Lily Creek Hike - Stanislaus National Forest.

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​Since Laura had to spend a week in Monterey for an AP Environmental Science professional development conference, I thought it would be fun to spend a father-son-grandma day hiking in the Sierras. Our goal was to reach Grouse Lake in the Emigrant Wilderness, but we knew the relatively gently 3.5miles to the lake might push Zephyr’s limits. While the trail was relatively gradual in its topography, the volcanic breccia made the trail quite uneven in places and slowed us down (as did a crazy-stubborn 5yr old that had a hard time remembering not to jump on or off rocks).

In the end we made it to Pine Valley and Lily Creek, which Grandma Hollister and I decided would make a great place to hang out before turning around. After a dip in the creek Zephyr was refreshed which aided in the increased rate at which we were able to hike back. I think Grouse Lake would take me about 1.5hrs to reach if traveling solo.

​The road to Pine Valley Horse camp was SEVERELY degraded during this winter’s RAIN storms. What used to be an excellent graded road is now only suitable for 4WD. I hope they get the road fixed soon.