[doublemom]

I spent the last few weeks at Crater Lake, Yosemite, and Ansel Adams Wilderness, had a fantastic time. Crater Lake was car camping and day hiking, Yosemite 3 days in the Valley with a million other tourists (beautiful, but ridiculously crowded), 5 days solo backpacking from Yosemite's Tuoloumne Meadow, and then 4 days in Ansel Adams Wilderness / 1000 Island Lake area with good friends. We had some lovely thunder/hail/rainstorms at A.A., but the weather made the scenery that much more dramatic. I'm in love now with this area, and definitely plan on going back. It's magical there... www.bluesboots.com Crater Lake photos (yes, the water really IS that blue) is on the main blog page, and Yosemite/AA has it's own button on the right side.

[cefire]

Really enjoyed your California trip reports, gonna be living there soon so I'm collecting ideas

[doublemom]

Thousand Island Lake... GO!!!

[mjl]

did you do Half Dome? I remember a post from you saying it was on the plan I did it on the 24th! amazing experience~!

[olderthanIusedtobe]

To the OP--yeah, Crater Lake is crazy beautiful. You see pictures and you don't think the water can really look like that, but it does.

[olderthanIusedtobe]

While I heartily second the recommendation for 1000 Island Lake (and/or Garnet), I got back from a trip recently in the area immediately south of there, traversed right under the Minarets and visited several beautiful lakes--Minaret, Cecile, Iceberg and Ediza. I would also give an enthusiastic thumbs up for this section of trail. You don't have to choose one or the other, you could easily see all the lakes in one go depending on the number of days you have available for a backpacking trip. Hard to go wrong in that area near Mammoth Lakes.

[doublemom]

I got most of the way up the subdome of Half Dome, but I kept getting dizzy and lightheaded, so I ended up not going up the cables. Kinda bummed, but I still had an amazing trip anyway, so not that big of a deal. I saw sooooo many incredible, beautiful things in the last three weeks that I'm not going to let that one miss spoil my backpacking high While in the A. A. Wilderness we had several people tell us the Ediza Lake is gorgeous, we just didn't have the time to get it all in. We had some pretty banging thunder/hail storms while at 1000 Island Lake every day, and the wildfire smoke from Sequoia/Kings Canyon was getting pretty thick out there. But not to worry, we're already plotting to go back next summer I can hear it calling me all the way up here in Washington....

[mjl]

that was wise. there were people on the cables who shouldn't have been there. made it hard for the rest of us. I think the subdome climb was the hardest part. glad you had a good trip!!!

[doublemom]

mjl - Being a woman who often does solo backpacking trips, I've really learned to listen to what my body is telling me and to know when to back off. It's when people DON'T pay attention to this that they get into trouble. Besides... if I pushed too hard beyond what I should really do, and ended up injured or sick, my dad would personally throttle me, so that always keeps me in check LOL!.

[mjl]

very very wise. On the cables there were some young women going up being pushed by their men companions *& they were terrified & getting more scared the higher they went. I urged them to turn around but didn't succeed. Dont know how they would have gotten down. Having been in situations I shouldnt have been in myself, I slowly (too slowly) learned my limits. DItto-my wife & kids would kill me if I died doing something I shouldn't!