Like most all our overnight treks we planned this trip for weeks. You just don't want to be in the middle of nowhere without your toilet paper and shovel on your birthday, ya know? Anyhow after a 3 hour drive from Oakland, all went without a hitch and we started our trip at Ginelli Cabin trail head We like Emigrant Wilderness because it is relatively close, allows dogs and fresh water is everywhere to be found. And it doesn't wear you out just to get there.

On this trip we were joined by our dog loving neighbors, Marco and Jamie Scanu. And of course their dog Lucca.We started hiking at ~1:30. Our start probably should have been earlier since we had intended to make it to Toe Jam Lake. Instead we ended up at Y Meadow Lake. It turned out to ideal. As you can see our site was right by edge of the lake and the nightly cool breeze kept the mosquitos away. Looking back, our tent was too close to the lake, but this site had seen steady use and no new campsite was needed. At night we sat by the fire and Marco, our resident space expert, told us a great deal about stars and planets. We spotted a few bright satellites too.

On our 2nd day we did a hike sans backpacks. It was nice to travel light and be able to go farther without much more effort. But both the dogs injured their pads due the hot sand. We didn't realize it until after finishing the hike when they both refused to walk that night. Although I feared that the dogs would be unable to go, the next day all was much improved. We easily made it back to the car after a 4 hour hike. Luca and Gretta, "the girls", were tired troopers but never complained! Next time we will be more careful.

Historical notes- Much of the our route was that of the early emigrants. In fact in 1841, after abandoning their wagons and having their horses stolen by Indians, the Bartle-Bidwell group was likely the first emigrant group to cross the Emigrant Wilderness. In all about 485 persons, 135 wagons and 300 cattle under took this arduous Emigrant pass route between 1851 and 1853. At times these groups took weeks to cover one mile. It is hard to imagine how this gold rush could lure so many people into such a difficult trek.

Logistics and details for the trip- With exception to Marco's monster pack, our packs with water weighed about 30 pounds. Our comfortable limit was 6-7 miles, 1000 feet gain and 4 hours of hiking. Doesn't seem like much but don't forget that the trailhead and much of our hiking was at an elevation above 8000 feet. Without the weight we were comfortable with 30-40% more mileage and gain. Plenty of fresh water all around and easy to find firewood too. Still we used a full propane canister. Although we were lucky and it was too hot, August normally isn't the best time due to heat. September is the better time but you might not get the flowers. Although it tasted great, I don't recommend Indian food at altitude, most of us had bad gas or worse. Next time we will bring pasta instead of the freeze dried stuff too. One last thing- Don't go to Crabtree trail head if possible. We drove passed this trailhead on the way home and were surprised how many cars were parked there on a weekday.

Side note- we stopped to help a group that needed some moleskin for their blisters. Stef being the organized German had everything needed to help. We spoke more and found that we could help them create a more interesting route by moving their car to crabtree trailhead. We did this and it all worked like a charm. A week later we got a gift certiicate for REI (a great outdoor store) from those guys! That money will go towards Stef's much needed next pair of hiking boots. Good story huh?