First Backpacking Trip – Bishop Pass

June 3rd we started our journey from Victorville, California to Bishop, California. Bishop is about a 3 hour drive from where we are, but first we went a little out of our way to Mammoth, California.

First Stop: Mammoth

Most of us know Mammoth as one of the best places to ski and snowboard during the winter but there is a ton of hikes and outdoor activities to do in the summer as well! To no surprise even in the summer months it still can be chilly at night. Some years the snow season can go all the way out to July! Our stop in Mammoth was not the main attraction to our trip but I am going to point out two highlights of our stop. The first is the Inyo Craters! You can get to the Inyo Crater by taking a 1.6 mile trail. When you arrive you will see the bright green water and a beautiful mountainous view surrounding it! I am going to link the hike below so you can check it out for yourself. It is definitely a must see when visiting the area and a great way to get out of the car and move your legs a little bit after a long drive!

Trail Link: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/inyo-craters-trail

Best Camping Spot

During our previous visit to Mammoth we came across a last minute camping spot that led to a crazy adventure. So, before I even mention where it is, I do NOT recommend staying here during the winter, even if you think you can make it with a 4×4, you won’t. During our first visit to this spot, there was a ton of snow covering the ground. We figured since we had a Jeep Wrangler we would be fine. Little did we know we’d end up stuck out there for 4 hours and have to be rescued by a monster truck for $300. With that being said, it is an amazing place during the summer lol. I am going to include the link and it is a great place with no crowds. https://freeroam.app/campground/overnight-next-to-a-hot-springs-warmed-stream

If you haven’t heard of the app free roam, it’s amazing! I provides all of the BLM land for camping and makes the search 1,000 times easier. Just type in your location and it will show all of the unowned land around you where you can camp for free!

Next up.. Bishop

Trail link: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/bishop-pass-trail-south-lake-to-leconte-canyon?search=true

We have always talked about doing a backpacking trip but had never officially planned one until we found this trail. This trail is called Bishop Pass Trail- South Lake to Leconte Canyon. It is a 21.8 mile out-and-back hike, which we knew would be a challenge. We honestly hadn’t practiced too much for this so this was really our first time hiking with full backpacks and not acclimated to elevation. We are physically fit though so we knew mentally it was something we could push through, and that we did.

Before arriving at the trial head I was extremely nervous about encountering a bear but as soon as we started the trail, that was the last thing on my mind. As we started walking the realness was kicking it and it instantly became a hard workout. This trail is full of little steps so it was basically a long stair climb on level 15. If you have been on the stairs at the gym, you know that feels like death lol. Luckily I have an amazing, strong boyfriend. So, Jaylen had a lot heavier of a backpack than me. Still, having all of the equipment we needed felt like carrying rocks up a mountain. When we got to the first lake it made it all worth it and we knew the trek was going to be amazing! The hike passed about five lakes, which we did think about jumping into but decided that would probably make the rest of the trip a lot less enjoyable considering it was freezing.

We knew that the trail would still have snow on it based on recents reviews, but we didn’t realize exactly how much there really would be. Some of the most fun parts of the whole hike were when we had to trek through snow and snow cliffs.

Over the Pass

Pictured above was definitely the most sketchy part of the pass. The snow that is on the slant to the right is a massive cliff so we had to trust the the snow wouldn’t cave in. This was terrifying and exhilarating. Talk about an adrenaline rush. Going up the pass was the most tough part of the trail physically because there was a ton of elevation gain and too many switchbacks to count. The trek down got a little confusing at one point because we lost the trail but once we found it we were smooth sailing.

Campsite

Initially our plan was to camp in Leconte Canyon but we ended up stopping a bit before that. We had passed people that had camped there the night before and said that there were a ton of bugs and we didn’t want to deal with that if we didn’t have to. Our camp spot ended up being perfect, we were surrounded by lakes and mountains. My biggest fear was that we’d get eaten by a bear while we were sleeping so I did not sleep until the sun was out in the morning lol. Jaylen got a wonderful nights rest. My goal for next time is to sleep.

Importance of Food

We thought we were prepared food wise but when we pulled out the food to make we realized some of our food wasn’t going to work. The best meals to bring backpacking are the mountain house adventure meals. You can find these in stores like REI or even in walmart! Luckily we had two of these that we were able to share but the rest of our food was calling for a boiling pot for an hour. Beginner mistake! We survived but the trek back we slowed down on the footage and were trying to not be hangry. We did have two cliff bars to ration throughout the hike which were instant mood boosters.

Would we do it again?

We are already planning our next backpacking trips which are going to be a blast! We are aiming for three or four in 2023 and our locations are sick, so stay tuned for those! Check out our instagram @joyfultraveling_ which I will link below to stay up to date with our adventures! If you have any questions about this trail or any of our other adventures leave us a message on our contact page! We’ll talk to you guys soon!

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