High Sierra Topix

On Monday 7-12, my wife and I went for 3 nights in the Jamison Lake area of the Plumas National Forest. The weather was beautiful, the mosquitos almost non-existant and only a few day hikers encountered.
The first night we hiked in 3 miles to Jamison Lake and camped at the southern end on a bluff about 100 yards from the lake. A nice spot next to the inlet creek. We never got that close to the lake because of high water and surrounding brush.
Night two was spent at nearby Rock Lake. Very pretty but the campsite area at the south end of the lake has been visited by some very careless people, both campers and day hikers. A few fish were rising in the lake, but I couldn't tempt any of them. Rock Lake has no inlet or outlet stream.
The third night was spent a Wades Lake. Once again, pretty with a lot more fish. I was using a fly rod and managed to tempt a couple of Rainbows. There was no room to make a backcast, if I had a spinning outfit I'm sure the catch rate would have gone way up.
This was our first trip in 20+ years. It was highly successful with the only glitch being that we brought way too much food and not enough coffee and adult beverages. We're both looking forward to our next trip later this summer. All the pictures are on my wife's camera. If there are any good ones, I'll edit the post.

Bill Markwood

Nice report. I'm glad you had a good trip. That is certainly an underrated area.

Thanks for posting your TR, it sound like it was fun trip.
20 years away from backpacking is way to long!
Where are you planning to go on your next trip?
It is way cool that your wife is into it, wish my spouse was, but that is another story.

You're right, 20 years w/o backpacking is too long. But, there were kids and kids' sports and blah, blah, blah. As for the next trip, it's going to be sometime in September. We have a new grandchild due mid-August. As for the location, I'm thinking of either the "lunker loop" in Desolation or Long Lake, Fremont Lake in a semi-loop out of Leavitt Meadow. Something 3 or 4 nights not too far from Napa so that we don't spend too much time on the road. For me, planning the trip is almost as fun as going! We'll see what happens.

Bill

I know I'm posting really late on this guys, but I couldnt help myself as this was my first backpack some 35 years ago. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks.

Basically the same destinations and in the same order (Jamison, Rock, and Wade), but our starting point wasnt at the TH due to a bubonic plague warning at the Johnsville ghost town. We hiked in cross country from the Lakes Basin to the SE. I'm actaually planning on going back, but taking the main route this time!!.

Some recollections, Jamison was indeed difficult to access, but the eastern and northern shores near the inlet were OK. I recall this lake being the deepest of the three and it having some good sized brookies. In fact, we mainly got brookies with only a handful of bows out of all 3 lakes. I would think this has to do with the DFG's changes in planting of various fish. Wade was probably the most scenic, and there was an ice cold spring where water bubbled out of the rock into a pool on the west shore.

Again, thanks for the post and the memories.

Last Oct., I had my neighbor drive my pickup home after I left the Jamison mine for a few days on the PCT, since I have never bped the stretch from A-Tree to Big Creek Road by Bucks Lake. Three days and two nights, I was back home. I had left my mt bike by the PCT after it crosses Big Creek Rd. headed to Bucks Summit early the morning I started bping, then had to pick up my neighbor in town for the drive to Johnsville. I was home in 20 minutes after getting to my bike. Found some car camping spots I want to hit this summer for some Brookie fishing.