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Thirsty Thursday: Twenty Lake Basin Throwback

Rambler: Beth

Drink at Hand: Trader Joe's Sleepy Time Tea...yawn

Its been a unexpectedly and unwelcome busy week here at Welliver Photography after having our cameras stolen, but we're getting through it. Rather than ramble on, I'll get to the photos. Typically on a three day weekend we are out backpacking somewhere in the Sierras or NorCal's Trinity Alps, but this weekend will be a much needed rest and recovery weekend!

Since we aren't headed out, I loaned some gear to a friend and gave her a few suggestions. Two years ago we went to Twenty Lakes Basin in the Hoover Wilderness for Labor Day Weekend. Gorgeous. Still among my favorite trips. Here are a couple photos from that trip that I hadn't posted yet.

Hope you have a great holiday weekend!

Things are a Changin'

Test test. One. Two. One. Two. Is this thing on?

Yeah, we're playing around with a new website. Terry told me to do a test. So this is my test. Complete with a holiday photo of us. Call it our Christmas card. For a long winded explanation of this photo and our Christmas card, scroll down. Or don't. No big deal. I just have to demonstrate to the Welliver Photography IT Department (i.e. Terry) that I can work the new blog.

Lower Conness Lake. Mt Conness in the background. Twenty Lakes Basin. 

So here's the story about this photo. Terry and I were out and about during our weekend backpacking trip to the Twenty Lakes Basin last summer, exploring the Conness Lakes area. I think this was our 13-mi trail day. At one point we bumped into to this adorable old couple (they had to be in their 70s) who were also exploring the high country.  They asked us to take a photo of them and of course we obliged. Then the sweet old lady asked if we wanted them to take our photo, so we said sure.  She snapped the loveliness you see above, then she exclaimed, "You guys are wearing green and red, that will be your Christmas card photo!" We laughed and exchanged thank yous and parted ways. We came home and downloaded this great picture and were very appreciative of that cute old couple miles out on a trail who took our photo (most people get freaked out by our cameras and don't want to touch them). 

Now, the second part of the story. When we first started dating the tv show Friends was pretty popular (still is in our house). There's an episode in which couples Christmas cards come up...Monica and Chandler were dating and Monica suggested a Christmas card, Chandler said, "no way, its too soon!" Maybe our first or second Christmas I told Terry we should do a Christmas card and Terry said, "No way, its too soon!" Ten years later, that's our own little Christmas joke...still too soon to send out a Christmas card. This will photo have to do. Merry Christmas and Happy Assorted Other December Holidays! 

Thirsty Thursday: Not Too Shabby

Rambler: BethDrink at Hand: 2004 Parrot Ranch Cab Sav

Welcome back for another edition of Thirsty Thursday...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Last weekend was a pretty good one here at Welliver Photography, mainly because we weren't so much "here" as we were "out there" -- the best way to spend a long holiday weekend!

Saturday morning we parked Ellie near Saddlebag Lake and the three of us headed out into the Twenty Lakes Basin in the Hoover Wilderness. The hike to our camping spot was pretty quick and easy, leaving us most of 3 days to explore the endless alpine lakes in this High Sierra basin. Beautiful, glacier-fed lakes nestled beneath 12,000 peaks.

Exploring Shamrock Lake. The middle of the glacier-fed Conness Lakes, roughly 11,000' up. There was one more up above this lake! Requisite glowing tent photo (forgive me, its my first one!). North Peak in the background.

Roughly 3 days and 27 miles later, we had sufficiently explored Twenty Lakes Basin and give it two thumbs up. Over the top beautiful, though I think the 10,000' altitude certainly wore us out by the end!

If you want to visit the Twenty Lakes Basin yourself (and you should!), you can find the trailhead at Saddlebag Lake, 2 miles north of Highway 120 / Tioga Pass (the dirt road to Saddlebag Lake roughly 4 miles from the east gate to Yosemite National Park). There is a shuttle boat that will take you across Saddlebag Lake and drop you very close to the first of many lakes in the basin without having to do more than a half mile of hiking. Get out there and check it out!