Returning to Big Pine Lakes, 20+ years later

We again returned to the Eastern Sierra mountains on Memorial Day weekend. To both celebrate my oldest son's 5th birthday and enjoy the company of our extended family. We headed up to Glacier Lodge, which is just outside of Big Pine, CA. Glacier Lodge campgrounds are a place that I hold close to me, as I spent every summer fishing Big Pine Creek and hiking the John Muir trail in search of pristine lakes to fish. So when my uncle brought up the opportunity of once again hiking to the Big Pine lakes, I jumped at the chance.

As an adolescent my cousin and I would take our friends up to the Big Pine Lakes. Mainly first lake, but had made it as far as 5th or 6th in one day. We would travel up the trail with fishing vests and poles. And when we would get to first lake, we would catch our limit in really nice trout. The trout always had pink meat and oversized heads because it was so cold. The weather would change at a moment without notice. I remember leaving camp one year and it was in the upper 80's, but when we got to the lake, it was snowing and hailing on and off. It was the hike up and down, along with the beauty that surrounds you up there that kept us coming back. But at the same time remembering how difficult it could be.

At my wedding, my cousin, also my best man, told a story of one of these hikes. How we would plow through the switch backs by sliding our way down the shale filled mountain side. Following a water pipe that feeds the Lodge below. We had done this for years and had mastered shale side skiing down the mountain. But this time I had pushed the limits. Our competitive nature would take over and there was always a battle for whom could get down the mountain first. This year I was in first place, with my cousin right on my tail. What I failed to see was that the pipe turned 90 degrees. By the time I saw it, it was to late. The pipe had undercut my legs. Sending me flying through the air, flipping feet over head and twisting around 180 degrees. I hit the ground feet first and stuck the landing. Facing my cousin eye to eye. Behind me was a 30 foot or so drop. He thought I was a goner. And that was the point of his speech. How lucky I can be.

So with all of these memories filling my spirit, I asked my wife if we could spend one day and I could show here where that speech from our wedding took place, and pass along some of my greatest childhood memories to our two boys. Of course she said yes, although carrying a 30lb 2 year old and hoping our 5 year old could make hang in the back of our minds. But we decided to move forward. Along for the hike was my uncle whom just turned 60 years old, my aunt and their daughter. We had age ranges from 22 months to 60 years. All with the same goal of getting to first lake. The first of seven numbered lakes called the Big Pine Lakes.

We hit the trail late, at around 9am. The trail is roughly 6 miles in 6 miles out, with 2200 feet of elevation gain. A pretty good hike for a 5 year old boy and some out of shape adults. But we decided to take our time and we would get there when we got there. The hike did not start off as well as we hoped. Our youngest would not stay in the Kelti pack and wanted walk. Not to mention we had to make an on trail diaper change. Always a good time. And our oldest would keep letting us know that he was tired and asking how much further. My wife and I thought that we would have to turn around with the boys. Ready to surrender to the fact that they were not ready. But then it happened. Our youngest was tired, sat in the Kelti pack and took a nap. Our oldest was fascinated with keeping up with his cousin, whom was leading his way. It was all coming together. We were going to make it to First Lake.

We had described Lon Chaney's cabin to my wife and cousin for the complete first half of the hike. What it looked like, how it was the half way point, whom Lon Chaney was, how the cabin was built, and on and on and on. But I come to find out, my memory from 20+ years ago is not so good. I thought the cabin was on the right side of the trail as we headed up. But it was on the left. I thought that there was a pit behind the cabin, but in fact, it was a pile of rocks. I had forgotten how big it really was and that it was completely made from stone. In fact, I don't know if I had any of the facts about the cabin correct. Although I had been there over a dozen times in my life time. None of that really came to matter. By the time we reached the cabin we were beat up and soar. Carrying our youngest on my back was taking its toll. We were all ready for lunch and water. We all sat down on the steps and began eating our lunch. A few hikers and their dog were doing the same on the other side of the cabin. And for you hikers that bring your dog, make sure they are leashed up while in a common place with other hikers. This dog, a big puppy by the way, was off of a leash and stole my youngest son's PB&J sandwich. Not a big deal, the owner came over to apologize in which we kindly excepted. The perturbing point was that the dog came back over and quickly did the same to my youngest whom we had given the second half of his sandwich. This time nipping his hand and causing him to cry. My family loves dogs, but dog's come with responsibility, no matter how tired from the hike you are. The hiker came back again and apologized and promptly left with his dog.
We all hung out for a little while, giving the hikers a head start and our bodies a few more moments to recover.

I threw the baby on my pack and everyone else strapped up for the final push from Lon Chaney's cabin to lake. The hike actually gets a bit easier after the cabin for a while. That is until you hit the final elevation change to the lake. We pushed forward. The baby was really starting to weigh me down and you could see the others feel the same. And right as we would feel like packing up and turning around, there would be another set of hikers rooting us on and advising us on how much further to the lake and how beautiful it is. It was those words of encouragement that kept us going. This was one thing that had slipped my memory from all those years. For the most part, if you are on the trail, you belong to that mountains family. Everyone waves hello. Most stop for a quick chat and we all have the same purpose to enjoy our surroundings.

We took one last short break. My wife offered to carry our youngest, which I happily accepted. And everyone filled on water ready to see the lake. And 10-15 minutes later it happened. THE LAKE! We quickly got off trail and started to make our way down passing a few hikers that were setting up camp to stay the night. I seemed to forget how beautiful it truly is. I quickly remembered why we would hike up here every year. Then memories started to flood my head. We would fish on that point, beyond those rocks. The inlet to the lake is on that side, thestream exiting the lake is on that side. I even remembered a story of my grandfather storing a frying pan in the rocks from when my dad was boy so they could fry fish right at the lake every year. Truth is, my family had been hiking to this lake since the 1950's. Then it hit me. I accomplished what I set out to do. Show my wife what was such a memorable part of my childhood and the location of all these adventures that help me mold into a man. And keep the tradition alive in my two young sons. I am not looking to have them live the life I lived. But I do want to expose them to more than just concrete and asphalt. I want them to know how to identify a trail. What that feeling of accomplishment feels like when you feel like you cannot hike any further, but find a way to get it done. Or how beautiful, quiet, peaceful the outdoors can be. This is why I wanted to hit the trail again, to share those parts with the ones I love the most. And truth be told, it has got me thinking of more hikes we can take as a family, which is the best gift I could have received. I believe Steven Rinella states it best when he calls these types of things "earned experiences". Those earned experiences are what we will talk about for years to come. 

Thanks for reading. I also have a video I put together for this same hike. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Tim