Sierra Trip 92 -- Tablelands with Carrie and Eva

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Map -- Tablelands

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You can view the raw photos here.

 After years of hiking alone, my daughter Carrie expressed an interest in hiking with me, as long as she could take her friend Eva. Eva's father Roy was interested too, so the four of us made plans for a modest trip.  The girls were both 12, and had modest experience hiking. 

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We started out at the Pear Lake trailhead with lots of energy and enthusiasm.
The clear weather and beautiful views kept us going that first day.
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But by the time we arrived at Emerald Lake some of us had lost a bit of that energy.
A swim in the lake helped revive everyone's spirits.   Everyone except me.  I thought the water much too cold to go in over my ankles.
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While the girls were getting settled, we had a visit by the Emerald Lake bear.  I had insisted that we place our food in the boxes, first thing.  Good thing too.
The next day we headed up to Pear Lake and beyond, into the Tablelands.
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Dinnertime.
The site of our second night's camp, beside some lakes in the Tablelands above Pear Lake.
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After dinner, the girls generally set off to explore around camp. 
On the third day we continued up into the Tablelands. 
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We got to the top of the ridge, and looked down at Deadman Canyon.  This shows the lakes above Big Bird Lake and the cliffs that surround them.
This was taken at the edge of the Tablelands, above Big Bird Lake. 

We had talked about continuing on toward Lonely Lake and perhaps Elizabeth Pass, but we decided to spend a couple more days exploring the Tablelands.
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We hiked back down to a pretty spot near Table Meadows, where we met a group of college students from UC Santa Cruz.  They were participating in a freshman orientation program.  Hmmm .. maybe I should have gone to Santa Cruz.

We decided to climb the steep clope in the background by collowing the green crack.  It was unclear whether we could make it all the way up -- there might be a cliff at the top that we could not get around.
But as it turned out we managed to get up without major problems.  Here we are at the top of the cliff.
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We stopped for lunch at the top, and then stayed the rest of the day.
>The girls explored the lake nearby, while Roy took a nap and I finished the book I had brought.
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The view of the valley below was wonderful as the sun set.
The next day we headed back towards Pear Lake.  Here we are overlooking the Pear Lake basin.
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The girls were never bored.  Whether it was camping by the lake, or simply resting for a few minutes, they were always looking under rocks, checking out the flowers, or something.
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When we got back, we all took showers, ate a hearty meal, and went out to see the Giant Sequoias and Moro Rock.  This is one if my favorite pictures of Carrie and Eva, taken atop Moro Rock.

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