Two weeks in the Jennie Lakes Wilderness - Part 2
In part 1 of this, my wife and I spent 3 days at Jennie Lake. After our trip, my wife flew back home and I picked my son, Brandon, up at the airport for part 2, a 4 day trip.
Our original plan was to go south into the Golden Trout Wilderness, but due to the extreme drought conditions, it was highly recommended to seek out the high alpine lakes instead of the small creeks at lower elevations. After some quick search for beta and asking around some of the local fly shops, we settled on a trek back into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, but this time up to Seville Lake.
We set out from the Rowell Meadows trailhead for a fairly strenuous 6.5 miles. You have a big elevation gain of over 1,000 feet in the first 2 miles. Once at about 9,000 feet, it levels off for the next 2.5-3 miles and then there's a drop of about 400 feet in 1 mile or so to Seville Lake.
Like the trip my wife and I did the week before, there were some really nice meadows, especially Rowell Meadow. We did pass through some areas that were affected by some recent fires. We had planned on filtering water on the way up, carrying only about a liter of water each. The harsh drought had turned the creeks along the trail to nothing more than trickles, forcing us to wait until we got to Seville Lake to filter some water. This is something to be aware of if you do this hike.
Just before you arrive at Seville Lake, you pass through a pretty dense swath of trees, keeping you from seeing the lake until you are at the lake. It's quite a beauty when you get there.
After filtering some of the cool, pristine water and re-hydrating a bit, we set up camp. We found plenty of flat ground to set up our tent and still have a nice view of the lake. You can find plenty of sites on 3 sides of the lake.
Now, it was time to get the fly rods out and see if we couldn't have better luck than I did the week prior at Jennie Lake. Since it was later in the day, we could see a hatch starting and many trout rising. Brandon tied on his favorite fly, a tan Elk Hair Caddis. He started what would be a record trip for the both of us, slaying the brookies. Over the next two full days, we would lose count at over 60-70 fish, all catch and release, of course.
Since we were now at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, Brandon and I stayed up a little late that first night to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. As I had hoped, it was quite a show. Even with a bright, high moon, I was able to see an amazing display of nature. I had never seen a meteor shower, only a few shooting stars. This was more than I had expected. At times, huge streaks of light would race across the sky. Once or twice, I even saw what looked like a fireball streaking through the towering trees around our camp. If you're ever planning trips for late summer, I highly recommend finding a low light pollution area around the 8/14 date every year. You won't be disappointed, just be sure to stay up to around midnight or later.
The next day, we spent the entire day at Seville Lake catching tons of brookies. We may have seen less than a handful of people. We did have one gentleman come up to our camp looking for some of his friends. It's been one of the few times I've been a little nervous meeting people in the backcountry. Mind you, we're about 7 miles into the wilderness and he has nothing more than a bottle of water and a very large Bowie knife on his hip. No other gear, no map, no compass. He gave us a brief description of where he thought they might be and we consulted our map. I found a trail on the map that would take him there, but he deemed that it was a more direct route to go up and over the steep granite ridge behind Seville Lake. He thanked us for the help and he set out on his way.
There were a few other small lakes around Seville Lake. Since we were having little or no challenge catching fish out of Seville, we decided to give some of the other area lakes a go. We found no signs of life in any of the other nearby lakes, but saw some tremendous scenery.
On the third day, Brandon and I planned to head over to Lost Lake for a try. We packed up the cooking equipment and the fly rods and set out for a short 2+ mile trek. Lost Lake is a nice little tarn, but is a bit challenging to fish. The lake is pretty well ringed with trees right up to the shore. There is a few slabs of granite that protrude into the lake that make nice fishing spots, though. And, as we did at Seville Lake, we caught a mess of fish. Brandon continued to slay them. Here we found a mix of trout, still predominantly brookies, but a few rainbows.
Now, fortunately, we brought the cooking equipment, because we forgot to bring the water filter. After a few hours baking in the afternoon sun, we had finished off our water supply. This is the first, and ONLY, time I have ever had to boil water to drink. I am fairly certain, it will be the LAST time as well. It is real easy to boil the water and purify it, it's a whole other game of getting it cooled off enough to drink. When you're extremely thirsty and staring at a cool, clear, pristine lake, you get really impatient waiting for the water to at least cool to tepid to get a sip.
While we were waiting, we fixed a little lunch of tuna and mac-n-cheese. We found a spot of shade, took a nap and relaxed. After another hour or so of fishing, we set off heading back to Seville Lake. We spent one last night at Seville Lake. I caught another showing of the Perseids and in the morning we packed up to head back out. On the way out, we caught a glimpse of an ominous sign that reminded us, in the bakcountry, we're not at the top of the food chain.
When we arrived back at Sequoia National Park, we found a good burger joint in the park and dug into a big burger and some sweet potato fries.
It was a great couple of trips, back-to-back. I'd love to do it again. If you ever find yourself in Sequoia National Park and you're looking for some places to go for a quick overnight or two night backcountry excursion, I highly recommend venturing into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness. There's easy access from all around Sequoia NP, including the Lodgepole Campground.
