Mid Sierra Musings: Pear Lake 2015 Part I

Dale Matson

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Morning At Pear Lake

I first reported on this hike on the “Lakes Trail” to Pear Lake about this time last year. http://midsierramusing.blogspot.com/2014/08/pear-lake-as-day-hike.html

This year we backpacked in so we could stay two nights. This would allow us to attempt a day hike to Moose Lake. Our friends Carlos and Carol and their daughter Christina showed up at the trailhead at 8am for the hike start. The 10 campsites at Pear Lake must be reserved ahead of time. There is a composting toilet on site there also. We intended to stay two nights with a day trip to Moose Lake the second day. Upon our arrival at Pear Lake at about 2pm, we began setting up our tents. We were tired from the hike in. Carlos had a new pack the size of a Volkswagen Beetle Which held two bear canisters and added Christina’s along the route.

This group likes to eat! Christina commented about the “unwrapping of the energy bar” as my food preparation. Not long before dinner, Christina (AKA “mountain goat”) decided to climb to one of the highest locations across Pear Lake. We were all happy that she returned in one piece. I took a photograph of her with my Sony 200mm f4 lens. My wife Sharon took the Alpenglow photographs, as I lay sound asleep for the night in our tent. We had excellent campground neighbors including a young lady from SoCal who was camping alone for the first time.

The particulars are in the included link. One advantage to an overnight is the golden hour photographs that one can’t get on a day hike. I also had an ultra wide Canon 17-40mm f4 lens this time and a 55mm 1.8 Zeiss lens. I found the Canon lens to be the most useful at Pear Lake.