School of the Sierra: Reports from the Kids

[zwoij]

This school year my wife and I decided to home school our two older children. I asked the knowledgeable and helpful community at High Sierra Topix for help on how to make a backpacking trip an educational experience and received some great suggestions (viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14402. (There was also some heated discussion about the correct way to refer to the mountain range that forms the spine of California, which was educational in its own way). We enjoyed a wonderful trip in August. My boys have written their own reports, which I am including below as the main feature. They will be happy to read your comments.

A note: the great disappointment of the trip was realizing at the trailhead that my camera had no memory card in it. I had left it in my laptop after my last trip a week earlier. They joked about capturing pictures by placing their thumb in front of their eye and saying, “ch-chick.” The disappointment was real, though. The lack of a camera not only meant we can’t share photos of a fantastic trip, it meant we couldn’t snap photos of flowers and foliage we wanted to look up later.

Many thanks to those who gave their suggestions on how to make the trip educational. My first goal was for my kids to love backpacking. Success! The second goal was for it to be educational. Again, success, although there is always so much more to learn.

Here is a partial list of what they learned:
• Backpacking in general. What to pack, how to choose a campsite, what food to bring.
• Route finding. How to read a map, how to choose a cross country route based on the map and what one observes. They were great at this –
sometimes better than me, as you will see from their reports.
• Fish. They researched what fish they would find in the Sierra and how to identify them. And then they caught a bunch (all brook trout),
doing well with a spin rod and my new Tenkara fly rod. A man at Pear Lake saw them catch so many he came over to say, “Trout slayers!
What are you guys using?” This time I made them help clean the fish, a task that one of them found fascinating and one found disgusting.
• Animals. We saw and identified deer, marmots, pikas, chipmunks, and grouse. We also saw bear scat and heard a coyote. Through reading
One Day On Beetle Rock during and after the trip they learned about the habits and personality of nine species of the Sierra.
• History. After the trip we read some chapters of The Wild Muir, a delightful collection of John Muir’s joyful scrapes with danger and death.
• Geology. I have a very limited understanding of geology, but we discussed the formation of the landscape through the forces of tectonic
plates and magma, glaciers and ice, and water and erosion. They observed glacial polish that left rock surfaces smooth enough to make a
nice kitchen counter.
• Topology. They can talk about ridges, peaks, valleys, canyons, meadows, and even moraines. Elementary knowledge for any mountaineer,
but I wonder how many of their peers even know the vocabulary.


Here you go, the reports from my 10 and 12 year old boys. It's all in their words from here on out.


Packbacking

Our backpacking trip started at 5 in the morning. We drove a long time until we got to the trailhead. There we got our permits to hike the trail to Pear Lake. It took us a while to get to Pear Lake but it was worth it. We hiked through trees and saw lots of chipmunks. Once we even saw a marmot on the trail! We walked along the Watchtower trail and when we got there we looked over the edge. It was a huge drop off that went down really far. Afterwards we got to the second lake and stopped for lunch. After hiking another mile, we got to Pear Lake went fishing. We caught some fish there and then went to cook it. But while we ate dinner I started getting leg cramps and felt really bad.

The next morning, I was feeling tons better, so we decided to continue on our backpacking journey. We went off trailing, following a dry creek. That was really fun because there was no trail to follow, and you could make your own path. Once we found a fallen down tree that had what we think was wild celery growing out of it. We walked through Table Meadows, which was beautiful. Then we climbed up a ridge, had a big discussion about where to go, and then continued on. Surprisingly a small lake on the ridge turned out to be the huge Moose Lake we were looking for. We set up camp and had a good time fishing and swimming until dinner. Dinner was tacos. Tacos made of refried instant beans, and instant rice.

The next day was not the most fun. We hiked along the ridge again back to the Kings Kaweah Divide. That took us a while and we didn’t get to see Big Bird Lake like planned, but we did get to see a great view of half of the Sierra. Then we went back to Moose lake so we could fish. We tried to get 15 fish because that is the limit but we only got 12 fish, which were brook trout. Then we continued to Alta Meadows where we would spend our last night of backpacking. It was a longer hike than my dad thought, and we were getting tired. Isaac kept muttering something about his prickly clothes. When we finally got to Alta Meadows, we were looking around for a good campsite and we found a perfect flat and sandy campsite with a trail leading from it. That night we ate dinner and then went to bed to get ready for our last day of backpacking.

