Crumb-Catchers Invade the Sierras !! (COMPLETE VERSION)
Labor Day Weekend 2007
For some time now my daughter has been asking me on a persistent basis to take her back up to the Eastern Sierras in close proximity to where we camped last year. The opportunity finally came our way and the packing began! :banana: I picked up the kids on Thursday evening and had everything loaded by noon the next day. Having a checklist to work off makes things so much easier. :wink: The kids first taste of the "Great" outdoors began last summer and they've been hooked ever since! So at 12 noon on Friday, August 31 we headed out from Chino, CA. We took the 15 north to the 395 and preceeded northbound for Bishop, CA.
:banana:
After numerous little pit-stops, we made it to Bishop by about 5 pm. We turned on Line St. and began the climb from about 4,000 feet to 9,000 feet. The airconditioner was pumping the whole way up until now. We started counting elevation signs: 5,000 ft........6,000 ft........7,000 ft etc...
At 7,000 ft the airconditioner was turned off and the windows rolled down. Awwwwh :!: The temp. was cool and the scent of pine trees and sage brush fill the air. We arrived at the last campground just before Lake Sabrina about 5:45 pm to find out it was full. :( This is where we were at last Labor Day weekend. So we drove down 168 to the North Lake turn off and headed up the mountain goat trail. Once again, all the campsites were taken. :( The sun was gettin lower and lower in the sky and the clock was ticking. I sugested that we scout the South Lake area, so back down the dusty mountain goat road we went. We begain hitting the campgrounds from the top down. Finally, we found the one! This campsite was an absolute jewel. :D There were a total of 5 sites here and ours was tucked into the bushes and trees apart from all the rest.
This picture was actually taken on the morning of our departure. We quickly started unloading the car. By this time it was about 7:15 pm and the light was disappearing rapidly. We assembled the tent and my daughter arranged the inside as I started the fire. By 8:30, the ice chest and all the food was in the bear box and we were sitting around the campfire enjoying hot chocolate and a Cup-of-Noodles. MMMM! MMMM! Good! We counted shooting stars for awhile and the kids showed me where the Big and Small Dipper were. They rememberd! The way the stars stand out up here in contrast to the black sky is amazing. :shock:
The next morning, it was up and atom. Places to go.........thi ngs to do........and animals to see! (oh! and tummies to feed!)
Yes.........I even packed the Flintstone Vitamins. :lol:
After breakfast, it was time to blaze a trail and do some exploring. The South Fork of Bishop Creek ran just below camp.
Our first obstacle was to find a way across to the other side. I told the kids its just like the game Frogger. Lol!
Once across, it was back to whacking and hacking. Blazing a trail can be some hard work but it was part of the game we were playing. After about an hour it was time to find our way back the exact way we came. I told the kids to lead the way; to look for footprints and freshly cut branches and brush. This was allot of fun :!: I made sure at the same time the kids were learning an important lesson as well. I want them to be able to find their way back if they should ever get lost during one of our outings. Having a good sense of bearings in the "Great" outdoors is essential.
Once we found our way back to camp, it was time for some lunch! We were starving. Thank goodness for the Bear Box to keep my carne asada safe and sound. MMMMM! MMMMM! Yum :!:
After filling our bellies with that delicious lunch, it was time to get down to business. I told the kids that we had to go out and catch our dinner. So the hunt was on!
South Fork of Bishop Creek
We moved to the North Fork just under Lake Sabrina because of the pressure that the creek was getting from every Tom, Dick and Harry that stopped where we were fishing. I didn't drive all the way up here to have someone fish just ten feet away. Some people have no consideration. :x
Here is a picture of our Honey Hole. :D
Fresh Fish :!:
My daughter feels very safe by the blazing fire with her Bear/Pepper Spray on her armrest
This picture was taken at the end of the day on Sunday. I felt it fit the story line better here. :) This is where we began our hike into the backcountry. We arrived at the trailhead that leads out of the back side of Lake Sabrina at about 7:30 in the morning. The weather was cool and the air had that fresh morning scent. We were off with fishing poles in hand and our day packs filled with food and water.
:banana:
Lake Sabrina (9,100 ft.)
Up the trail we go!
The first lake we came to was Blue Lake. Blue Lake is a 2.4 mile hike from the trailhead. It took us about 3 hours to get there. The switchbacks were pretty challenging and the air was getting thinner and thinner; but the hike so far was to say the least "breath-taking!"
Blue Lake (10,200 ft.)
Time to peal some layers of clothing off.
After a short break, we continued on up the mountain from Blue Lake. According to the map, we had about another mile and a half to go before we reached Baboon Lake. Thank goodness we had a trail guide to show us the way. :lol:
Approaching the 11,000 ft mark; we take some time for a group photo and do some carb loading. (Blue Lake in the backdrop)
View of Blue Lake
Daddy's Little Girl
Finally :!: After countless switchbacks and water breaks we get our first glimps of Baboon Lake. Baboon Lake is 4 miles from the trailhead at Lake Sabrina. 4 miles at these elevations is quite an accomplishment; especially for 10, 6 and 5 year olds! I am still amazed that they did so well. It looks like a real backpacking trip is just a couple of years away :!:
:banana:
Baboon Lake ( 11,000 ft +)
Just to the back of the lake on the right hand side is where we would finally hit our stopping point. It's where you see some very large boulders and a small cove below. I would guess it was at least another half mile or so back there. This would be a grand total of 4 1/2 miles + one way. This looked like a nice deep area of the lake that we could access from the shore and it was also close to the inlet. Getting back there was no easy task!
Crossing the Log Dam of Baboon Lake
Taking another break! (Whew! Easily winded)
Still making our way to the Honey Hole. :)
Everyone Ready For Some Bendo ??
Okay Crumb-Catchers........le t's see some action :!: :!:
Its a Brookie!
My little Junior gives the fish a kiss. :lol:
My 5 year old
Out of the 3 kids, my youngest was the only one who attempted the "Lip"
Duel Hook-Ups :!: :!:
The Brookies went crazy over this lure!
This is as close to Lipping as we're going to get! :lol:
All fish were safely caught and released. It was a 4 hour hike down the mountain and we didn't want to carry anymore than we had to. The total fish count for Baboon Lake was 20+ in about a two and a half hour period. The kids had a blast and so did ole Dad! :lol:
Thanks for stopping by! See ya Later......... ...... :D
The End !
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