We backpacked to the Twin Lakes Basin in the Desolation Wilderness, hiking on the Twin Lakes Trail out of Wrights Lake, and we arrived in the very late afternoon, just at sunset.
After dealing with what turned out to be a minor medical issue, we arrived at the trailhead in late afternoon. I asked Vicki if she wanted to spend another night at the Wrights Lake Campground and hike in the morning, but she insisted on reaching Twin Lakes today, even though it was a bit late. It was only a few miles, after all. What could go wrong?
We left our parking permit in the window and put on our big backpacks. Time to hike! Luckily for Vicki, the first part of the trail followed along the slow-flowing inlet creek at the eastern end of Wrights Lake, so the slope was almost flat. The reedy marshes along that stretch were full of water from the recent rains. Beautiful.
After that, the trail began climbing in earnest. Soon, the pines grew more stunted and more scarce. There were acres of glaciated granite all around us, and a plentiful supply of large glacial erratic boulders. Sometimes the trail ventured directly across smooth stone, and smaller rocks had been set in place by previous hikers to keep us on the proper path, as all paths looked equally good up there.
The junction with the side trail to Grouse Lake marked the halfway point on the climb. All told, we were climbing from 7000 to 8000 feet elevation and hiking less than three miles. This altitude wasn’t too high, but Vicki’s lungs still noticed it. She was going slowly and pausing for breath often. But she was doing it, and that’s what mattered.
We met one pair of hikers, heading downhill, who had totally lost the trail. We set them back on track, as I was using my CalTopo app on my phone for navigation. I needed it a few times that day, let me tell you. All those slabs look the same after a while. Eventually, we got high enough to spot the mountains of the Crystal Range to the east. The Twin Lakes were on this side of them, but the peaks appeared to have some ominous dark clouds behind them. After the unsettled weather of the last few days, we hoped that the clouds would stay over there. But it didn’t matter to our legs, as we were going to get to the lakes, one way or the other, wet or dry, tired or otherwise.
I did what I could to keep Vicki’s spirits up, but she was definitely lagging. Our forward speed had dropped to a crawl. I even volunteered to carry her pack, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t the weight, it was the UP.
She nearly stopped entirely, like the Little Engine That Couldn’t, but I wouldn’t let her. I told her not to worry, that we could finish under headlamps if we had to, but just don’t quit, especially when I could see the Twin Lakes Basin just ahead, and my GPS showed that the trail was flattening out again. She nodded back, but she was extremely tired. Poor Vicki. I felt like the nicest Taskmaster alive, but I was still a Taskmaster. I insisted that we make it to the lake no matter what.
Luckily for both of us, the flat trail helped her keep moving. Plus, we entered a very swampy section, where the trail often went on top of rocks across shallow pools of water. There was no chance of camping there, so she had to keep going. Plus she hates mosquitos. This looked like prime mosquito country. I didn’t mention that there weren’t any left by September. Why confuse things with facts?
We kept on walking, step by step, as the sunlight turned orange. Sunset was here, but where were we? Less than a quarter mile from the lake. Life on the trail was slow that evening, but the light sure was pretty. I took lots of photos while Vicki trudged on, oblivious to everything.
As the last light of the sun shone on the cliffs of the basin, we finally spied the waters of lower Twin Lake! This was great news. Another hiker that we met earlier said that they saw plenty of campsites along the shore, just to the right of the creek, so that’s the way we headed. I told Vicki to stop and stay with the packs while I scouted out a spot. I also took some photos of the lake, as long as I was there.
I chose a good sandy spot among big boulders and ran back to Vicki. I put on my backpack and picked up hers in one hand. Then we walked over to our new Base Camp. We would be staying here two nights, so it needed to be a good spot. And it was. Rather than set up the tent first, like I usually do, I decided to grab the water jugs and fill them up first, while there was still some light. I could set up the tent blindfolded by now, but I didn’t know anything about the creek. Water was a top priority. By the time I got back, it was already getting dark, so I knew that I made the right call.
Vicki put on her jacket, as it was already getting cold. I opened my pack and whipped out the tent. By this time Vicki was regaining consciousness, so she helped me set it up. Blowing up air mattresses takes longer than you want it to, but it didn’t matter to me now. We were here, we were together, and we had everything we needed. It was just a matter of time before we got inside the tent and stuck our legs under the goose down quilt. Ahhh! This was the good life. We decided to eat some non-cooked food for dinner, and then it was time for sleep. It had been a very long day.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
Onward to Day 2 >> 
Up to “Desolation Wilderness September 2023”
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