Location: Stanislaus National Forest – Yosemite NP and Emigrant Wilderness
Trailhead: Cherry Lake
Destination: Kibbie Lake
Weather:High-50s, Low-30s, Brief showers early Saturday morning
Distance: 22 miles round trip
James, Chris and I met at a Henry Coe GGG a few years back and have done a few trips together since then. This past weekend we got together for an early season trip to stretch our legs. Our plan was to take off from Cherry Lake and head towards Many Island Lake cross-country via Kibbie Lake. This time of year, the road over the dam is closed and so we had to add about four miles to our trip by starting at Cherry Lake rather than the Shingle Springs Trailhead. We hit the trail around 11:00 and it felt like slow progress climbing higher and higher until finally we were out of sight of Cherry Lake. We stopped for lunch a little after 1:00 after passing the Styx Pass trail junction on the way towards Kibbbe Lake. I think we all felt a little sluggish from getting up early and the work week that preceded our outing.
By the time we arrived at Kibbie Lake, it started to get late in the day and our pace had significantly slowed. We were having to hop from log to log to avoid trudging through the snow melt created swamp. The dark clouds in the sky were building and thoughts of going another four miles cross country in possible bad weather led us to decide to call it a day at Kibbie Lake. We found a great sandy campsite above the lake and set up our shelters (A Duomid, Grace Solo Tarp and Go Lite Sl2).
The chicken apple sausages that Chris brought made it an easy decision to call it a day. Chris worked magic with his flint and steel to start a fire. He then roasted the sausages to perfection and was kind enough to share.
It was close to 30 degrees when we turned in for the night. Chris mentioned that it actually warmed to close to 40 degrees as the night progressed and a mild stormed moved in. We had some brief rain before dawn.
For the return trip, we decided to hike north and meet up with the trail below Styx Pass. We soon encountered a fair amount of snow which pleased us all. It would have been a disappointment to carry our snowshoes and not get to put them on for a few miles. I enjoyed snowshoeing in the warm spring weather and being able to enjoy views of impressive Cherry Creek Canyon. I am looking forward to a future trip to explore the Canyon. Ben Schifrin calls it the highlight of the Emigrant Wilderness in his book on the wilderness area.
Eventually we met up with the trail and quickly descended towards Cherry Lake and our waiting car. We enjoyed some burgers and sweet potato fries Priest Grade Cafe to top off an enjoyable trip. The trip with James and Chris was a great way to spend a spring weekend. I am looking forward to the next one.
