Memorial Day was upon us, and it went by so fast just like every other national holidays. We were craving for adventure that scratches the itches of being stuck at home still after one whole year of quarantine. Well, we actually did a decent number of outdoor adventures and I am just very behind on posting. Last summer Rebecca and I got engaged(!!!) by the beautiful Glacier Lakes in Tahoe National Forest (disclaimer: not the overly populated South Lake district of the forest, we went off the grid as per usual) then we also went up to Lassen Volcanic National Park for the first time since I did the weekend camping trip with dudes several years ago (you can read/see the itinerary from the previous trip here) and we also did a relatively relaxed trip to Plumas National Forest taking advantage of Summer Fridays thanks to Sony. I got photos and well kept journal entries from all of these trips we did over the cursed year of 2020. I am going to slowly attempt to translate my photo documentation into blogposts.
This post is about our most recent backpacking trip that we took on the last weekend of May 2021: Kennedy Meadows trailhead to Relief Reservoir to Kennedy Lake back to Kennedy Meadows. Hope you enjoy!
Before proceeding – Please bear in mind the following two key rules for backcountry adventures: (1) pack in/pack out and (2) respect the rules set by the wilderness service. You are receiving permission to enter the wilderness, the wilderness did not ask you to come. First step for preparation is to acquire a proper wilderness permit from Forest Service website. If the URL is still valid and same, this is the link to Stanislaus FS website where you can submit request for wilderness permit to do any of the backpacking ideas illustrated in this post.
Remember to review the park specific rules especially for fire usage. Be sure to apply for fire permit (even for portable stove) should this be required by the Forest Service. Most, if not all parks in California are in high fire danger during the summer/fall camping seasons.
Entry to Stanislaus National Forest area takes about 3 1/2 hours if you are driving from Bay Area. We took the usual long relaxed drive along 120 that penetrates through many farmlands and fragrant strawberry vendors, and eventually cut through Oakdale towards 108 waving past the turn to Yosemite. We kept driving on 108 passing Strawberry town and Bumblebee town and pulled into Kennedy Meadows Trailhead parking lot.
The weather was hazy and cloud was dim under the influence of high pressure that can turn into much needed rainfall at any moment. We reorganized our packs in the back of Tiguan and adjusted the hiking poles to make a perfect 90 degrees angles with our elbows. This was my first trip with my new pack that Rebecca gifted me on Christmas. It surprised to think it took half a year to finally put this pack in use. We locked the Tiguan, double checked to make sure all trashes and any sign of food was taken out from the vehicle to not to alert bears (California backpacking rule 101), opened the car again, then locked it again, and finally started on our hike! A little past 4pm on the summer time–we are still good for another 3 hours of daylight.
One thing that quarantine has changed in me was the concept of time. Before COVID I was always nervous to start the hike in the late afternoon. I was so worried that we cannot find the good campground before the sun goes down. In reality, Rebecca and I had done many backpacking trips and we are very much aware of our strength and the speed of travel: unless there is extreme elevation gain that prolong for miles, we can comfortably burn 2mi/hour on the flat trail and give it or take additional 1 hour for sharp elevation gain. We are essentially racing with our stamina instead of the long summer daylight. I was not nervous about the late start of our trip since we are not “rushing” anymore.
From the parking lot to Kennedy Meadow trailhead, we had to walk through a paved road that connects Deadman’s Campground and Kennedy Meadow Resorts. All in all, it took us about good half an hour to reach the trailhead. I must confess, this was the hardest part of this trip. You won’t believe how difficult treading along the concrete road when it is compared to 1,000 ft incline on the rocky dirt trail. On the dirt you can stab the hiking poles pretty much anywhere to find your balance, but the paved road does not give you anything friendly like that.
Our destination for the first day was Relief Reservoir that sits in the basin of Emigrant Wilderness beyond mountains. Kennedy Meadow trail that leads to the reservoir was well marked and it was quite scenic from the beginning. The view opened up nicely when we hiked past forests and creeks and started to ascend on the exposed hill. After crossing one bridge after another we were already gaining descent elevation (~600ft) to the highest peak of the trail. The view behind us was highlighted in amber from the setting sun. Another benefit of late start.
After passing the junction that split off to Kennedy Lake trail, we hiked for another mile to get to the vantage point that revealed the first sight of Relief Reservoir. We gained approximately 1,000ft at that point and my watch was ticking past 6pm. We were the late afternoon warriors with packs still on our shoulders to find home for the night.
We’ve passed several pitched tents and saw a small gathering of campers seating and enjoying the dinner by the cliff. It would have been an easy decision to find A-OK ground to setup the camp nearby, but we kept going instead. Another lesson from my experience: If you feel the urge to situate at any reasonable flat ground ASAP because you are exhausted, always push for just another 1 mile. Trust me, you will find something better and be happier. This was exactly what we did and after scrambling through a non-existent trail and making Rebecca unhappy for a split second, voilà! We did it! We found the perfect home that provides shelter and solitude from the other campers.
