Emigrant Wilderness: Kennedy Lake

Did an easy group trip to Emigrant Wilderness this past weekend. I brought my Little Brother, who had been camping a few times before, but not backpacking.

Friday we arrived after dark, to find that it was full, and I hadn't made reservations. Tthey get full? I guess. I never sleep in them, so I don't know.) Thankfully, even in the dark, it only took me 60 seconds to find a dirt road with a pullout and a nice hunter camp for us all to camp in for free.

Saturday we hiked from Kennedy Meadows resort (the northern one, for you PCT thru-hikers) to Kennedy Lake. It's a pretty well-maintained trail, with a fair amount of stock travel, but it wasn't anywhere near Tuolumne Meadows to Vogelsang level of donkey-shit awfulness; in fact it was quite nice. It's 6 or 7 miles up to Kennedy Lake, and the trail peters out right when you get to a narrow leg of it. To actually see the lake, you have to make your way through some boggy ground, and there really isn't anywhere nice to camp by it. So you end up camping on a bench by the outlet creek, which you won't have to yourself. Hopefully the group of a million Mormon teenagers dressed as pioneers yelling "Elmer!" at the top of their lungs will be quiet and camp far away from you when you go.

It's really pretty.

Also, everyone liked my dehydrated black beans and corn chips, so gf should admit that her opinion about them is incorrect.
How to read a topo map.


OK if I sit here?




Heading back down

Overlooking the canyon of Kennedy Creek



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