‘The welcome sight of this broad and level throughway must have
inspired thoughts of these divine virtues to forlorn travelers,’
Times outdoors columnist Ron Erskine writes
Settlers coming west in Conestoga wagons traveled a brutal path across Nevada along a route littered with hundreds of dead stock and discarded personal items — once dear, now hampering a quest to survive. If you have read any of the journals written by these adventurous souls, you can understand why they sought divine guidance and protection.
I thought about the unimaginable ordeal these people suffered as we drove out to Hope Valley on the way to our trailhead. Hope, Faith, and Charity Valleys are close neighbors here just east of Carson Pass on U.S. Highway 88. The actual genesis of these names is unknown, but the welcome sight of this broad and level throughway must have inspired thoughts of these divine virtues to forlorn travelers.
I wrote last week about the casual rambling we did near Highway 88 and Carson Pass, but our real purpose was an overnight backpack trip to a special fishing site. This morning, we met Dave Sellers’ fly-fishing buddy who touted Raymond Lake as a great site to catch California Golden trout. Golden trout are a native California species coveted by fly-fishermen in part because they reside in hard-to-reach mountain locations in the Sierra high country. They are usually sought in the South Kern River and Golden Trout Creek in the southern Sierra, but can be found in many Sierra alpine locations.
We followed Blue Lakes Road up beautiful Hope Valley toward the trailhead. Looking more characteristic of the Rockies than Sierra Nevada, this wide flat grassy valley appears to be plucked from some nook in Yellowstone. Only the bison and elk were missing.
Ten miles out, the road leaves Hope Valley and swings toward Lower and Upper Blue Lake on its way back to Highway 88, about a 15-mile loop in all. Whatever your taste, there is an endless supply of lakes, creeks and peaks to explore along this road. Camping is available along the road and at Blue Lakes.
Just before Lower Blue Lake, we turned left onto a rough dirt road that twisted through pines and past lakes to the trailhead near Sunset Lake. Here, the Sierra’s characteristic white granitic rock is replaced by red volcanic rock, which casts an interesting aspect on the surroundings.
Massive boulders that would be featureless granite monoliths further south are hardened heaps of lava with fist-sized rock irregularities protruding everywhere. Continually climbing, we circled around Raymond Peak to a single gash in the mountain cirque on the east side. We pushed the final 800 feet through this opening to the edge of Raymond Lake, beautifully nestled in a cone of red rock walls.
While the fishermen sorted gear and talked fishing-jabber, I headed up to Raymond Peak, a thousand feet above. Above our camp site and all along my route were carpets of Sierra primrose. This small flower is a rich red-purple with yellow spots at the base of the petals. It is always a treat to see just a small clump of this beauty, but such a widespread show was astounding. A few weeks earlier, I would have seen the display at its peak.
The view from the summit was stunning. The Carson Valley to the north; countless peaks and lakes to the west and south. I made my entry in the peak registry and descended.
Oh, the fishermen! Yes, those Golden trout are in there, but not in the numbers seen in prior visits. It wasn’t until the “one last cast” as we shouldered our packs for the hike out that they appeared in numbers.
For mountaineers to auto tourists alike, this region of the Sierra is thoroughly described, including restaurants and accommodations, in “Alpine SierraTrailblazer,” a guidebook by Jerry and Janie Sprout.
Come soon. The color will be stunning in a month.
