Another great week in California led to some good hiking and mountain climbing, and checking out a few familiar old places.
- Camp El-O-Win Visit – We went over to Camp El-O-Win to do a little work.
- Checking Out Forked Meadow – Our beloved Forked Meadow!
- Looking into the Backcountry – On our way up to go backpacking, we stopped off to check out the view into the backcountry.
- Hiking into Nelson Lake – My parents and I took our backpacks into Nelson Lake in the Dinkey Lakes Wilderness.
- First Night at Nelson Lake – We made camp at Nelson Lake.
- Morning at Nelson Lake – A glorious dawn awaited us at Nelson Lake.
- Nelson Mountain – My dad and I climbed up to the top of Nelson Mountain to take in the view.
- Upper Nelson Lake – The upper lake in this basin really pretty.
- Around Nelson Lake – Enjoying the campfire.
- Last Morning at Nelson Lake – One last look around before hiked back out to the trailhead.
- Looking Up at Nelson Mountain from Forked Meadow – Hard to believe that we were on top of that mountain the other day.
- Cutting Down a Few Trees at Camp El-O-Win – We cut down a few standing dead trees and prepared them for when a mobile saw mill will visit the camp.
- The Portal Powerhouse – The outlet of Ward Tunnel.
- High Sierra Ranger Station – This ranger station has the most gorgeous view I’ve ever seen from a place where rangers hang out.
- South Fork of the San Joaquin Crossing – A neat old bridge across the river.
- Vermilion Valley Hydroelectric Project – This was my first time visiting the dam and lake.
- Vermilion Valley Resort – Lots of hiker trash stops here throughout the summer.
- Mono Hot Springs Resort – The old hot springs resort is still operating and drawing customers.
- Big Creek – An impossible town perched on top of a big granite dome.
- Salvage Logging at Forked Meadow – After all of the trees killed by drought and beetles, it was time to reduce the fuel load.
- Meadow Restoration Progress at Forked Meadow – We’re making progress on restoring Forked Meadow from all of the damage caused by cows over the decades.
- Upper McKinley Grove Giant Sequoias – Big trees in the woods.
- An Old Tree and an Old Bulldozer – This old bulldozer has been sitting for a few years but the tree that died next to the dozer was much older.