Five guys take on Sword Lake. Ying and Jack joined the Silas-Daniel-Richard triumvirate for their first foray into the wilderness. The drive into Stanislaus was pleasant. We stopped by the Summit Ranger Station in Pinecrest to pick up our free permits. Gabriel remembered me from my last trip. We turned off at Clark Fork Road, before Dardanelle. Crossed two bridges, then slowly drove up 6N06, a gravel road, pretty rough at times. At the very end, we found a few pick up trucks and the County Line trail head.

The trail begins with a decent uphill climb, before transitioning to a long gradual descent. It was a very pretty hike, despite being late in the season. Lots of partially wooded areas and scenic vistas. We passed through what was probably a meadow busy with flowers earlier in the season. Before we knew it, we arrived at Sword Lake. At a leisurely pace, we arrived in one hour. The trip must have only been two miles, one way. The trail takes you to the South-East corner of the lake. We picked our campsite on the Western end. The area is very scenic, with a large bluff framing the Eastern backdrop. We set up camp, then clambered up a hill to overlook Spicer Meadow Reservoir and one fine sunset. We returned to camp as the light faded, setup a fire, and ate and talked into the evening.

hammock

sword

sunset

Night was a little rough. Strong winds, then light rain around 0300. I unslung my hammock and laid under Silas’ tarp.

Waking up, everyone else was pretty cold. We made a fire and ate some breakfast. I took a dip in the frigid Sword Lake. Along the hike back, I scavenged for wildflowers, for Shin. The drive back down 6N06 was easy going, compared to up.