TR: Relief Reservoir and Lewis Lakes
Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 12:55 am
This was a short trip that I've made last weekend to check out Lewis Lakes area in Emigrant Wilderness. Originally I planned it as a day hike but then decided to get a bit of a head start by leaving the day before and spending a night somewhere near Kennedy Meadows.
The weather turned bad on Friday, Saturday was the same but on Sunday it was supposed to improve and be clear at last, so that was the best day for my hike.
I couldn't manage to leave early enough on Saturday and got to Kennedy Meadows only about 7 pm. The weather was bad all the way from Bay Area, it was raining stop and go, clouds were rolling in from Northwest. Somehow camping at the trailhead didn't appeal to me, so I decided to camp at the reservoir, get early in the morning to take some pictures and then push forward to Lewis Lakes. I put rain gear on and started hiking. It was quite calm, so rain wasn't much of a problem. I managed to get more then a half way through before it became dark enough to turn on the head lamp. At some point the rain turned to snow, so when I made it to the reservoir it was starting to look like winter came early. I found a spot for a camp, set everything up and got into my sleeping bag pronto.
The night was calm but cold. The weather improved about 11pm, the moon came out and was shining all night. Cannot say I was completely warm in my sleeping bag but it was manageable.
I've got up about 7 in the morning and was blown away with the views around me. Everything had either frost or thin layer of snow on it. The sun was rising behind a mountain above Relief Reservoir and slowly lighting up surrounding scenery. I've spent an hour running around and taking pictures in all directions.
Chilly morning
Hard hat
Wind over summit
Relief Reservoir South end
Granite Dome
Night Cap Peak
It was time to move on if I wanted to get to my destination. Still, I couldn't resist and kept stopping and taking more pictures. This was definitely worth of yesterday's wet start and cold night.
Frosty trail
Relief Reservoir dam
More frost
Finally, I made it to the place where Summit Creek joins with the creek flowing from Lewis Lakes. I left the trail, crossed to the other side and headed towards bigger Lewis Lake.
Summit Creek valley
Hiking over those flat granite slabs was not that hard, but the elevation and increased steepness started to wear me out. When I made it to the lake I was quite tired. Still, the scenery was the reward.
Lewis Lake
There were some people camping at the lake, I chatted with them, had my lunch, dried my gear and harassed brookies in the lake. They were not that big, 10-12" but quite cooperative and eager to take my lures; I've got about 5 or 6 in about half an hour. I didn't keep any still hoping to rest enough and push further to other lakes in the area. Alas, this didn't happen. After hour and a half I packed everything and tried to scramble up towards upper Lewis Lake, but felt tired and out of breath right away. I knew I could get up there I just didn't know how long it will take me. It was time to turn back.
The trip back was uneventful. The snow almost all melted, only tops of the mountains had some small patches left. It was warm and comfortable hike back to Kennedy Meadows trail head. Driving home was long and boring.
I'll probably return to this place again next year, hope to have more time to explore the area. It's definitely worth at least an overnighter.
The weather turned bad on Friday, Saturday was the same but on Sunday it was supposed to improve and be clear at last, so that was the best day for my hike.
I couldn't manage to leave early enough on Saturday and got to Kennedy Meadows only about 7 pm. The weather was bad all the way from Bay Area, it was raining stop and go, clouds were rolling in from Northwest. Somehow camping at the trailhead didn't appeal to me, so I decided to camp at the reservoir, get early in the morning to take some pictures and then push forward to Lewis Lakes. I put rain gear on and started hiking. It was quite calm, so rain wasn't much of a problem. I managed to get more then a half way through before it became dark enough to turn on the head lamp. At some point the rain turned to snow, so when I made it to the reservoir it was starting to look like winter came early. I found a spot for a camp, set everything up and got into my sleeping bag pronto.
The night was calm but cold. The weather improved about 11pm, the moon came out and was shining all night. Cannot say I was completely warm in my sleeping bag but it was manageable.
I've got up about 7 in the morning and was blown away with the views around me. Everything had either frost or thin layer of snow on it. The sun was rising behind a mountain above Relief Reservoir and slowly lighting up surrounding scenery. I've spent an hour running around and taking pictures in all directions.
Chilly morning
Hard hat
Wind over summit
Relief Reservoir South end
Granite Dome
Night Cap Peak
It was time to move on if I wanted to get to my destination. Still, I couldn't resist and kept stopping and taking more pictures. This was definitely worth of yesterday's wet start and cold night.
Frosty trail
Relief Reservoir dam
More frost
Finally, I made it to the place where Summit Creek joins with the creek flowing from Lewis Lakes. I left the trail, crossed to the other side and headed towards bigger Lewis Lake.
Summit Creek valley
Hiking over those flat granite slabs was not that hard, but the elevation and increased steepness started to wear me out. When I made it to the lake I was quite tired. Still, the scenery was the reward.
Lewis Lake
There were some people camping at the lake, I chatted with them, had my lunch, dried my gear and harassed brookies in the lake. They were not that big, 10-12" but quite cooperative and eager to take my lures; I've got about 5 or 6 in about half an hour. I didn't keep any still hoping to rest enough and push further to other lakes in the area. Alas, this didn't happen. After hour and a half I packed everything and tried to scramble up towards upper Lewis Lake, but felt tired and out of breath right away. I knew I could get up there I just didn't know how long it will take me. It was time to turn back.
The trip back was uneventful. The snow almost all melted, only tops of the mountains had some small patches left. It was warm and comfortable hike back to Kennedy Meadows trail head. Driving home was long and boring.
I'll probably return to this place again next year, hope to have more time to explore the area. It's definitely worth at least an overnighter.