Thousand Island Lake
Mammoth, California
・
August 2019
About the trail
Thousand Island Lake trail starts from the town of "Mammoth Lakes" and follows the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) to a mosquito infested lake dotted with small islands.
The story
Day 1 - 0mi (0 feet of elevation gain, several beers)
This was our fist backpacking trip together (and Abby's first backpacking trip ever!). We were, unfortunately, unable to get a backpacking permit for our intended first day so we stayed in the town for a night and explored a bit.
Day 2 - 10.39mi (2,300 feet elevation gain)
We finally got to head out on our hike and, of course, we were met with a torrential downpour along with a thunderstorm. On our way up we took shelter in a little grove with 2 dads on a weekend trip and many squirrels trying to stay dry. Eventually we made it to our campsite, hiked up the hill a bit to get away from the mosquito breeding waters, and enjoyed a beautiful night in the mountains!
Day 3 - 13.01mi (1,400 feet elevation gain)
On our way back down we took a different trail along a cliff's edge in direct sunlight which led to a very different hiking experience from the day before. The sunny weather did a great job of drying our gear as we finished the hike back into town before heading home.
