#2 on my list... COMPLETE

I have wanted to go backpacking for a long time.  I've been on lots of hikes, but still hadn't done an overnight trip... until this past weekend.  We spent Saturday night and Sunday morning packing our stuff and left the house by 10:00 Sunday morning.  [My "weekend" is Sunday/Monday.]  We stopped for camp stove fuel and lunch.  We got to the parking lot at Carson Pass around 11:30 and it was packed with cars.  I waited for a parking spot while Mike got our permit.  Once we got a spot, it only took a few minutes to put our boots on and grab our packs and we were on the way.

We intentionally chose a short hike since this was my first time carrying more than a day pack on my back.  We did this same hike last year as a day hike so we were familiar with it and it's a mellow trail without too much elevation gain.  We passed lots of people hiking out and 1 group of 4 ladies stopped us to ask where we were camping.  When we told them, they mentioned that they had camped there last night and it was so windy they couldn't sleep.  They warned us that the wind howled ALL night and that the boyscouts camping beside them had to keep fixing their tent because the wind kept blowing it down.  Fan-freakin'-tastic.

The wind was actually a blessing during the hike up because otherwise it would have been pretty hot.  It was only a 3.5 mile hike to the lake but it is a steady uphill climb to 9,400 ft.

Near the start... less than a mile in.  

 We made a short stop at Winnemucca Lake to eat a snack. 

Winnemucca Lake. 

 From Winnemucca Lake, it's only .9 miles to Round Top Lake which is where we were camping for the night.  It's the steepest part of the hike though. 

 When we got to Round Top, we immediately set up our tent in the most sheltered spot we could find.  We found a spot between 2 downed/overlapping trees that was just big enough for Mike's little tent and I prayed it would shelter us from the wind.  

Then, we strung up our hammocks (an unnecessary extra weight that we carried along but once I was lounging by the lake I had no regrets about bringing it), and read books about hiking in the Sierras. 

The view of our campsite from across the lake. 

 We walked further along the trail and saw Kirkwood Ski Resort and Fourth of July Lake... 

The backside of Kirkwood Ski Area. 

Caples Lake. 

Mike overlooking 4th of July Lake... it was REALLY windy. 

Fourth of July lake.

 After walking around a while, we were getting hungry so we headed back, grabbed the water filter and headed to the creek to refill our water.  Once back at our campsite we heated some water to add to our freeze-dried backpacking meal.  Is it weird that I have always wanted to try one of those meals?  You always see them at REI or other outdoorsy/camping places and I always wondered if they were any good?  Now I know... they're ok.  Not amazing, but not horrible.  Totally edible and very filling.  Mike and I sat in the tent to stay sheltered from the wind and passed our little bag of fettucine alfredo back and forth 'til it was gone.  

Waterfall across the lake from our campsite.

After dinner we walked just a few hundred feet away from our campsite to watch the sunset.  We took our dessert with us (freeze dried dark chocolate cheesecake meal-in-a-bag thingy).  

Yummy, yummy cheesecake in a bag?!?!

Mike mentioned that this should count as my #15 thing on my 30x30 list which is: learn how to make a cheesecake.  Unfortunately, I didn't add the water OR stir this magical cheesecake in a bag... so I don't think it counts. 

By the way, the hat, gloves and puffy jacket are totally necessary.  It may be late June but the temperature drops quickly as the sun goes down. 

I was scared I would be really cold during the night (especially after the wind warnings by those kind strangers on the trail), but in Mike's little tent with 2 humans and a dog, it was cozy and actually pretty HOT!  I took sweatpants and a fleece top to sleep in, plus I had my jacket, hat and gloves in case I needed them.  I have a 20 degree sleeping bag and I had a fleece liner just in case!  I ended up sleeping in my tee shirt and underwear with the sleeping bag unzipped!  It was hot.  

When we went to sleep, I set the alarm on my watch for midnight so we could get up and see all the stars.  I can't even describe it.  We saw the Milky Way going directly over our tent.  There were so many stars out it was hard to comprehend it.  And, you could see the silhouette of the mountains around us and the snow was glowing white.  Also worth mentioning... there was hardly any wind!  Just a perfect cool breeze, but definitely not the gale force winds we were warned of. 

In the morning... I woke up around 6:00 and finally crawled out of the tent around 6:30... and this was my view when I opened the tent:

I could get used to this view. 

We took our time getting going.  I read my book in the hammock while Mike went for a skinny dip in the freezing cold lake... did I mention we were the ONLY people out there?

We fixed really crappy instant coffee and really yummy oatmeal for breakfast. 

And after breakfast, we packed up and headed out.  We were hiking down trail by 9:00ish. 

Beautiful wildflowers everywhere. 

We were back at the car by 10:45 and already starving (the oatmeal was yummy but not very long-lasting).  On our way home, we stopped for hotdogs at a food cart and they were amazing!

It was such a wonderful 1st night of backpacking and I definitely can see how people want to do these long thru-hikes... like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachain Trail... although, I'm not quite ready for more than 1 or 2 nights myself.  There is seriously something awesome about the sound your boots make when they are crunching against the gravel of the trail.  It's therapeutic.  This may have been my first overnight hike, but it will NOT be my last.