7/5: Kennedy Meadows to Relief Creek crossing
The trail was beautiful with magnificent views of the mighty river and creeks cascading through the canyon. At one point in the climb, you are hiking next to a granite wall and the river is roaring on your other side. The echo off of the granite was incredible and it sounded like you had two rivers flowing on either side. Pretty awesome phenomenon. The forest is beautiful with Juniper, Aspens and mixed conifers.
7/6: Relief Creek crossing to Wire lakes
Magnificent Red Fir and mixed conifer forest. There are wonderful views of the gorgeous lava formations along side of the granite mountains. Lower and Upper Relief Valleys were a wonderland of flowers blooming in all shapes and colors!! Just spectacular and absolutely the highlight of the day.
- Looking back at Relief Creek
- Relief Creek.jpg (67.84 KiB) Viewed 130 times
- Lillies.jpg (76.66 KiB) Viewed 130 times
- The first of many wildflower displays
- Emigrant wildflowers.jpg (104.14 KiB) Viewed 130 times
- Lower Relief Valley
- Lower relief Valley.jpg (44.38 KiB) Viewed 130 times
- Upper Relief Valley
- Upper Relief Valley.jpg (70.42 KiB) Viewed 130 times
Got to lovely Buck Lake by lunch time and explored around all of the peninsulas and swam and played in the lake. The water was warm and flowers blooming here as well!
7/8: Layover day - hiked round trip to Emigrant lake
Buck Meadow was beautiful with multiple shades of green grasses, trees and willows. Hiking up to Emigrant was through a very pretty conifer forest (I think Hemlocks). Emigrant lake was also bursting with flowers and was quite gorgeous. It was extremely hot, I would estimate around 80 degrees. That night, the highs were in the upper 50's and I couldn't even get into my sleeping bag. The heat wave was on! I had gotten pretty dismal mosquito reports about the area around Saucer Meadow so I decided to make this an out and back hike, not the originally intended loop. Buck lake was truly a safe haven! Now I had the added problem of the heat. I decided to make a very early departure the next day and hike back to the first night's campsite at the Relief Creek crossing.
7/9 Buck Lake to Relief Creek crossing
My plan worked and we got all of the elevation gain done by 11:00am. We were around, if not over 80 degrees. We once again admired the lovely conifer forest on the way to Salt Lick Meadow and stopped to watch some small, bright yellow birds flitting in the trees. Enjoyed the walk through Upper and Lower Relief Valleys and made it to Relief Creek in plenty of time to explore around and play in the creek.
7/10 Relief Creek to Kennedy Meadows
HOT!!! Thinking that it was a short, easy hike back, I dawdled around camp and left late. Met some hikers by Grouse Creek and talked for a time. There were LOTS of youth groups packing in, I would estimate a total of about 50 kids. What a mistake it was to go so slowly and start so late- That last couple miles, exposed on the road, were a killer, of heat. I worried about my dog and kept dousing her with water. The ground was so hot that I had to booty her feet but that prevented cooling through her feet. Every time we got near a tree, we would stop just to let her cool down a bit. At one point, she actually threw up and I was concerned for her. Anyway, we made it safe and sound.
All in all a wonderful trip despite the heat and the mosquitos.
