From the eyes of a child

From the eyes of a child, this trip signifies adventure at its highest; particularly for those who dwell in the urban setting away from high altitude and it’s attributes: No showers, no faucets, no chairs, no tables, no structures, no nothin’. The trip became all the more adventurous as threats of a summertime snow storm, cold temperatures, and high wind entered the weather forecast a few days before departure. My own Ali smiled at the prospect of a little snow, perhaps not realizing the impact the cold weather would have on actually enjoying the trip. Nonetheless she stated “Snow? Really? Cool, Daddy!”

The Linton’s, Ali, and I arrived at Mosquito Flat at about 12:15 AM. This wasn’t exactly the planned arrival time, but when Todd’s military overseers told him to have something completed the day we left (Tuesday, August 4^th), he had little room to negotiate. The late arrival wasn’t all that bad anyway since Wade and Dad (Mike) had set up our tents and had a fire going when we arrived. They had driven up with Erin, Ayden, and Cade much earlier in the day. By 12:45, we were snuggled in our tents. On the drive up, a stiff westerly wind bent trees and straightened flags. High cirrus clouds reflected the moon’s light while creating a standing ‘wave’. Eastern Sierra residents commonly refer to this conditions as a “Sierra Wave.” Normally, Sierra Waves present themselves in the winter time just before or during winter storms. Hmmmm. Here, the wind easily blended with the sound of Rock Creek.

I slept like I was in a deluxe hotel. The nearby Rock Creek dulled out all other sounds throughout the night. Even Ali claimed to have had a perfect night of sleep. By the time Eiger (eye-ger; The Linton’s Swiss Mountain Dog) confirmed it was time to awake, I believe it was beyond 7:30 AM. Ali literally jumped at the chance to wake up, break out of our cozy 4-season North Face Tent, and play with whomever else was awake. As it turned out, we were the last to wake up.

All parties ensued on the task of breaking camp while eating a variety of breakfast goods ranging from donuts and muffins to bananas. We all found this trailhead campsite to be very convenient as well as beautiful. After 42 trips to the van, 12 trips to the dumpster, and 7 trips to the restroom, the entire group posed for a quick photo before embarking on our purely adventurous 3 mile journey into the unknown. Well, at least the kids saw it that way. To summarize, kids are (oldest to youngest): Denali Linton, Ayden Emery, Torey Linton, Cade Emery, Ali Brown, and Whitney Linton. Parents included Mike Brown (Grandpa), Erin Emery, Todd and Chalon Linton, Cameron Brown (me), and Wade Brown. All of us had planned this trip in some form for a few months, and here we were, ready to go. Our final destination was Chickenfoot Lake, about 3 miles into the valley.

Ali was excited, and she set off a little too fast at first, and later learned why I was asking her to slow down when the trail steepened and became challenging enough to cause some minor complaints from all. After a minorly eventful approach to Long Lake (including a few trip-and-falls, some indigestion, and a rumored bear encounter from someone outside our group) we sat in a nature-manicured meadow to enjoy a trail lunch. Clouds were pulsing off of the higher peaks lining the western terminus of the Little Lakes Valley in which our route and destination was contained. Stiff breezes tempered any warmth that was beginning to be enjoyed, but not too seriously. The meadow at lake’s edge really created a rather ideal setting for relaxing. Ali and I laid on our backs and watched clouds streaming overhead.

To this point the cousin hikers had hiked well. Cade has some shoe/foot problems, but soldiered on and complained very little (that I heard) and all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ayden proclaimed that the shore of Long Lake displayed “…the clearest water (she) had ever seen,” and that the rainbow-ish shoreline was “…so pretty.” Everyone seemed to be enjoying the surroundings.

After our lunch break, Wade radioed to us that they had found a good place to camp at Chickenfoot Lake, about ¼ mile farther. Everyone promptly finished lunch and threw on their packs in anticipation of the final destination where we could set up our camp. The spot chosen was exactly the same place I had camped with my dad (Mike) and Luke and Angie Helland a few years ago. Ali accompanied Melissa and I on that trip as well (as a baby) while Luke and climbed the North Arete of Bear Creek Spire. The views of the Spire on the way in reminded of that adventure and fun. The peak looked bigger than I remember and Bear Creek Spire certainly tempts one to break out a camera more often than necessary.

