Virginia Lakes 2003

Detail
Friday Mar 21st, 2003—Day 1
I departed Santa Barbara at 11:50am. I was to meet Rick and Ed at Carl's Jr. on San Fernando Road at 2:00pm. I arrived 1/2 hour early, as did Rick and Ed. It must have been a lucky day for finding things because I found a plastic toy from the Carl's Jr. analog of the Happy Meal—which I gave to Rick, of course—and Rick found a penny in the urinal, which he gave to Ed. So much luck; so much giving.

Our agenda was simple: Ditch two vehicles, then head up to Lee Vining. We eventually decided upon the Vons parking lot at Sand Canyon Plaza. Loading up our gear, we then climbed into the Naviguessermobile for the next leg of the trip. Rick drove.

It was about 7:00pm when we made it to the Best Western in Lee Vining, CA. Rick had secured accommodations for the excellent price of just under $78 for three full-size beds. The room(s) were enormous, but the heat was temperamental. Under a time constraint for the only restaurant in town—Nicelys—we stowed some gear in the room and headed over.

Kathy was already at Nicelys overlooking individually wrapped pizza slices. A large table was commandeered and the rest of the group joined us. The plan for the next day wasn't quite settled yet. Being rather tired, I mostly nodded and ate my burger.

After dinner some of the hikers dropped by the immense living quarters that Rick, Ed, and I shared for a bit of conversation before sleep. This was nice, especially since the weather the next day had us adjourn to respective tents rather early.

Saturday Mar 22nd, 2003—Day 2
We met for breakfast at Nicelys; I had oatmeal. The weather was clear, and we were optimistic for a good day of snow shoeing. Gathering our gear, we headed to the road to Virginia Lakes. The road was clear only to a parking lot, so we decided to commence the journey from there.

We walked as a group for awhile, but eventually we broke up into smaller groups. Rick and I took our time, even stopping with Wind Walker for a lunch break of sorts. The faster crowd had chosen a camp area when Rick and I finally arrived. The rest of the group was kind to us; they left us the best place for our tent. It was sheltered from the wind by trees, and also faced morning sun. Thanks guys!

Camp pitched, Kathy, Shosh, Ed, and I set out for the lakes. Mostly we followed the road, but towards the lakes snow shoes were not optional. I think Kathy had her snow shoes on the entire way.

At the lakes, the wind was severe. Darkness was encroaching; we headed back to camp. Back at camp, I had a bit of dinner, then crashed early.

Sunday Mar 23rd, 2003—Day 3
I awoke to the sounds of early risers. I can't complain since I slept nearly ten hours.

After breakfast I began assembling my gear. The plan was to leave early—a lengthy drive awaited. The overcast sky underlined this goal.

I noticed that Rick was quite red in the face. Turns out he got quite a bit of sun the day before. I guess that means I got a lot of sun too. Damn.

Ed and Shosh were feeling adventurous, so they climbed the mountain behind the camp. While they were climbing, the others struck camp and prepared for the trip home. Ed and Shosh were still on the hill as the troops waned. Being in no hurry, Rick and I were still at camp when Ed and Shosh made it back.

Ed hadn't pitched a tent, so he was basically ready to go; but Shosh still needed to bring down her tent. Rick assisted. The rocks used to tie down the tent were entombed in ice. Chip, chip, chip, chip.

Taking our time back to the car, Rick and I chatted about all the things that interest hikers. Meeting the rest of the group at the cars, we unloaded packs and took pictures. Ed and Shosh were only 20 minutes behind, so we were able to take our final group shots and say our good-byes.

Postscript, 2003—Day ?
It turns out that I got much more sun that I had thought on the lower part of my face. It must have reflected up from the snow. I had massive peeling and became somewhat ill. I cancelled my next expedition, but hope to catch the following weekend.

See some images of the trip.