School and midterms were getting us down, so Amber, Jacina (aka The Great And Wonderful Slug @cinadailey), Rachel (aka Queen of the Hedgehogs @zurcherrachel) and I needed to get out. It was Veterans Day and we wanted to go on one last backpacking trip before it snowed. After considering Mt. Whitney, Rae Lakes, and a few other places we decided a shorter trip to Woodchuck Lake was the best option given the freezing conditions. We thought we knew what we were getting into...
Saturday 11/10/18
We headed up Friday evening and spent the night in a campsite near Wishon Reservoir. Saturday morning we were up early and started the climb to Woodchuck Lake. 2 miles in we saw ice on the trail and a major creek completely frozen. It was at this time that we started to question what we were doing at 9000 ft elevation in November! Climbing up through the trees we stopped for lunch near a snow survey meadow, following the sun to keep warm. We pushed on for the last bit and were rewarded with great views of Woodchuck Lake! We ran to the sandy beach and I pulled out my fishing pole before everyone had a chance to take their packs off. First cast I pulled out a 16" Brook Trout and had some dinner! The girls went to find a campsite and in 15 minutes I had caught 3 more fish for dinner, the largest being a 18" brookie. We set up camp fast-since the sun set early this late in the year-and enjoyed time around a campfire, something I normally don't do. We cooked fish with lemon we had brought just for this occasion. We knew it was going to be cold that night when we went down to collect water and the lake had started freezing over already. We made some hot water bottles and cracked open the hand warmers I brought in anticipation to try and stay warm for the long night ahead.
Woodchuck Lake
Meet my friend Bob!
Poor Bob
Dinner!
Ice forming on Woodchuck Lake
Sunday 11/11/18
Sunday morning was cold! My thermometer said 22 when I got up, but it was near my sleeping bag and I'm sure it got colder. All our bottles were frozen and it took a bit to get our stoves going. Today's plan was to go check out Crown Lake. After eating breakfast we gathered some snacks and water and headed out. We followed the lake shore south until we met the trail going to Crown Lake. We followed it for a bit before I decided to take us on a shortcut and cut straight there. The ridge above Crown offered great views of Mt. Goddard and the Kings drainage, including Tehipite Dome. Crown Lake was peaceful, with no other visitors except for a Bald Eagle that welcomed we weary travelers. There were tons of fish at the outlet, the only problem was it was under an inch of ice. I caught and released a dozen rainbows and brookies on the northeast side but nothing bigger than the fish at Woodchuck so no bother keeping them. We lounged around for a couple hours before catching the trail back up to Crown Pass. From the pass we climbed up to the ridge east of Woodchuck before descending to the lake. I caught 3 more fish for dinner tonight. This night we decided to try fish stew. After cleaning and slicing them we boiled them in Creole seasoning and lemon. I added it to my ramen and it made for a zesty meal! More campfire chat and hot water bottles before we turned in for the night.
Looking east to Crown Lake
We cute!
Mt. Goddard (left) over Crown Lake
Dry meadow west of Crown Lake
FRIENDS!!!
Crown Lake and the Kings River drainage
Crown Lake through the trees
Cina looking towards Goddard
Monday 11/12/18
By Monday morning we were getting used to the cold. A quick breakfast and we were ready to head out. Hiking down was much easier than the 3100 ft of climbing to get here, but it didn't warm us up as much as we needed. But despite this we still dreamed of ice cream and were already making plans to go to Ampersand when we got back to Fresno. It seems like food is always on the mind when backpacking and this trip was no exception. We sang songs of vegetables and cheeseburgers...
The scenery got more and more familiar as we approached the car with its heater and seat warmers. Finally! After days of cold feet a chance to defrost as we made out way down the hill to get some ice cream.
(floating) head home
Oh sisters lets go down
Down to the river to pray
Backpacking in November is an interesting thing. The days are short, the nights cold and long, and the scenery somewhat muted. But we didn't see a single other person the whole weekend (which was probably good considering how loud and goofy us four college students were) and it was nice to cut back the miles and enjoy fishing, cooking, and campfires. This trip was full of shivering and freezing temperatures, but doing it with friends warmed us in ways that hot chocolate never could.
