Meet up anyone?

During one of the REI workshops a fellow hiker and I started talking, I went on to tell her about how most of my hiking is solo, she introduced me to meetup.com’s Central Valley Hiking Group.  It’s a great site that connects you to other outdoor enthusiasts.  There are “meet ups” to different hiking trails not too far from home.  Meet ups include hikes to the Yosemite, Kings, & Sequoia National Parks as well as into the Wilderness, to name a few.  It was a very interesting experience for me since I was used to hiking alone and on my own.  Not to mention it offers hikers the chance to carpool to the destinations.  Here is my first Meet Up experience with the Central Valley Hiking Group.  

Hobler Lake out of Courtwright Reservoir – August 20, 2011 

About twenty or hikers met at Starbucks at 630 a.m. on a Saturday.  It was interesting to go to Starbucks not knowing who you are meeting.  Marianne, the organizer of the event welcomed me.  Everyone I met seemed friendly and kind.  After a brief introduction by everyone, those who wanted to drive were asked to raise their hands. With this being my first “meet up” I felt I wanted to drive.  I had two takers who decided to drive with me.  Dave and Shelley were troopers. It was a tad bit chilly on the way up with the top off the Jeep.  I just reminded them that on the way down after hiking all day, it’s going to feel great!

I had never been to Courtwright Reservoir.  The elevation is close to 8200 feet and has access to fishing, camping, boating, hiking, and 4x4.  From the bridge you could see multiple domes surrounding the reservoir. On the opposite side of the bridge was the valley from Courtwright to Wishon, another reservoir down the way. It looked like a small canyon with the depth of the valley being much lower.

Getting the trailhead was pretty simple.  There was a fairly large parking lot with plenty of room for hikers and backpackers to park at. We headed to Hobler Lake from the Maxson Trailhead.  The beginning of the trail is actually a 4x4 road.  The loop trail is about 12 miles and is located in the John Muir Wilderness.  

The trail was nice, it was mostly shaded and the elevation gain was minimal (less than 1,000) however you are at higher elevation.   Hobler Lake reminded me of Brewer Lake.  It was surrounded by trees and peaceful which made up for the annoying mosquitos!   It made me wish I would have taken my fishing pole.  The hike continued up to a meadow and back down the trail.  Following the hike most of the meet up group headed to the market for either an ice cold beverage or ice cream. 

 I hope to join another Meet Up hike soon!  

More to come: Kaiser Peak and Mt. Whitney