The last day we got up bright and early and set off immediately. That was our fastest day. We hiked 6 miles in 2 hours. While we walked through the forest I saw all the green trees and thought: this is my favorite spot. On the way we met a few groups of people, one of which was hiking with a radio and listening to music. We continued on our way through streams with tons of bees swarming around them. Finally we got to the trail head and got into the car. When we got to Fresno we went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which is the best restaurant ever. Finally we got home and our first, most fun, backpacking trip was over.



Adventures in Backpacking

Our four-day backpacking trip began with a two-hour drive into the mountains at 5:00 in the morning to be able to get a permit before they ran out. After getting a permit we shouldered our packs and went on our way.

Since my pack was only about ten pounds I wasn’t having any difficulties especially because we didn’t have very far to go that day. We had decided to camp at Pear Lake the first night which was only about 6 miles from the trailhead. It took us most of the day because of stops at the previous lakes.

At Heather Lake we rested, swam, ate and fished. I caught the first fish of the day there. The fish at the lakes in the Sierra are so hungry I don’t think the type of lure really matters, but I got the best luck with a Kastmaster, which is usually a silver lure that looks like a little fish. After that we continued on refreshed, having jumped into the lake.

We had taken a detour kind of trail that was one tenth of a mile longer that passed by what they call the watchtower. We laughed about how one of my dad’s friends talks about how sights like that make your butt pucker, which isn’t exactly how I would describe it. The reason for that is because it has an edge that drops almost straight down into Tokopah Valley. There is also a sort of narrow outcropping that daring people go on. The reason for all that and why people go there is the view. Not only can you see way down but also up and around. The view is pretty cool and impressive. None of us went on the narrow outcropping. We could see perfectly fine without doing that and my dad gets a bit worried by that kind of thing. After that short little break at the watchtower we continued on.

At just after noon we arrived at the second lake, Emerald. There we ate lunch and tried fishing without any luck. Finally, we continued on to Pear Lake. The last stretch was only about a mile but it was a little difficult because there were hardly any trees so we were quite hot and we had been hiking for a lot of the day. So we were glad when we saw Pear Lake around the bend. As soon as our site was settled and we had unpacked the things we needed we all went fishing. We all had some luck, catching a good number, but keeping only three of them. That made a total of four fish that became part of our dinner. My favorite meal of the trip was undoubtedly the first. It consisted of macaroni with sausage, parmesan, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. After a long day of hiking it tasted amazing. But, the last part of the day was clouded because Peter got cramps in his legs and had a very stuffed up nose. He was miserable for quite a while until my dad decided to put up the tent. After just a couple minutes in the tent my miserable brother fell asleep, which is truly astounding for him. Shortly after Peter went in the tent, my dad and I did the same but first we finished cleaning up and looked at the stars. I also fell asleep fairly quickly being pretty tired after hiking all day. I fell asleep awaiting the next day, hopefully prepared for what was to come.

When I awoke the next morning there was a fair amount of hustle and bustle so we could get on our way to Moose Lake. Luckily Peter now felt better and was happy to continue. Even though we didn’t wake up very late and we didn’t have that much to pack we still got a pretty late start.

We crossed over a low point in a semi ridge and got into Table Meadows which still had some trees and some foliage because of a creek that ran through it, though at that point it was dry except for a couple pools. At the end of Table Meadows there was a steep ridge that we had to get to the top of. We didn’t have any trouble but it sure required some work to get to the top. Once we got to the top we took a rest and tried to figure out where exactly Moose Lake was. My dad eventually took out the compass to make sure what we thought was Moose Lake actually was. When my dad took it out and brought it over we realized it was broken! It was kind of annoying because now if we ended up needing a compass we wouldn’t be able to and we still weren’t sure where Moose Lake was. My dad and Peter thought it was down a little drainage and that we couldn’t see it. After consulting the map AGAIN I kept pointing out how it couldn’t be there because the map said it was on a ridge and that the elevation was higher than what the drainage height was. Eventually my dad and Peter realized that what I had said was correct and that Moose Lake was on a Ridge to our right and that we could see a little bit of Moose Lake. After some traversing across the ridge and then climbing over it we arrived at Moose Lake.

