a five foot jump at one point.

College Lake

Around 10:10, the first of the meetup group arrives-Lee F, Nat and LeAnn. Richard follows shortly afterwards. Then Megan, Donna, and Jerry J follow about 15 minutes behind. Nat goes up to explore a good way to go up to College Lake. The rest of our group follow the leaders by about 45 minutes. They have just done the five mile walk Sherri and I did yesterday. I feel so smart in breaking up the hike into two days, even if I am carrying a backpack.

We start up to College Lake. Nat did find a better way than I did, but still it does not seem like it is the main way up. Checking the topo, I think we may be starting too high up-we should be looking for a branch trail below George-next time. But we all get up, maybe a bit more steeply than some would like. We pick up Sherri along the way. Then we spot what looks like a path which is somewhat used and follow this up to College Lake. It is an improvement, but only in that there is no rock clambering.

Edison Lake

We get our bearings and head south-east, sort of, along a shelf. There is a use path which we follow through some brush, over some boulders, in some dried up mud holes. But most of this is with some minor variations in height. Then we start the last of our cross-country route. We climb up fairly steeply about 120'. Most of it is along a gravelish path, but there is a few places where we struggle up some rock. Glad to get to the top and see the Kaiser Peak Loop Trail.

Jewel and Campfire Lakes

The Climb

Now it is less than 500' to the top of Kaiser Peak! How hard can that be? Well, even numbers can be deceptive. With the peak above 10,000', the trail leaves you a bit breathless. But we trudge up the trail. All of it above tree line. We enjoy the view, occasional gazing down over the ridge, saying we are admiring the view, but secretly getting our lungs back filled with oxygen. We find a couple small lakes below us: Campfire and Jewell. Nice looking. These views, and the breathers, propels us forward a bit more, until we reach the top where we are greeted by the rest of the meetup group.



 

Looking North From Kaiser Ridge

Kaiser Peak is not one of the great mountain tops of the Sierra's. But the view is one of the best. There is nothing in your eyes way from Yosemite to Kings Canyon. Ritter and Banner Peaks are the barriers as you look to Red's Meadow area. I could spend hours just identifying peaks and features. Nat helps us celebrate the occasion of making it to the top with a shot of Fireball-tastes real good up there.

Kaiser Peak

It feels real good to be up here. This was the site of an early failure of mine. Back in the summer when I was going into seventh grade, our Boy Scout troop was at Camp Ojato at Huntington Lake. We planned an over-nighter, going up to Kaiser Peak. I packed everything, including the kitchen sink, which the Boy Scout manual said to bring. I made it up to College Rock before falling asleep with my pack still on my back. The next thing I heard was my name being called. We camped in a Meadow a short ways up from College Rock. Never made it to Kaiser Peak before. So this place has held a sense of forbearance for me. Now after 45+ years, that is a memory which can be superseded by a feeling of accomplishment.

Sherri on Kaiser Ridge

But good things come to any end and we start down again. It is a long trudge now. How hard can coming down 3,000' be? I think I asked this question earlier about going up. How wearing can five more miles be on a body? Plenty! Sherri and I started at George Lake. But the rest of the meetup group needed to come in five miles and climb Potter Pass. So some of our friends are feeling a bit whooped about now. But we put one foot in front of the other and finally make it down. Nat is waiting for us and takes us to his cabin, where he and his wife treat us to a meal. A good way to end the day.





 

George Lake in the morning

George Lake in the morning

George Lake from above

 

Edison Lake

Unusual Flower

 

Against All Odds

The Witch Tree

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Oatmeal	Peanut butter and Nutella sandwich		Clif Bar, Jelly Bellies, CytoMax, Propel, GORP,

Places: CA-Campfire Lake

Campfire Lake (Kaiser Pass)   
(37.2960766, -119.1786405)

Description:
Possibly named in 1947 by Don A. LaFaunce of the DFG (SiNF) from Peter Browning's book Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt.

Trips:

• August 2, 2019 - Day hike to College and Campfire Lakes from George Lake

References:

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Pictures:

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