Labor Day: easy drive from the Bay Area to Pinecrest Lake campground, stopping at the wonderful Hula's restaurant in Escalon for lunch. Pinecrest Lake is a nice place to get acclimated (5600'), and by early evening it was very quiet since many vacationers headed home.
Tues 9/3/24: Straightforward drive to Gianelli (fine with our Subaru Outback, but I wouldn't recommend a low-clearance car). Vika gamely accepts her pack and off we go. Camp at Y Meadow Lake, about 7 miles. Really lovely spot, no other campers.
Wed 9/4/24: We tried exploring a XC route to Leopold Lake from Y Meadow, but once we got to the ridge E of Y Meadow, we decided it would be too steep to descend into the valley, so we headed back to Y Meadow and walked on trail through Whitesides Meadow and then to Toejam Lake. We ran into just two parties at this time, and one told us that there were horse campers at Toejam, so we decided to opt for solitude and take what looked like an "almost level" XC route to Leopold. It was harder than we thought. We are both experienced (years ago we did a modified SHR trek in the Ritter-Twin Island-Blue Lake area), but we managed to drop too far down, following a dry stream bed, and then had to haul ourselves up to get over the small but not insignificant hills to meet up with unexpectedly helpful cairns that led us to Leopold. Emigrant XC can be deceptively tricky: a 40-foot contour could indicate a nasty obstacle. Leopold was beautiful, though, and we enjoyed the solitude and the amazing night sky (no moon).
Thu 9/5: We followed the cairns all the way back to Toejam, embarrassed that we had not found them yesterday, and then stayed on trail to Chewing Gum Lake. We found a spectacular site on the hills just E of the lake, with great views of the lake and the meadow and the cliffs separating this draining from Y meadow. Because Chewing Gum is close to the Crabtree TH, we did have to share the lake with one other party. Vika didn't really like that, but she behaved.
Fri 9/6: Easy hike back to Gianelli, and another great meal at Hula's.
Summary: The skies were clear (no smoke) but it was on the warm side (highs in probably the high 70s, but it felt hotter in the bright sun). Nighttime lows were 40s and 50s; I didn't bring a sleeping bag, but instead used two thin sleeping bag liners and put on a beanie and light down jacket when it cooled towards dawn and I was perfectly comfortable. We both felt the altitude, especially in the first two days (the terrain went up and down between 8600' and 9100') and I especially noticed how exerting even modest uphill hiking is for my aging legs. But I carefully used hiking poles, a no-shame low gear, the "rest step" that I learned in an Outward Bound course in 1977, and a helpful ear worm (Blondie's Heart of Glass) to keep up a rhythmic, meditative gait. It was great to be out in the wild, getting beautiful lakes to ourselves.
Luckily Vika keeps us in decent condition, and we hope to return next year and try a slightly longer trip, perhaps a shuttle between Gianelli and Crabtree. I'd love to hear more from older hikers; how they adjust their changing bodies to the pull of the wilderness.
