Well, it was really starting to come to an end. We had accepted jobs back at McKenzie in Oregon. Now we had accepted an offer for someone to buy our house. We made some money off of it and we lived in it for quite some time. It would be very sad to leave the house because it was so important to our family for so long. But there were new memories to be had. We were now done with teaching school at George Washington Academy, so it was really this weird summer break thing in the middle of Covid. We were packing boxes and selling furniture, but we needed to make one last trip out to Great Basin. So we packed up the camping equipment and headed across the Utah desert. We stopped in Milford for gas as usual and counted the few cars that went past as we went through one long basin and another long mountain range. After a few hours of driving, we were in a familiar place. We found an amazing campsite by the creek. It was quiet and cooler. So we set up, had some lunch, and then it was time to hit the trail. We decided to do the lake loop in the afternoon. This was like the most common hike to do and it seemed like we did it every time that we came out to Great Basin, but so what, we were going to do it again!
We drove up to the Wheeler Peak trailhead and started the hike from there. The Wheeler Peak campground was still closed and this trailhead seemed pretty vacant too. Because of Covid, a lot of summer plans had been canceled. Plus it was Monday and the weekend campers had left. That meant we got to feel like we had the place to ourselves. We hiked along the beautiful alpine trail that took us out to Stella Lake. The lake seemed rather low and it was probably due to the dry winter that we experienced. There was not much snow on the peak and the lake level was down. Still, there was enough water to throw some rocks and enjoy the beautiful mountain air. We continued on our way after spending a bit of time at the lake.
Our goal for the day was to check out a brand new lake that we had not seen before. This was Brown Lake. So we hiked through the aspen and ponderosas until we found the trail to the glacier that we had spent much time on before. Along the way to the glacier, we took a side trip to Brown Lake. It was about as exciting as it sounds. There was water there and there were rocks, but not too much more. We enjoyed for a bit and continued our way up the glacier trail until we got some views of the glacier and got to see a few Bristlecone pines. I, as usual, wanted everyone to keep hiking, but I got my views and we spent the day out and about.
It was okay if we went back and enjoyed the night camping. Along the way, we did make a stop at Teresa Lake. It had a little bit more snow on the edges and looked a little bit more alpine than the previous two lakes. Either way it was just nice to be out. We saw a few people and chatted with some folks who all seemed to be having a marvelous time, but really it was quiet. Even when we made it back to our campsite and got to spend the evening playing games and hanging out in the tent, it was still very quiet. Camping with kids is so much fun and we really enjoyed the night, but the next morning, it was time to go. We got everyone up and moving and we hit the trail by 9 am to avoid the heat.
The goal today was the Baker Meadows - Timber Creek Loop. I had not hiked this before and neither had the rest of the family. This was going to be an adventure. The trail started with a climb. Jacqueline and I had made the hike out to Baker Lake before and Tim and I had done the same when we went to the Magic Grove, but we had not been on this section of trail. It turned out to be really nice. Most of the trail was next to a creek with a well-maintained path and pleasantly climbing uphill. The kids were troopers as usual, with really no complaints as we made our way up. The highlight, though was the meadow. With 10 -13,000 foot peaks all around us, the views were amazing.
We had Wheeler Peak and soon to be formerly Jefferson Davis Peak. Most importantly, there was Pyramid Peak, the place where I had proposed to Jacqueline. Great Basin really was a part of who we were as a family and here we were in the midst of all its beauty. Baker Meadows was fantastic. We continued on our way until we hit the junction. I convinced Jacqueline to let me hike the little piece of trail that connected this section to the Johnson Lake trail. I had to rush rush rush to hike that section while they sat and waited for me. It was the ugliest part of the trail and probably in the worst shape, but I did the mile and a half or so in record time and then made it back to the family.
From there we continued on our way, but we had a loop to come back on. The Timber Creek section which we thought would be the least exciting section, turned out to be rather nice. It was mostly flat, but slightly downhill. The forest was nice and the creek was wonderful. We really had a great day on this hike. We got 10 miles in and had a fantastic day with still lots of time to hang around the campsite with our friends the mice. Jacqueline was all paranoid because of the mice being around and they were pretty aggressive. We left some of our food out which was a mistake and they found it. So we had to do a better job. Still, despite the company, the site provided a great spot for games and family fun. We spent a very enjoyable night sleeping in the beautiful spot next to the creek. The next morning, I let everyone sleep in while I sat by the campsite and read a book. I had been reading this list of books and Diary of a Wimpy Kid was on it. Since this was my kids favorite series, I quickly sat down and read the entire book while they slept. Once everyone was up we packed up camp. We did a quick walk on the Osceola Ditch Trail, but then it was on the road. We made our way back home ready to make the best of our last month in Southern Utah.
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