Lillian Lake Backpacking Trip (July 2002)

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In July of 2002, Holly and I and a handful of Tellme Network Operations folks took a camping trip to Lillian Lake, southeast of Yosemite. It was our first backpacking trip ever, and for me, the first time I had ever even slept outdoors in a tent. The trail we took was slightly over 12 miles total, starting at about 8,000 feet and going up to 10,000 feet at the lake.

Mark Verber organized the trip, and you can read his trip journal for more general information about it. Todd put together some topographical maps. Bryan took some snazzier pictures, posted on his travel pages, starting at this set.

I figured I would forget to pack something, given that this was my first time backpacking, and sure enough, halfway on our arduous and traffic-ridden drive up, I figured out that I had forgotten my hiking boots. Whoops! Holly and I both ended up doing the entire hike over loose sand and rocks in sandals. Our feet got pretty dirty from the trail dust.

The first day hiking in was pretty arduous; it was hot and dusty and the climb was pretty steep, especially with 30 pounds of extra weight on my back. Hiking out, we did a bit faster, although going downhill on loose rock in sandals with a pack was a little nervewracking for me.

The first night we did car camping. Here's Jeff cooking veggies on his portable gas grill
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We had grilled salmon and asparagus, with white wine. It came out great
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This is the comfy Sierra Designs tent we borrowed from Mark
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A view of the forest surrounding our initial campsite
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The first night we did car camping. Here's Jeff cooking veggies on his portable gas grill We had grilled salmon and asparagus, with white wine. It came out great This is the comfy Sierra Designs tent we borrowed from Mark A view of the forest surrounding our initial campsite

Cary cooking strawberry pancakes for breakfast
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Closeup of the pancakes
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Karl with one of his trademark expressions
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Dan looking tired
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Cary cooking strawberry pancakes for breakfast Closeup of the pancakes Karl with one of his trademark expressions Dan looking tired

We took a great logging road to the trailhead, perfect for Holly's Jeep and the Stansells' big ole' baby blue Chevy truck
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The drive got pretty dusty. That's Karl's poor Solara getting bounced around in front of us
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The first part of our hike looked mostly like this, sandy trails in the open
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Holly standing on the trail a few hundred yards up the trailhead
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We took a great logging road to the trailhead, perfect for Holly's Jeep and the Stansells' big ole' baby blue Chevy truck The drive got pretty dusty. That's Karl's poor Solara getting bounced around in front of us The first part of our hike looked mostly like this, sandy trails in the open Holly standing on the trail a few hundred yards up the trailhead

Holly looking down the trail
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Bryan, Dan, Marty, Karl, and Todd chat for a bit at one of our rest stops
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Cary and Holly relaxing (check out Holly's feet!)
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Holly, Bryan, Cary, Todd, and Marty getting ready to start up again
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Holly looking down the trail Bryan, Dan, Marty, Karl, and Todd chat for a bit at one of our rest stops Cary and Holly relaxing (check out Holly's feet!) Holly, Bryan, Cary, Todd, and Marty getting ready to start up again

Along the way to the top we passed a few marshy areas
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Holly sitting on the rock where we decided to stop for lunch
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The view west from our lunch site
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The view east
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Along the way to the top we passed a few marshy areas Holly sitting on the rock where we decided to stop for lunch The view west from our lunch site The view east

Holly and Patrick trudging up the last part of the trail towards Lillian Lake
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A beautiful view towards the east where you can see the Sierras
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One of the many Staniford lakes, as we near Lillian Lake
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Wide angle view of the lake
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Holly and Patrick trudging up the last part of the trail towards Lillian Lake A beautiful view towards the east where you can see the Sierras One of the many Staniford lakes, as we near Lillian Lake Wide angle view of the lake

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I wanted to on the trip. The first day was pretty tough as none of us were acclimated to the high altitude, and I just didn't get around to taking a lot of pictures except when we were stopped. I didn't even manage to take a picture of Lillian Lake itself! And the lake is beautiful; it's surrounded by forest, has a little dam on one side, and awesome rock cliffs on the other.

All in all we had a great time and now Holly and I are looking forward to doing more backpacking this summer. After all, we are living in the best state ever for doing outdoor stuff.


Andrew Ho (andrew@zeuscat.com)