Ground was not perfectly flat but it was workable enough to rake the dirt and pitch the tent to call it our home for the night. I really loved the view of Relief Reservoir and how the sky glimmered in violet and pink twilight. It was a gorgeous evening and reminded me how the day’s end looks like. Dinner for the evening was a rehydrated bibimbap packet from Good To-Go followed by hot oshiruko (sweet red bean soup with mochi). Mmmm…happy camper life.
Stars were out early because there was no moon to hide them. I set up my tripod and started my ritual night sky photos with slow shutter setting and self-timer. If you look at these photos closely, you can see some campfires and headlamps in the distance. They added some interesting mood to this quiet little sanctuary of a place.
Unfortunately, my sleeping pad had a hole and it was flat as tortilla when I finished the night photography and snuck inside the sleeping bag. I’ve tried inflating the pad every few hours but it reduced to a thin sheet of cold useless fabric before sleep catches up with my tired body. I was lying awake for majority of that night because of cold ground. I’ve noticed the bright glow of moon was highlighting the edges of tent at some point in the night like a big spotlight shining towards the tent. Perfect. Now I will definitely not going to get any sleep.
However, I did eventually caught a few hours of sleep before crawling out of tent to face the warm sunshine. The weather forecast that I’ve read on the way to the park suggested high 80 to 90F and the day was already on its way to a hot summer weather. Morning coffee and overnight oats that we prepared inside the bear canister the night before was a perfect starter to wire my sleep deprived brain. Day 2 has begun. Today we will make our ways to Kennedy Lake!
Backtracking Kennedy Meadow trail for about two miles, we turned on Kennedy Lake trail and continued up the switchbacks to reach the first sign of fresh water that flows and crosses over the trail. It was a hidden oasis perfect to drop our packs to refill water reservoirs and eat snacks and generally enjoy the moment.
Kennedy Lake trail is approximately 5 miles trail that follows gushing stream along the horse trail. The first part of this trail is mostly exposed and arid. You will tread on the rocky steps and wave pass the river, but as soon as the trail enters the forest the scenery switches to lush green meadows. The dramatic contrast of dusty horse trail and a beautiful green meadow makes the journey split to two very distinctive experiences.
The further you go on Kennedy Lake trail you will get the sense of entering the home of Leprechaun or unicorn or other mythical creatures. Once you enter the meadow zone you will suddenly start to feel cozy and wants to stay there for a while.
Once we entered the depth of meadow zone we bushwhacked our ways off the trail to find a peaceful green patch along the creek. We decided to pitch the tent and unload our gears and have a lunch break.
Tickling sounds of creek was very soothing and it was reinvigorating to wash our faces with icy cold snow water. It was a quiet little shelter untouched by human that we have been yearning for. Perching on a fallen log we had Tuna packet and spinach tortilla our favorite backpacking meal for lunch. It’s basically a tuna slammed into tortilla. A very easy to make and filling on-the-go meal.
After lunch we organized a daypack with snacks and water, and went back on the main trail. Marking the trail with acorns and “branch art” so we can find the way back to the campsite. The sun was still high above our heads. We continued our ways on the main trail to Kennedy Lake that supposedly awaits us at the end of the remaining 3 miles.
The final few miles on Kennedy Lake trail was something to be described as heavenly, breathtaking, and dreamlike. Suddenly, forests opened up and we were standing in the middle of lush green fields surrounded by the arms of snow peaked mountains. It was like we passed through the tunnel of reality and came out on the other side of dream. There was few other hikers enjoying fishing in the creek and taking in the scenery of this best kept secret of a place.
We continued on the trail, which at that point was a barely visible path for a mankind, and dodged many puddles to reach the point where trail completely dissolved into the bog. Kennedy Lake was still a couple hundreds of feet away but we were satisfied to see the amazing beauty of this quiet little heaven. We spent some time to enjoy the moment before heading back to the campsite.
Kennedy Lake trail and Kennedy Meadow trail were both perfect backpacking trails for moderate to experienced hikers. Kennedy Meadow to Relief Reservoir journey was slightly less exciting towards the end when compared to the dramatic shift of environment that you can experience on Kennedy Lake trail, but the scenic camping spots overlooking the reservoir was quite impressive and it was well worth the effort. I’d love to go back to Kennedy Lake and camp at the heavenly meadows to do night sky photography there.
Stanislaus National Forest/Emigrant Wilderness are a certain gift of nature that you just have to hike in to immerse yourself to appreciate. It may not be as grandiose as neighboring Yosemite National Park but it provides definite sense of solitude and peace that you cannot experience from the popular parks. This was the trail I will not be tired of trying again and again in the future.