Tully Lake Afternoon Exploration: Sierra Nevada

 After setting up camp at Tully Lake, there was still several hours until dinner. I still felt a little uneasy about hiking cross country off trail (too many past screw ups) so I wanted to get familiar with the map that Moosie gave Camo and I to use. The area we were planning on hiking in the next couple days looked simple enough, the woman who suggested it also said it wasn't too difficult, but I needed a little more assurance. So I grabbed the map and my water bottle, and decided to do a little exploring around the lake area surrounding Tully Lake, and make out some landmarks on the map. I had a great time looking around for a couple hours, "witnessing" several small lakes in the area, some trees and plants, and looking at the granite. 

Too many times, I have made the map read what I want it too, and not what it actually is. In hindsite, unfortunately, my afternoon exploring produced the same results. Some of the lakes I found during my trek were not what I thought they were. Thankfully, the terrain was gentle enough where it didn't really matter in the grand scheme, but it was another reminder to use caution in the wilderness.

I met Camo for dinner at our camp at Tully Lake. Rain showers entered the area. By evening, we noticed the wind had shifted, blowing in from the north. We saw a bright half moon become obscured by fast moving clouds. Again, a smoky smell entered the valley...

McGee Pass and Tully Lake: Sierra Nevada

Big McGee Lake sunrise

Camo eating breakfast

hiking up and out of Big McGee Lake basin

Camo dwarfed by rock

Hiking up towards McGee Pass

Looking down towards little McGee lake

Small snow melt lake

McGee Pass 11,895 feet

meadows still appeared to be unusually dry

Tully Lake

Camo and I woke up after the sun rose over the ridge and broke down our tents after breakfast. We still had a climb ahead of us to get up and over McGee Pass. We were not sure what our final destination for the day was going to be, and we began the guessing game of locating the pass from the trail below as we hiked. We made several guesses that all turned out to be wrong. Just below the pass, we met a woman who was returning from her trip. She changed our entire itinerary after talking to her. She suggested we camp near Tully Lake and do some cross country hiking off trail near the lake and do some exploring. Our current plan, according to her, was ambitious, but also would take us into crowded areas. Her suggestion would take us away from the crowds, and allow for a much more leisurely, enjoyable experience. I was a little leary of hiking cross country with an unfamiliar map and not quite feeling "in the zone" yet, but Camo and I ultimately agreed and took her advice. After saying our goodbyes, we continued our task of hiking up towards McGee pass.

I was definitely feeling a bit of altitude, Camo and I took it slow and reached the pass around 11:00 or so. Visibility was pretty good, although there was still a noticeable light smoky haze, distorting the usual crisp clarity one usually finds in the Sierra. After hanging out at the top for 20 minutes or so, Camo and I began our decent, our destination for the day was Tully Lake, only a couple miles away. We grabbed lunch near a waterfall, I did my best to keep my skin covered from the intense sun. 

By early afternoon, some clouds rolled in again, keeping the sun's intensity at bay, before we knew it, Camo and I arrived at Tully Lake where we planned to set up camp. The views were outstanding, the day's hike strenuous, but not overly so. We had plenty of time to relax, enjoy the views, and do some exploring. It was a great day...

Big McGee Lake ~ Sierra Nevada

Big fir

McGee Pass Trail

Hot, exposed climb into the high country

Old gnarly trees

arifacts

Granite country

Nice trailwork

appreciating trailwork and stairs

dry meadows

Big McGee Lake

Camp for the night at Big McGee Lake

Watching different shades of light off the mountains

Alpine glow

 Back in June, I was in contact with my old Appalachian Trail hiking friends Camo and Moosie. We decided to plan a trip into the Sierra Nevada in California as it appeared the pandemic was winding down and "normalcy" seemed within reach. Camo and I booked our flights for mid August. We would fly out to Reno Nevada, Moosie would pick us up , and the three of us would drive out to hike and camp for a week. By the end of July, the warning alarms were going off again, as the Delta variant was starting to rear its ugly head around the country. By the time our trip was set to go, I was having serious doubts and misgivings. We decided to take the gamble, and I found myself in an extremely busy airport, and later on a plane to Nevada.

Although extremely uncomfortable, the flight went off without a hitch, and my plane landed in an extremely smoky Reno. The surrounding mountains were obscured by a thick haze of smoke from the Dixie Fire. Moosie texted me that she had a family emergency to take care of  and wouldn't  be able to pick me up for a few hours. I found a bench outside the airport to sit on with my hiking pack in the shade, and people watched. When Moosie arrived, she told me what I had assumed was now a possibility: she would not be able to join Camo and I for the hike, but would drop us off at the trailhead instead, and pick us up 5 days later.

After picking up Camo from the airport the following day, the three of us drove down to a national Forest near Mammoth Lakes. The smoke was incessant the entire drive down from Reno, about three hours south. The Range of Light was transformed into the Range of Smoke. We camped one night in the national forest. The next day, Moosie drove us to the McGee Pass trailhead where she dropped Camo and I off. 

We were bummed Moosie couldn't join us. She was also our Sierra guide, but there was no other option. She gave us a map, the itinerary and permits, and wished us "Good luck!"

The mountains looked intimidating, but welcoming at the same time. If there was one thing I knew about the Sierra, was that our weather was expected to be pretty good in August, despite the smoke. I didn't have the Rocky Mountain fear of severe thunderstorms after 1:00pm.

Camo and I were not in the best of shape. It was clear before we stepped on the trail that we were going to have to adjust the itinerary. Our first day had us hiking 12 miles up and over McGee Pass on the itinerary. We knew we were not hiking over the pass on our first day as it would include a 4,000 foot elevation gain and an entire day of hiking uphill up and over a 12,000 foot pass. We were not in shape nor acclimated. We decided to aim for Big McGee Lake.

The beginning of the hike was extremely hot and exposed, through sagebrush desert. We soon found ourselves hiking through aspen and a collection of old gnarly trees. We took our time, conscientious to stay hydrated. By lunch time, still hiking all uphill, we traveled through lodgepole pine forest, and gray clouds collected overhead, thankfully blocking out the sun. By afternoon, still traveling uphill, we entered granite country. Although dry, there was enough water around to refill our bottles when we needed to. By mid afternoon still hiking uphill, we made it to Big McGee lake where we decided to camp for the night. There were several other hikers camped around the lake, but it appeared they left open one of the best sites on the lake. Camo and I snagged it and set up camp. We spent the rest of the afternoon getting acclimated and watching the light change off the mountains. That crystal clear Sierra  light was obstructed by a smoky haze, even in the high country. Despite this, it was still a gift to be back in the Sierra. I had a slight shortness of breath from the altitude, but overall felt pretty good. Camo and I achieved our goal of not overdoing our first day. We both agreed it might have been one of the longest climbs of our hiking "careers." 

I tried to stay up after it got dark to see if I could see any meteors from the Persieds, but soon exhaustion took over, and I passed out in my tent.