Iceland Lake, Emigrant Wilderness

Thanks everyone for coming! I had a great time meeting new folks and hanging out with old friends.

Saturday started out windy with a few small clouds blowing over at high velocity. By 3PM, graupel was falling from the sky which eventually turned into big thick snowflakes. Fortunately we found a great spot to camp just before the worst of it started and everybody got their shelters up while it was still (mostly) dry. We found a sheltered spot under a few big trees and made a nice campfire which instantly boosted morale. At first I was worried that it might be too wet but with Justin's help splitting some wood down to kindling along with a well-timed Esbit tab we got a nice big fire going without too much trouble.

This is about when everyone started bringing out their goodies to share with the group: Dylan brought in an entire glass bottle (!) of Jameson, Peter had a nalgene bottle full of wine, a bottle of buttered rum, a bottle of Bailey's irish cream knockoff, and for the grand finale, he produced an entire cheesecake (!) which he graciously shared with the group. Peter puts the load carrying capacity of his well-traveled McHale pack to prodigious use for the benefit of all who hike with him.

Saturday evening it warmed up slightly and the snow turned to rain accompanied by gusts of wind, but as far as I can tell everyone was warm and dry in their shelters all night. Sometime after midnight things cleared up and the stars came out, and Sunday morning dawned with beautiful blue skies and we enjoyed the fresh frosting of snow on all the surrounding mountains. After a leisurely breakfast we struck camp and hiked out, some people choosing to return straight to the cars and others detouring to Lewis Lake on the way back to see a little additional scenery. We did not end up going to Iceland Lake; forecasts for gusts of wind to 55mph combined with the prohibition on campfires steered us towards Sheep Camp instead. I'll have to go back and do the full loop sometime as it looks amazing up there.

Thanks to Justin, Dylan, Jacob, Brian, Chris, Julie, Jay, Jeremy, Angela and the esteemed Peter Vacco for making it out on an excellent trip.

Break time and refuge from the wind.

Near the end of Relief Resevoir.

Oh thank god there is a fire.

Morning after.

Sorry I could not make this one. Looks like a great time with a great group.

Our cold water source.

On the way to Lewis Lakes

Justin on a nice slab o granite.

Julie ascending on the way to Lewis Lakes.

At Lewis Lakes.

Had a great time hanging out with everyone. Thanks for the invite.
Here are my pics, which over-run the page in typical fashion :)

Morning meet n greet

Jay and Andrew up front

Quick Break

Aspens

Taking in the view

More fall color

Justin checking the vista

The weather is catching up with us…

Everyone putting the final touches on their pitch just in time!

Mmmm… lunch! Better late than never!

Dylan breaks out the Jameson… everyone becomes happy.

Creek near Sheep Camp

In the morning

Dylan and Chris on the way up to Lewis Lake

Andrew and Justin doing some route finding

A small lake below Lewis Lake

Lewis Lake… very nice!

A selfie at the lake

Justin… boss'n it up ;)

Reservoir on the hike out

Justin, Julie, Chris, Andrew, Dylan, Jacob
The 6 of us that made the short x-country tip to Lewis Lake
We were later joined by Ellen and Brian at the lake

Great trip. Thanks again!

Thanks for sharing your photos….great looking trip.

Though, I admit that the sight of any snow makes me nervous because my skills with a compass are pretty bad to almost non existent.

Jacob….wish I had seen you up at Trinity.

Good to see you in photos.

Tony

Hey Tony. We had a nice trip, the weather made it fun (mostly!)

I wish I could have caught up to you guys up there at the Trinity Alps. I was surprised to see you and Jeremy there. Ken didn't tell me who was going to be there, other than Doug. Well, we're not that far apart, I'm sure we'll see each other on a future trip. Take care.

J.

The group heading in on Saturday morning.
scenery along the hike
Part of camp
fire festivities
off trail towards Lewis Lake
Lewis Lake
Lewis Lake-from the South
scrambling down towards the trail

Was a pleasure meeting everyone on this hike and I look forward to doing it again.

Great photos, all. If this was your last Sierra weekend, you certainly picked a scenic spot to end the season!

Jacob, I'm also sorry we didn't get to see you, Sandra and David at Trinity Lakes.

Good time I see.
It rained lightly most of Saturday night, up here on the Plumas NF. Nice Sunday AM for coffee and breakfast.
Duane

What a neat way to spend a weekend. Shoulder season at its finest, I'd say.
Great pictures and company in beautiful surroundings. Well done, folks, and thanks for sharing.

Great trip and pictures. I was thinking about you all as I watched the weather turn on Saturday. I am sorry this miss this trip and great company.

Steven, I miss you and all the other honored guests a few weeks ago. So close and yet so far!

Looks like a great time! Beautiful fall (and a bit of winter) in the Sierra.

Wish I could've made it…next time.

You guys got some great weather, just enough snow to keep it interesting, and those granite sidewalks look like fun. I was in the Southern Sierra and it was windy (25-35 mph w/ some 45 mph gusts) and I was wondering how it turned out up north. Thanks for posting all the photos!

"Looks like a great time! Beautiful fall (and a bit of winter) in the Sierra."

Ditto.

The pictures of Summit Creek portray a cold and unforgiving environment. Absolutely beautiful! I have pictures of the creek near that area taken during summer which are boring in comparison. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for organizing the trip, Andrew! (Sorry for the late posting, everyone…) It was a fun group-trip, perfect intro to the upcoming winter season :)

Jacob – can I ask what you were shooting with. Really like the look of your photos.