As we set up camp, the wind howled. Clouds raced across the sky and occasionally threatened rainfall with their extensive grey bottoms. Other than a minor sprinkle after dinner, no precipitation ever occurred. But the wind. The wind was basically constant, gusting at times to 45 or 50 MPH; enough to really push the Bristlecone and Lodgepole Pines around and cause a howl full of angry musical tones. In spite of the wind, the cousins were enjoying each other’s company while playing hide and seek, throwing rocks in the nearby creek, making ‘boats’ to float down the creek, and playing in the tents.

Eventually we formed a group and explored the northwest shore of Chickenfoot Lake. The winds continued their oppressive existence, but spells of sunshine warmed the earth in between clouds racing each other toward Nevada. The dark shadows in between the sun made for some good photography. Otherwise, a few decide to try fishing. Wade and I fished close to each other with Ali and Torey in training. Torey caught a fish, as did Wade and I. Fish may be a bit of a misnomer…they were more like oversized “guppies” (I think that’s what little baby fish are called??). The largest I saw was about 6”. Grandpa and some of the others also caught fish along the shoreline to our west.

After fishing it was definitely dinner time. Ali and I shared a “Backpacker’s Pantry” meal while the rest made some noodles-and-chicken conglomeration which they enjoyed. By meal’s end, some were feeling the cold setting in. Indeed the temperatures only ever reached the high 50’s in the afternoon, and by now, it was probably closer to 48 with increasingly stronger winds. Campfires are not allowed here, so normally people just go to bed when it gets dark. I shared some hot chocolate with Ali, for which she was grateful, and we headed to bed about the time it was getting too dark to see without a flashlight. She trusted in me and showed a smile in spite of the somewhat deteriorating conditions.

I thought it would be a long sleepless night in the wind. As it turned out, Ali slept great again and I did much better than I had expected though I did wake during some very strong bursts of wind. I credit my tent which is purely stout in the wind and doesn’t move much when bullied around by the big gusts. The trees in which our tent was parked, however, howled and whistled all night long, at times, louder than I ever thought possible. I was sure a major storm was blowing in and we would awaken to rain, thunder, and perhaps snow…as predicted.

In the morning, the wind was still in full force, and the temperatures were probably around 35-38 with overcast skies. We decided to break camp and head out. Knowing snow was forecasted for later this day (Thursday), we thought it was miserable enough for the kids in the cold wind and didn’t see the point in “waiting to see.” Ali was bummed about leaving early, but I bribed her by offering to carry her pack. She slowly conceded. The hike out was mostly uneventful. Todd and Wade took it upon themselves to speed ahead of the group, drop their packs, and come back to help any who might appreciate it. We all made it to the trailhead reasonably quick considering our young demographic.

We decided the vacation would be more appreciated by car camping in Bishop Canyon. So we set off from Mosquito Flat with thoughts of additional camping comforts. Usually I don’t feel this sensation except for after multi-day outings where I actually “rough it”. Being on the trail for only a little over 24 hours didn’t leave me feeling too much to be desired. Ali was content to be with her cousins and I was content to be along for the ride. As we departed, snow (yes snow flakes), were falling from the sky. I don’t know what was happening further up the canyon, but I knew the others were glad to be out of the canyon ahead of any storm event.

The Little Lakes Valley is beautiful and rewarding. The close proximity of the alpine environment to a drivable road makes this venue an attractive option for day-hikers, first-timers, and those just seeking a getaway. Unfortunately the easy access means that the trails are somewhat crowded and the canyon is overrun; but all in all, the canyon maintains its beauty and serenity. The towering precipices of several 13,000 + foot peaks enclose the canyon on all sides. It’s like an all-in-one trip that has something for everyone. The cousins all seemed to enjoy themselves. Other than some visible manifestations of feeling cold, I didn’t hear any complaining of the cold. We all comforted ourselves with the thought that we would try again and camp for 4 days as we had originally planned. We’ll hope for that, and look for another report if it materializes.

Posted by Cameron