It was AMAZING. It was also very big compared to the other lakes we had seen. The water was clear, crystal blue. I absolutely loved it. We descended down the ridge to the lake all the while admiring the lake and the scenery behind it even though it was hazy because of fires. As soon as we had found a place to camp we all took a dip in the clear cool water. It felt amazing. Then we went around the Lake on a walk for a ways fishing all the while. Then we headed back to the big peninsula that had become our campsite. There my dad prepared our dinner, “tacos”. It consisted of instant refried beans, instant rice, cotija cheese and of course tortillas. It wasn’t amazing but it was a fine meal, although it was very salty. We also ate the fish we had caught just then. After dinner we read a book called One Day on Beetle Rock about the lives of animals that live in the Sierra for a while and then drifted off to sleep, this time without the tent because the previous night hadn’t been very cold. We also wanted to be able to see the stars while falling asleep and maybe see some shooting stars.

The next morning, we packed everything up and put it on a rock that was in the water so the marmots couldn’t get to them. Then we grabbed a couple of fruit and nut bars to eat while we climbed towards The Kings Kaweah Divide. My dad was making us go the five miles there and back because he insisted there was an excellent view and that you could see a huge portion of the Sierra Nevada. So we headed there pack-less except for my dad who had a couple snacks.

On the way we saw lots of little ponds and a few Krumholtz (I learned that weird name from my dad, it means a tree that has a stunted growth because of the altitude). We also saw quite a few FAT marmots and a pika (learned about that from my dad too) or two. After finally getting to the divide we saw an okay view but it wasn’t all that great because it was so hazy. It was still pretty amazing and we could see plenty of mountains, though. Then my dad wanted to hike farther to get a look at a lake that was supposed to be in that area but since Peter and I really didn’t feel like it my dad decided it was better not to go.

When we got back from the hike to the divide we prepared our rods. We were going fishing. This time though we were going to hopefully catch 10-15 fish and bring them home. I had a great time fishing. I caught a few big fish compared to the size the fish in the lakes usually are. I also caught the majority of the fish we brought home. I caught a total of seven out of the twelve fish that we kept. Peter wasn’t very lucky and only caught two fish. My dad caught three but he also didn’t fish as much as me or Peter because we had only brought two rods. After all the fishing we had done at all the lakes we only caught brook trout which I think are undoubtedly the prettiest trout. After spending around two hours catching fish we then had the task of gutting and cleaning all the fish. I don’t particularly like gutting and cleaning fish. I think it’s pretty disgusting ripping out all sorts of things like the stomach and heart. My dad and brother were gracious in letting me do the cleaning and them cutting and gutting them. We then got our packs and headed down the other side of the lake towards Alta Meadows. I thought it was pretty cool when two men got to Moose Lake right as we were leaving. We never got to talk to them but it was still cool to see people while we were off trail. The nearest trails were the ones from Alta meadows and Pear Lake.

Going down the lake on the other side was nice because it was super windy. Somebody had built a little stone shelter to protect against the wind that swept up the valley below Moose Lake. We descended down another ridge and we got back down to the tree line. Right about there is where I think I saw a weasel. My dad and brother had climbed over it without noticing it, but when I passed over it scurried away through the little bit of brush that was there.

After getting over the ridge we then we had the task of getting to Alta Meadows. I saw a big meadow a ways off and told my dad that I thought that was it. My dad doubted it though, saying that the elevation was too high and that it was also too far away.
So then we headed down looking for a kind of use trail. We found a couple little meadows, none of them the being the right one. I was starting to hurt in my legs especially after hiking five miles earlier that day. Also what I think was one of my tendons in my foot was also hurting, making it uncomfortable to walk. But still, we trudged on.

One thing that didn’t lift my hopes up but it did put me in a better mood was an antler! A real live antler! My dad wouldn’t let me take it home because he wasn’t sure if it that would be the right thing to do. After that information my mood quickly reverted back to being abysmal.

I was getting pretty annoyed, what with being tired and hurting. We finally found something that could have been it. I was desperately hoping that it was. We climbed a very steep stretch of ground to get to a flattish meadow. I was disappointed to find nothing that looked like people had been there. While Peter and I rested in the shade my dad consulted the map. When he got back he said he was almost positive we were in the meadow but since it was so big he didn’t know exactly where the place where people camped was or the trail that led back to the trailhead we started at.

