Chewing Gum Lake

Olivia and I met up with our friends Thijs and Anna for a one night backpack trip in the Sierras. We met early Saturday morning in the town of Pinecrest, California, a mere three hours east of San Francisco. Our hike was fun...and grueling. We'd both forgotten how hard it is to carry a heavy load up a mountain, at a high elevation, with little preparation. We brought enough food for eight people and enough clothes to survive a blizzard for a week. So we were well fed, and warm, as we managed to have absolutely perfect weather.

Here are a few photos of our adventure.

Our friends are much lighter packers than we are:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

However, we can find inner peace purifying water on Chewing Gum Lake:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Down coats and Cabernet can make even the chilliest October evening bearable:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Crystal-clear Autumn mornings in the Sierras make the hike worth it:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Our camp on Chewing Gum Lake:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Thijs looks for the best route down:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Resting:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Peeking:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

Our cross-country route got a little extreme:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

We enjoyed the fall colors:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip

All in all, it was a great adventure:

From Fall 2008 Sierra Backpack Trip