Why Emigrant Wilderness? I was searching for the Labor Weekend backpacking destination that was not far from home, to spend time backpacking rather than driving. My initial choices were the Ventana or Desolation Wilderness, until I found the Vicky Spring's guide with the 100 Hikes in California's Central Sierra and Coast Range, which describes 5 trips in the Emigrant Wilderness. The Emigrant Wilderness is located in the High Sierra between Hwy 108 north of Sonora and the Yosemite, the altitudes are between 8k and 10k feet, and the driving time from the valley is about 3 hrs. We went there with my daughter Isia for a 3 night backpacking trip and found a beautiful wild country with many lakes and creeks and a very few people.We left Sunnyvale at 7:30 AM on Saturday and 3 hour later were at the Summit Ranger Station in Pinecrest to pickup the wilderness permit. Next, we drove up the hwy 108 to the Kennedy Meadows and started the hike at 11:30 AM, just 4 hours after leaving home. We came back to Kennedy Meadows on Tuesday at 11:30 AM.
The itinerary:
Day 1: Kennedy Meadows to Summit Creek, about 30 min before the Sheep Camp - 8 miles
Day 2: Sheep Camp, Brown Bear Pass, and the west end of the Emigrant Lake - 11.5 miles
Day 3: Emigrant Lake to Lower Relief Valley, 20 min from the Summit Creek ford - 12.5 miles
Day 4: Lower Relief Valley to Kennedy Meadows - 7.5 miles
Total : 39.5 miles, 4460 feet of elevation gain
Initial part of the trail climbs up from the Kennedy Meadows to the Relief Reservoir. This picture shows the trail along the Relief Reservoir.
Our first night camp was at the Summit Creek, a couple of hundred yards from the trail where it starts to climb up to the Sheep Camp. It was a very secluded place with some signs of camping long time in the past. It had a view at the Relief Peak in the setting sun. I wonder what is the origin of the cave on the mountain slopes.
A sleeping caterpillar that we found near our camp site. It started to move after a photograph taken with a flash. Wikipedia says that this is the Isabella Tiger Moth larva, called Banded Woolly Bear. It was the only bear we have seen during the trip.
In the morning we hiked up to the Lunch Meadows and the Brown Bear Pass. Here are the fluorescent green algae in the Summit Creek at the Lunch Meadows. If you look closer you can see a trout standing in the water below the thick branch.
Clark's Nutcrackers were busy feeding on the pine cone seeds along the trail close to the Brown Bear Pass.
A look back at the valley that we were climbing up to the Brown Bear Pass.
A view from the Brown Bear Pass towards the Emigrant Meadow Lakes and the mountain peaks extending to Yosemite. This was my favorite part of the trip, the high alpine meadows, open space, far views, and the feeling of freedom.
A rest stop at the Middle Emigrant Lake on Sunday. From here, we walked down to the Blackbird Lake and the Emigrant Lake.
A Mountain Gartersnake in the creek crossing the trail from the Blackbird Lake to the Emigrant Lake.
Indian Paintbrush wildflowers were still in bloom along the Emigrant Lake north shore trail.
A tent with a view. Our camp on the western end of the Emigrant Lake on Sunday. After a meal we went swimming in the lake, the water was cold but manageable. There was no one else camping around, the lake was ours.
After swimming we hiked to the far end of the lake and found a dam. Without the dam the lake water level will be probably 2m lower.
Emigrant Like seen from our campsite before the sunrise on Monday morning. The colors were that great. Isia took this photo when I was still in the sleeping bag.
Deer Lake seen from the trail near the eastern shore on Monday morning.
Isia takes water to filter during our rest stop at the Deer Lake. It was a very relaxed and quiet place on the Monday morning.
From the Deer Lake to the Upper Relief Valley the trail goes through the forested hills. They were very dry and I thought that the forest will never end. But it did, and we had an excellent rest stop at the lake shore in the Upper Relief Valley.
Fall colors at the Upper Relief Valley, where we stopped to refuel before descending to the Lower Relief Valley for the night.
Duckwall Memorial on the trail from the Upper to the Lower Relief Valley. The plaque says "Wheel and Sand Plate. Part of wagon left by Duckwall party. Oct. 1853. "
The trail near the Duckwall Memorial is very rugged. I do not even know how these early settles were able to get there.
The sounds of cowbells in the Lower Relief Valley were heard from a long distance.
Ryan from Tennessee, whom we met on Sunday near the Middle Emigrant Lake and on Tuesday morning near the Summit Creek ford.
There was very few people hiking today, except for a large group of the Contra Costa Hills Club which was hiking the loop in the opposite direction to mine. 
The plaque at the top of the hill.
A view from the top of the Windy Hill towards the Black Mountain. The hills were dark gray and tired of the sun, ready for some rain.
A runner near the top end of the Hamms Gulch Trail.
A huge tree fallen across the Razorback Ridge Trail. It must have happened quite recently.
A view at the Windy Hill from the Razorback Ridge Trail.
A view of the Corte Madera Creek slowly trickling along the Alpine Road was very refreshing on this hot 90s day.
This is near the end of the trail, an old bridge from the early 1900's, not a common view in the Bay Area. The bridge leads to the Villa Lauriston property.
Posts
