September 23, 2016
When we awoke in the morning, there was a thick layer of frost on our tents. We made sure we didn't get up until after the sun came over the ridge to stay warm. This gave us a little bit later of a start. Day 2 was about 6.5 miles to Upper Sunrise Lake.
During our hike, the view of Cathedral Peak continued to change as we made our way to Sunrise Lake.
After a short uphill section, we reached a long meadow, aptly named Long Meadow. We pushed ahead in an effort to get to the Sunrise High Sierra Camp where Jonathan had promised a toilet. Just a little reminder, when you're hiking in the backcountry, you have to bury your poop. This means you dig a hole that's 6inches deep, do your business, then cover it up. I was really looking forward to the possibility of a toilet at our next stop.
After we arrived at the High Sierra Camp, all of the buildings appeared to be locked, so I grabbed a shovel and toilet paper and went off to do my business. I must have walked for about 5 minutes, passing all great opportunities to start the job. I finally decided on a spot, got it done, and went back to where everyone was. As soon as I got there, Jonathan was like, "There you are! I found a pit toilet!". Gah! As annoying as that was, it actually wasn't so bad and now I can say that I successfully pooped in the woods. :)
A few miles later, we arrived at Upper Sunrise Lake. The ranger who issued us our backcountry permits had recommended a campground on the north end of the lake tucked in the trees. He said it as one of his favorite sites. As we hiked around the lake, we found a small clearing with a pre-existing fire ring and several places amongst the trees for tents. It was perfect.
What was even more perfect, was the fact that we could have a campfire. Jonathan and Jason gathered wood and Jason had some fun smashing big logs on rocks to make them smaller.
No true camping trip is complete without a campfire. Sitting around a warm fire, sharing stories, telling jokes, and watching the stars. Our two nights at Upper Sunrise Lake were a lot of fun. Meanwhile, Jonathan and Wallace did their best to capture the night's sky with the Milky Way out in full force just across the lake from our campsite.
Jonathan took a few short time-lapses of the stars, but didn't leave the camera out long enough to get a lengthy time-lapse so please excuse the shortness of the videos.
That night we also had some fun with our headlamps with some light writing.