Our original plan was to go south into the Golden Trout Wilderness, but due to the extreme drought conditions, it was highly recommended to seek out the high alpine lakes instead of the small creeks at lower elevations. After some quick search for beta and asking around some of the local fly shops, we settled on a trek back into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness, but this time up to Seville Lake.
We set out from the Rowell Meadows trailhead for a fairly strenuous 6.5 miles. You have a big elevation gain of over 1,000 feet in the first 2 miles. Once at about 9,000 feet, it levels off for the next 2.5-3 miles and then there's a drop of about 400 feet in 1 mile or so to Seville Lake.
Like the trip my wife and I did the week before, there were some really nice meadows, especially Rowell Meadow. We did pass through some areas that were affected by some recent fires. We had planned on filtering water on the way up, carrying only about a liter of water each. The harsh drought had turned the creeks along the trail to nothing more than trickles, forcing us to wait until we got to Seville Lake to filter some water. This is something to be aware of if you do this hike.
Just before you arrive at Seville Lake, you pass through a pretty dense swath of trees, keeping you from seeing the lake until you are at the lake. It's quite a beauty when you get there.
Arrival at Seville Lake
After filtering some of the cool, pristine water and re-hydrating a bit, we set up camp. We found plenty of flat ground to set up our tent and still have a nice view of the lake. You can find plenty of sites on 3 sides of the lake.
Now, it was time to get the fly rods out and see if we couldn't have better luck than I did the week prior at Jennie Lake. Since it was later in the day, we could see a hatch starting and many trout rising. Brandon tied on his favorite fly, a tan Elk Hair Caddis. He started what would be a record trip for the both of us, slaying the brookies. Over the next two full days, we would lose count at over 60-70 fish, all catch and release, of course.
One of the many brookies we caught
Since we were now at the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, Brandon and I stayed up a little late that first night to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. As I had hoped, it was quite a show. Even with a bright, high moon, I was able to see an amazing display of nature. I had never seen a meteor shower, only a few shooting stars. This was more than I had expected. At times, huge streaks of light would race across the sky. Once or twice, I even saw what looked like a fireball streaking through the towering trees around our camp. If you're ever planning trips for late summer, I highly recommend finding a low light pollution area around the 8/14 date every year. You won't be disappointed, just be sure to stay up to around midnight or later.
The next day, we spent the entire day at Seville Lake catching tons of brookies. We may have seen less than a handful of people. We did have one gentleman come up to our camp looking for some of his friends. It's been one of the few times I've been a little nervous meeting people in the backcountry. Mind you, we're about 7 miles into the wilderness and he has nothing more than a bottle of water and a very large Bowie knife on his hip. No other gear, no map, no compass. He gave us a brief description of where he thought they might be and we consulted our map. I found a trail on the map that would take him there, but he deemed that it was a more direct route to go up and over the steep granite ridge behind Seville Lake. He thanked us for the help and he set out on his way.
There were a few other small lakes around Seville Lake. Since we were having little or no challenge catching fish out of Seville, we decided to give some of the other area lakes a go. We found no signs of life in any of the other nearby lakes, but saw some tremendous scenery.
On the third day, Brandon and I planned to head over to Lost Lake for a try. We packed up the cooking equipment and the fly rods and set out for a short 2+ mile trek. Lost Lake is a nice little tarn, but is a bit challenging to fish. The lake is pretty well ringed with trees right up to the shore. There is a few slabs of granite that protrude into the lake that make nice fishing spots, though. And, as we did at Seville Lake, we caught a mess of fish. Brandon continued to slay them. Here we found a mix of trout, still predominantly brookies, but a few rainbows.
Lost Lake
Now, fortunately, we brought the cooking equipment, because we forgot to bring the water filter. After a few hours baking in the afternoon sun, we had finished off our water supply. This is the first, and ONLY, time I have ever had to boil water to drink. I am fairly certain, it will be the LAST time as well. It is real easy to boil the water and purify it, it's a whole other game of getting it cooled off enough to drink. When you're extremely thirsty and staring at a cool, clear, pristine lake, you get really impatient waiting for the water to at least cool to tepid to get a sip.
Father and son after a long day of slaying fish
While we were waiting, we fixed a little lunch of tuna and mac-n-cheese. We found a spot of shade, took a nap and relaxed. After another hour or so of fishing, we set off heading back to Seville Lake. We spent one last night at Seville Lake. I caught another showing of the Perseids and in the morning we packed up to head back out. On the way out, we caught a glimpse of an ominous sign that reminded us, in the bakcountry, we're not at the top of the food chain.
Fresh claw marks on both sides of a tree about 50 yards from our tent
When we arrived back at Sequoia National Park, we found a good burger joint in the park and dug into a big burger and some sweet potato fries.
It was a great couple of trips, back-to-back. I'd love to do it again. If you ever find yourself in Sequoia National Park and you're looking for some places to go for a quick overnight or two night backcountry excursion, I highly recommend venturing into the Jennie Lakes Wilderness. There's easy access from all around Sequoia NP, including the Lodgepole Campground.
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