Mokelumne Wilderness

For the Fourth of July weekend I set out for a backpacking trip to test out some new gear and get out there. The late spring meant there would be a lot of snow, but I was excited to test out my new ice ax. What I wasn't counting on was how high the rivers would be.




I parked in the evening Thursday and camped on the ridge top. I was lucky to find a melted tree well. It was a great sunset and the stars were spectacular.




That was at 8500 feet, the next day I hiked down to 5500 feet where I was supposed to cross the river. From the edge of the canyon, I could see that would probably be impossible. It was a torrent. I had a meager hope of a bridge, but figured I'd hike down at least for the experience.



The "creek" that the trail passed was more then I was willing to take on.



So I camped by the river for the night and hiked back the next day. I got to use my ice ax to climb a hill of snow. It was a abbreviated, but a good hike. I got to test my snow gear.




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