This will mark the third summer in a row that I've done a short backpacking trip in the Sierra with one of my daughters. In 2017, my oldest daughter, Lara, came home from her first year at Montana State University having been bitten by the backpacking bug. We did an overnighter on the northeast side of Spaulding Reservoir on the Tahoe National Forest. Last year, my youngest, Emma, and I did an overnight trip to Island Lake (further north from Spaulding). I was indescribably happy several months ago when Emma asked where we were going this summer - Emma's a quiet kid who doesn't get too excited about much, so I knew that her asking meant she'd enjoyed last year's trip as much as I had! And so in a couple of weeks, Emma and I will head out on a 2-night trip - this time into the Granite Chief Wilderness west of Lake Tahoe. I can't wait!
I grew up car camping, and have car camped for all of my adult life. Before we were married, I introduced my wife Sami to the joys of car camping. We camped our way through Oregon to visit the veterinary schools at Oregon State and Washington State. We camped on the Oregon coast for several nights on our honeymoon. And we've camped on the west slope of the Sierra almost every year since we were married 29 years ago in August.
But I didn't do much backpacking as a kid or young man. In high school, I backpacked into the Emigrant Wilderness with a couple of buddies for a 2-night stay at Grouse Lake. Before we had kids, I went on a pack trip into Dorothy Lake in the north end of Yosemite. I didn't do another back country trip until Lara and I went in 2017. But I was hooked!
Camping has changed during my lifetime (and so have I, I suppose). When we went to the mountains 40 years ago, we saw fewer people. We saw considerably less trash, too - I've been incredibly disappointed on my last several camping trips in the Sonora Pass country. So much garbage, and so many people! While we've seen people on our backpacking trips, we've also been able to be entirely alone. Perhaps that's the value of "wilderness" that Wallace Stegner told us we needed.
As Emma and I are preparing for this year's trip, I'm also reading Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose's account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Yesterday, I went to REI in Roseville to pick up a few items for our trip - and I started reading about Meriweather Lewis' preparations for exploring the western two thirds of the North American continent. Lewis, obviously, didn't have REI (or a detailed map, for that matter). Lewis couldn't scramble to a high point during his journey where he'd be likely to have cell service. There's really no comparing the expedition and my little two-day trip.
And yet I'm realizing that part of what I'm enjoying about learning to backpack is the preparation. I enjoy thinking about what I really need for a two-night trip. Food and shelter are at the top of the list for me - clothing (after my first two recent trips) is far less important. As an increasingly old guy, I'm willing to pack a lightweight chair - I'll gladly give up extra socks and t-shirts for a comfortable seat by the campfire. In short, I'm enjoying the thought that goes into planning a trip like this!
In ten days, Emma and I are planning to hike to Whiskey Creek Sheep Camp in Granite Chief. We'll take fishing gear this year. We'll take coffee to enjoy in the mornings, and books to read in camp. We won't take much extra clothing - as my friend (and my girls' middle school science teacher) Gary Wells told me, "If the weather's crappy, just stay in your sleeping bag in your tent and play cards!" I can't wait to leave! As my friend the late Ron Arrington said, "If you're lucky enough to be in the mountains, you're lucky enough." And for me, preparing to go to the mountains is half the fun!
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