Crabtree Trailhead to Bear Lake
Info
- Dates: July 26-29, 2008
- Forest: Stanislaus National Forest
- Region: Emigrant Wilderness
- Trailhead: Crabtree Camp, off Highway 108
- Total Mileage: 7 miles
- Elevation Gain: 600 ft.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Nearby Lakes: Pinecrest, Camp Lake
- Restrictions:
- Overnight permit required (free)
- 1 night only
- Group size limit: 12 people
- Small campfires allowed
- Likes: rocky campsites close to lake, short trip, good for beginners, hardly see anyone at the lake
- Dislikes: minor contact with other backpackers on the trail
Summary of Trip
This was not only my first ever backpacking trip, but my first overnight "outdoorsy" trip of any kind. Never even went camping before. I’ve went on several small hiking trips but never spent a night in the outdoors without bathrooms, showers, electricity, etc.
It was this trip that got me hooked on nature. I learned what was worth packing. I learned what was totally not worth packing. I learned that cheap tents break down. I learned how to poo in a hole.
The smell of fresh crisp air mixed with the sound of leaves and trees swishing is really something you have to experience yourself. Being completely unplugged and disconnected with the world can be both frightening and liberating. You start to re-learn how to really communicate with your friends face to face. You start to think about what is truly important in life. Instead of taking a million photos of yourself, you take photos of things you actually want to remember and look back on.
Anyways, this trail is the best for beginners because it is short, easy, and beautiful.
Day 1
Drove to Motel
We wanted to get a good head start on the hike first thing Friday morning so we spent our first night at the El Dorado Motel in Twain Harte. It was only about $60-80 for the night and there were only a couple rooms in the whole motel. It was surprisingly clean, so now, every time we go backpacking in the area, we stay here.
Day 2
Drove to Trailhead, Hiked to Camp Lake
From the motel, we drove to the Crabtree Camp Trailhead, which was 26.8 miles (46 mins). At the trailhead, we applied our sunblock and used the restroom one last time (ya know, before going in the woods).
The hike was fairly easy, especially for a bunch of first-timers. However, there was one memorable hill.....
There was also a point in the trail where the view was just breathtaking. Obviously, my cheap camera couldn't do it justice.
Camp Lake
First stop was Camp Lake...it was a whopping 2.6 miles to get here. This being everyone's first time, we decided to stay here for one night (even though later, we found out overnight camping is not allowed here).
It's really funny that we did stay here because turns out, this lake was pretty much everyone else's "day hike." We were pretty beat up by this time. Again, it was our first time. We didn't really know what to expect. I had kid's boots on, our friends had crappy backpacks....it was a mess.
Day 3
Hiked to Bear Lake
Hiked 1 more mile to Bear Lake. This was beautiful.
The campsites were open, rocky, and so close to the lake. Although I became vegan years later, I caught many fish here this day and other trips as well.
