Day One

Between 7 AM to noon(ish)

• Wake up, grab your permit, do one last gear check, and chart a path to Crabtree trailhead.
• It’s a 3.5 hour drive from SF so turn up the music (Feeling Alive?) and enjoy the ride.

Hungry? Carb up en route at Oakdale Cheese & Specialities

• Home of the best darn grilled cheeses in the land
• While you’re there, text a loved one your route and let them know you’ll text when you’re back on the grid. They’ll appreciate it :).

Arrive at Crabtree Trailhead

• Do one last gear check and then head south on Crabtree trail
• Regarding parking, I’ve been twice and haven’t had issues finding spots. But if you’re visiting on a holiday weekend you might want to call the park ranger for guidance and backup options.

Hike 3.5 miles to Bear Lake

• One of the fundamental laws of backpacking is that the busyness of a place is directly proportional to its distance from the trailhead
• So Bear Lake can get “busy” on weekends -- as in, more than 5 groups --  so if you don’t find a lakeside spot right away, try continuing to the NE side of the lake.

Make camp

• Let loose and go for a swim. There’s a great jumping rock in this lake.
• What’s your favorite animal? Channel it. Run and jump high. Fly as high as you can!

Car to camp: 3.5 miles - 535 feet of elevation gain - 3 hours

In the mid-1800s, emigrant groups started venturing West, often traversing the wilderness of present-day Emigrant Wilderness, hence its name.

Day Two

Wake up with a morning swim

• It might be chilly. But invigorating! And your body will thank you!

Break camp

• Hike ~9 miles to Gem Lake

Make camp and then, obviously, go for another swim :)

• Legend has it there are diamonds, emeralds and sapphires to be found, buried deep within the lake’s bed.  
• ​A word of caution: you’ll be at 8,200 feet. Which, while not terribly high, can take its toll on sea-level living folks. So maybe avoid racing your friend across the lake unless you’re in iron wo(man) shape. It didn’t work out well for us ;-)

Rest, relax, and hike to the top of Quartz Mountain

• Catch a sunset so beautiful and sublime that it’ll quake even the deepest convictions of the staunchest atheists, if only for a moment.

Camp to camp: 9 miles - 642 ft. of elevation gain - 5 to 6 hours

Native American tribes populated this area as early as 8,000 B.C., spending the Summer & early Autumn months hunting and foraging acorns in the area.

DAY THREE

Wake up before the sun rises

• Throw on your layers, pick a granite giant, hike to its top, and say good morning to another beautiful Sierran day.
• Or, sleep in. But, hey, it’s your last day in the mountains.

Break camp and go for a final swim in Gem Lake

• Breath big, dive deep, emerge anew.

Return to Crabtree Trailhead

• With a lightened pack, hike 10 miles back to the Crabtree trailhead. (Pro-tip: leave a gallon of water in your car so you can take a post-hike shower.)

Hit the road and jam out

• Play your fav angsty teenage tunes on your ride back (Chasing Cars, anyone?). Before you cross the bridge and re-enter society, perhaps, set and intention and commit to your next trip. These mountains are calling. Always calling :)

Camp to car: 8.7 miles - 200 feet of elevation gain - 5 hours

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Hear those cow bells ringing? Parts of Emigrant Wilderness still have cattle grazing allotments