I was almost positive it was the meadow I had seen from the top of the ridge and my dad started to believe me. So at least we had probably found the meadow but we still couldn’t settle down. We went downhill a ways, my dad thinking that the trail would be that way and with it probably a good place to put up the tent. We finally found a sort of flattish sandy area that sloped down a little bit but had obviously been camped on. We also discovered a little use trail that hopefully led to the real trail. My dad and brother went along the path a ways to look for water and make sure the trail led somewhere. I stayed to rest and also to watch the packs. It was getting fairly late because we had had some trouble and because we had a late start so when my dad and brother got back we immediately took out the sleeping bags and pads while my dad made dinner.

Right before we ate dinner and after we kept on hearing what Peter and I thought for a while was people. But after saying hello and only getting noises back we were then convinced that it was just some birds or other animals.

We didn’t have much to do besides eat and then sleep so we did just that. We didn’t have any time to spare either. I was eager to get to sleep because I wanted to get up early and book it out of there. We still had six miles to go the next day and I wanted to get to the trailhead in about two hours so that meant we had to book it. It meant three miles an hour the whole while. I was hoping it wouldn’t be too arduous especially since it was downhill. After reading a little bit of a book about beetle rock which was in the Sierra not far away we all drifted off to sleep, me at least eagerly awaiting the next day. I was excited to see my family even though in total the trip had been great so far.

All of us woke up fairly early in the morning. Like the day before we didn’t make breakfast. We just packed up and grabbed a few bars for fuel. We went along the use trail for a while. We had a bit of trouble finding the actual trail because the use trail disappeared in certain places but my dad luckily spotted it and we were able to get on our way without too much delay. As soon as we were on the trail we immediately started chasing down the goal of getting to the trailhead as fast as possible.

But because my dad had a little bit of a problem in his hamstring we had to slow it down a little bit because he said that the thing that hurt it the most was hustling down a track. We still made good time basically speed walking down a sloped hill under the shade of trees. Peter said that was one of his most enjoyable parts. As we continued we saw some people down the trail about three miles still camped and obviously not in any hurry unlike us. We weren’t exactly in a hurry, just eager to get home. As we continued down towards Wolverton, the trailhead, we saw plenty of people coming up including a trail crew that was rerouting a trail that kept getting washed out. The leader of the crew told us that sometimes he and his crew were dropped out 30 miles from any trailhead by helicopter for the whole summer. I thought that sounded pretty cool but my dad thought that you had to be the right person for the job otherwise it would be miserable. We were slowed a little bit towards the end because so many people were day hiking or backpacking and most people are friendly and occasionally they stop and talk. But we still made good time and took a little over two hours. That means we were actually going about three miles an hour for the whole time. We returned the very heavy bear canister that my dad had had to lug around the entire trip. Then we were able to get on our way.

My dad decided we could stop for lunch on the way home so we immediately wanted to stop at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. But we didn’t know if there was one in Fresno and since there was no cell service and since Fresno was two hours we had no way to find out. We were all hungry but we all waited for the two thousand calorie treat that awaited us. When we finally got cell service we immediately looked it up and found that there was actually a Five Guys in Fresno. We were happy but we still couldn’t wait to get home. When we got our meal at Five Guys we wolfed it down partly being very hungry and because we still had to get home. Then full and having gained 2000 calories each we continued our ride home.

I really enjoyed backpacking but I kind of missed my family after a while. I was really glad my dad took me on that trip. I hope once I’m older he’ll take me to his favorite lake on Picket Creek. (The first attempt is reported here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=14371 and the successful second trip is here viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15227). So until next time, sayonara.

Special Thanks to @AwesomeDad and @AwesomeMom for help with production and editing.


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[Shhsgirl]

Great TR's! I also homeschooled our four for a few years, but never had the courage to take them backpacking. Enjoy these years. They go by too quickly!

[zacjust32]

I love the perspective of your boys' writing. It's so youthful in the way they describe seemingly insignificant details that stuck in their minds. I think Isaac got a little frustrated when you wouldn't listen to him, so maybe he should lead the expedition next time. Looking forward to more reports from these guys as you keep involving them in the Sierra and other outings. (maybe desert this winter? test your geology knowledge )

[zwoij]

I love the perspective of your boys' writing. It's so youthful in the way they describe seemingly insignificant details that stuck in their minds. I think Isaac got a little frustrated when you wouldn't listen to him, so maybe he should lead the expedition next time. Looking forward to more reports from these guys as you keep involving them in the Sierra and other outings. (maybe desert this winter? test your geology knowledge )

Thanks! I do look forward to the day when they plan the trip and take me along. Future trips in the Sierra will become scarce, as we are about to move to Belgium. We will be within striking distance of the Alps! And we'll be back to visit family enough to get in occasional trips in the Sierra.

