The Emigrant Wilderness north of Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada’s is so named because of the emigrants that made their way through this high country in the mid-19 th century on their way to the California gold rush. Our trek, just short of 50 miles, took us mostly through the 8,000’ – 9,000’ elevation range of this wilderness. There were eleven scouts and four leaders that had the enviable privilege to hike through towering stands of Lodgepole and Western White Pine forests late summer, leaving the noise and pollution of the city in exchange for the tranquility of the mountains.
We climbed over granite steps, granite slabs polished by glacial activity, massive granite boulders and we camped at lakes bordered by granite faces, projecting into the sky. This area of the Sierras was carved out millions of years ago leaving granite polished smooth by glacial activity, deep valleys, green grassy meadows with meandering creeks and numerous crystal clear, deep blue arctic lakes. The lakes are surrounded by tall granite faces and massive boulders. The night sky did not disappoint but gave us an impressive display of the galaxies as there were no clouds.
Though it was pretty difficult, our preparation ahead of the trek paid off as we not only hiked up to eleven and a half miles in one day, the ascent into Toejam Lake on the 5 th day was over 2,000 feet. Some of our backpacks were up to 42 pounds and some of the stronger scouts were able to bear some of the extra weight for the less experienced. The trails were well maintained, and in the meadows, we traveled over deep tracks worn in the grass from years of boots passing by. The camp spots were great, in the evening, we sat around and reflected on the accomplishments of the day. Though we caught a few fish they were not on the meal plan and some thought the best meal of the trip was the chicken teriyaki. It was an amazing trip camping and so much fun to be with the other scouts, learning new skills such as map reading and water sanitation, but also having an abundance of time to swim in the lakes and try our hand at fishing.
On the 4 th day of our hike, we had a memorial learning experience. You can read about this elsewhere on the blog but valuable lessons learned, 1) never hike alone, 2) don’t leave your precious gear behind, warm clothing, communication device, water or water purification, food, fire starter, emergency kits, compass and map and 3) plan for the unexpected. We all realized this was a very serious situation and had we not stumbled upon this wilderness experienced man, the outcome could have been very different.
We were good stewards of the land and left no trace of our passing and hope to return next year.
Jack G.
