Day 3: High Country Ramble
10/8/2004: Climb out Camp Creek, South through Tallulah basin, and to Sister Lake then SmedBerg Lake.
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We exit Piute Creek up Camp Creek. Lovely forest walking becoming open granite slabs as we cross through the very head of Tallulah lakes basin. We walk the ridge for a while with views all around. To the south I see Lyal Pk. and Cathedral Mountain, both of which I climbed on my first trip to the Sierra in 1998.
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We cross a low pass and descend granite slabs to Sister Lake. It is pristine. Even though it is again only mid-afternoon we consider camping here. Smedberg lake is another 500 ft below us but the PCT runs past it and I'm afraid it will be impacted. We continue. Around to the outlet and down some steeper slopes to Smedberg. |
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We find a nice camp on granite slabs just above the lake. I dip in for a rinse off then soak my knees in the cool lake water.
Later, I walk around to the outlet. There are signs of use, more nearer the train on the far side. Just behind our granite slabs is a fire ring with firewood already laid out for us. I'm not big on camp fires but this is too convenient to pass up. We sit up well past dark and I read a Sherlock Holmes story. Next morning we dismantle the fire ring, scattering the rocks and wood bits.
There is a little too much wind up on the granite slabs so I camp just behind them and have a very peaceful night.