Our 2020 Sierra Nevada backpacking trip, a seventy mile loop out of Crescent Meadow in Sequoia NP, has become somewhat legendary in our family, and not necessarily for the right reasons. We had an off trail pass that turned into a tedious all day venture capped off by a mosquito buffet where we were the main entree. This pass has become the benchmark against which we measure other endeavours - “but is it as bad as Pants Pass?”. This day was followed by a sixteen mile tramp that let us know our family could never make it on the Amazing Race - we were lucky we all ended the day in one piece. So while overall this trip was a good one, we certainly realized there was some room for improvement for our 2021 backpacking trip.

By comparison, our 2021 Sierra Nevada backpacking trip was a leisurely stroll in the woods. Steve planned a route with moderate mileage, excellent campsites, opportunities for base camping with day hikes, and some amazingly gorgeous lakes and scenery. We had ample time to relax and enjoy the views and Steve also had the opportunity for some extra hikes like summiting Banner Peak from Thousand Island Lake. An added bonus was some great light and clouds for pictures (compared to last year where we didn’t see a single cloud in seven days). All in all, it was a terrific six days in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. This was our final itinerary:

Day 1: Agnew Meadows to Thousand Island Lake
Day 2: Day hike to North Glacier Pass, Lake Catherine, and Banner Peak
Day 3: Day hike to Marie Lakes
Day 4: Thousand Island Lake to Ediza Lake
Day 5: Ediza Lake to Minaret Lake via Iceberg and Cecile Lakes
Day 6: Minaret Lake to Devil’s Postpile
Bonus Day: Day hike to Kearsarge Pass and visiting Manzanar National Historic Site