I didn't mention in the report how joyful it was to take my boys backpacking. Walking along the ridge from the Kings-Kaweah Divide back to Moose Lake I was suddenly pierced with such intense joy I couldn't put it into words. I was so grateful to enjoy such beauty with my kids. The only thing that would have made it better would be to share it with my wife and two other kids. Someday...

[Jimr]

Bravo!

[mangomegan]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

Our kids (10 and 7) are also homeschooled, and have three backpacking trips in the Sierra under their belts now. We always enjoy ID-ing plants and birds while out. Thanks for the other ideas!

Backpacking with kids someday was a dream of mine for so many years...long before having kids. When my husband suffered a traumatic skiing injury that cost him a leg, I figured my dream had ground to a halt. I had a very hard time accepting this reality. Thankfully, my husband is superhuman, and is able to get out again now. It's not easy--in fact, is a challenge for all of us, as it's hard to see him struggle. BUT, we get out there, and it's amazing. What touched me most on our last trip was the reaction from other (mostly older) folks as they came upon us on the trail--so much admiration and praise and encouragement--it brought me to tears.

Anyway, didn't mean to hijack this thread! Really appreciated your posting.

[zwoij]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

Our kids (10 and 7) are also homeschooled, and have three backpacking trips in the Sierra under their belts now. We always enjoy ID-ing plants and birds while out. Thanks for the other ideas!

Backpacking with kids someday was a dream of mine for so many years...long before having kids. When my husband suffered a traumatic skiing injury that cost him a leg, I figured my dream had ground to a halt. I had a very hard time accepting this reality. Thankfully, my husband is superhuman, and is able to get out again now. It's not easy--in fact, is a challenge for all of us, as it's hard to see him struggle. BUT, we get out there, and it's amazing. What touched me most on our last trip was the reaction from other (mostly older) folks as they came upon us on the trail--so much admiration and praise and encouragement--it brought me to tears.

Anyway, didn't mean to hijack this thread! Really appreciated your posting.

Not hijacking at all. I resonate with your tragedy and being moved by the kindness of others. We just found out that the younger son has cancer. After the initial shock and grief and fear (and there was a lot of danger), we are now more hopeful because we have found out it is very treatable. I was asking him some questions about our trip yesterday: how did you feel when we were on the rim above Table Meadows? How about when we were walking through the trees below Alta Meadow? Good memories and good hopes for the future. And we have been so grateful for the hundreds of people who have told us they are praying and have offered all kinds of help.

On another note, what do you use for identifying plants and animals?

[Cross Country]

I was a teacher and enjoyed learning just for it's own sake. For example I have a degree in economics and what I know I don't really apply to anything I do but I just like to know It and others things too.
When it came to activities I always wanted to learn just enough to get as good at it as I could to enjoy the activity (doing it). I got as good as I could to enjoy skiing, softball, surfing, and other activities. I enjoyed backpacking and exploring a great deal. I only lure fished because after trying fly fishing, that all that effort resulted in no better fishing (may just because of my own limitations).
Therefore I don't know plant names, understand much about rock formations nor much of anything else either. Reading a topo at expert level was for me. It had GREAT (for me) practicle application.

[rlown]

On another note, what do you use for identifying plants and animals?

HST has an extensive "library" of reference books for this such as:

A Sierra Nevada Flora

and,

Wild Food Plants of the Sierra

Pretty sure you can do a google search on things like Sierra Flora Plants Identification and get some good hits as well. Ditto on the animals.

Yes, I own both books and a couple others and they're helpful. TehipiteTom could probably tell you what is what off the top of his head, if you have pics.

[bbayley80]

great report! very cool to hear it from the boys point of view..really cool.

we have a young boy of our own-just about 2- and i cant wait to expose him to the wonders of the Sierra!
thanks for sharing-and wishing your youngest a complete and speedy recovery!! hope he will be out there soon slayin' those trout.