A last minute change of plans due to permit availability had us going into a different wilderness than originally planned. Rick (the Naviguesser) had invited the two of us along on a weekend to Dinkey Wilderness and I eagerly agreed, excited to check out a new area of the Sierra. When permits were surprisingly long gone when we arrived, we chose an alternate destination, Upper Twin Lake in Kaiser Wilderness.

I had no complaints – Kaiser is another area I’ve been meaning to check out, and having been there before, Navi assured us that it was a good destination. We twisted out way up into the mountains and watched the temperature outside drop from the car’s interior indicator. While almost 100 degrees at 1300 feet at 9:30 am, by the time we reached the trailhead at 8000 feet the temperature was a perfect 72. The only weather concern was the clouds around us, which were building in a way that indicated we might face some thunderstorms.

Upper Twin Lake is a short hike of about three miles from the trailhead we started out from, and we got there quickly. After finding a nice campsite and setting up, Dave and I both tried fishing for a while with no real luck – only a couple of nibbles. A couple of thunder clouds rumbled in the distance but we were never rained on. We tried fishing again a couple of hours later and this time had some luck. Within a short amount of time Dave had caught two rainbows and I had caught one. At about 8-10 inches long, the three made a perfect dinner for the two of us. Cooked in aluminum foil over the fire with wild onions, then lightly seasoned, I didn’t need the ramen noodle backup dinner that night!

Chatting around the campfire, relatively warm temperatures, and stars made it a lovely night at the lake. By the next morning Dave was eager to fish again and managed to catch a breakfast of brook trout in minutes. Better than oatmeal!

Kaiser Wilderness (06.21-22.2008)

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