I wanted to post some of my pictures of my brother Stephen and my six-day backpacking trip through the Western Sierras, which turned out to be a wonderful mixture of adventure, rejuvenation, natural beauty, and some hardships (I have never experienced worse mosquitoes than we did on the first two days of our trip–in fact, I accidentally swallowed five while hiking). Stephen is a self-proclaimed Eastern Sierras Guy, which he describes as more “laid back,” but we decided to start out at Lake Edison, on the Western side of the range, hit the John Muir Trail for a while, and then cross-country it into some lakes that we have never explored before, and some of which are still unnamed.
Once we got above 11,000 ft., the mosquitoes–and humans–disappeared, and we were fortunate not to see either one for two days. We decided to spend two days at our unnamed lake, which we dubbed Lake Glass-Ice, since it froze every night and encouraged lots of ice-breaking fun in the mornings. From Lake Glass-Ice, we were also able to climb Gemini Mountain, which provided an impressive view of the Sierras at an elevation of 12,800 ft. From the top, we could even spot Mt. Whitney, 50 miles to the southeast.
We also did some backcountry cooking experiments–mostly with lentils and Stephen’s favorite grain, the South American Quinoa–and wondered if we could develop a cookbook for backpackers who wanted healthy, nutrient-rich food instead of the freeze dried meals, which both of us have not bothered wasting our money on for years. So far we have a few recipes in the works, one being “Lentejas de las Montanas” (“Mountain Lentils”), and the other one being Stephen’s “Quinoa Breakfast Surprise.”
Unfortunately for the public, but fortunately for Stephen’s knees, he decided to leave his 4×5 camera and gear at home–this decision automatically makes his backpack 30 pounds lighter. He did, however, actively scout some shots that I can assume he’ll be back to capture. But for now we will have to settle for the 1’s and 0’s of my haphazard digitalized photos.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Your pictures are GREAT. Hope you can come to Montana and climb some mountains here, too.
Awesome pictures and the scenery is beautiful! Best of luck in Norway.
Wow, gorgeous! I’ve always wanted to do something like that. Unfortunately, we don’t have many mountains in North Dakota
Hope you have a blast in Norway! I was just over there in May. Let me know if you want the email addresses of any of our relatives over there.
Brian–
You’ve inspired me to get back up to Muir Woods before school starts again. Hey, I came on your site to tell you you should read:
_Everything Bad is Good For You_ by Stephen Johnson.
He does a great explanation of the complex thinking required of viewers of different kinds of media, from dramas to realty tv to video games. More fodder for your explanations of why to use film in the classroom.
Bon Voyage!
Brian,
That is absolutely breathtaking! Makes me want to pack my bags and see everything you guys were Lucky enough to see!
I have never been backpacking yet in my whole life. But in the past couple years I have been gathering gear and doing some research around the valley here in Southern Oregon. Got some real good trips mapped out already! Now I have to just get my butt out there! Seeing those pictures makes me want to leave tomorrow……………….
It was also nice to see some pictures of you guys!!!! You know how long it’s been since we have seen you guys??? Me neither…………
The best of luck to you in Norway. I would love to see pictures of there too…………
Email me sometime. jeff@halesigns.com
Your hair looks quite unruly Mr. Quale. Can you go a day without coffee or tea?
you should definately consider the cook book idea. im really tired of eating freeze dried macaroni every time i go backpacking…
Great pictures! You will be well prepped for the peaks in Norway.
Neato pictures! My dad and I are going camping at Mono Lake pretty soon, so we’ll definitely be taking some lentils with us!
I agree with Kate, I think you should write a backpacking cookbook. Freeze-dried food is far from gourmet.
Thanks for all the fun comments . . .
Amanda–I do want contacts, thanks. I will be in touch to get some email addresses from you.
Ruth–I ordered the book; it looks wonderful–thanks.
Tlon: Can you go a day without coffee or tea?
Me: Yes, I suppose so, but why would I?
Jillian–Don’t forget the quinoa. And as for lentils, we spiced them up with some curry powder and a little powdered ginger and served it over brown rice.
Quall Ball! You did NOT bring a source book to the mountains with you!!
These are kinda cool i guess. Well I’ll email you soon. p.s. they should make a La Bou on the top of the mountain so you can get a mixed berry muffin. hahahaaa, good luck at your new school…im sure its not better then MLHS!!!!
-Amber
that must have been a pretty awesome trip mr. quale, pretty lucky. What did you do to the quinoa to make it taste good? Man, we’re going to miss you here in the states, you were (and still will be) a hecka cool teacher. nice pictures, so are your brothers, they’re really good.
that looks like a lottttttttt of fun.
SICK!