Journeys›Photograph

A Socially Distant Summer Hike in the Sierras

·Tuolumne County, California·#road-trip#hiking#california#summer#sierra nevada
Two masked people stand in front of the Iron Door Saloon, California's Oldest Saloon, with a street and trees behind them.

We started our August 2020 road trip with a stop in Groveland, passing by the historic Iron Door Saloon. It was a strange time for travel, with masks on even for a quick photo op on a quiet town street.

Leaving town, we headed up into the Sierra Nevada. The drive itself was beautiful, with views opening up over vast pine forests and distant mountains. We spotted a deep blue lake surrounded by peaks that still held a little bit of snow, even in the middle of summer.

We found a trail that led us into a wide, grassy meadow cut through by a shallow, crystal-clear stream. The sun was bright and the sky had no clouds. It was the perfect place to let the dogs run and to cool our feet in the cold mountain water.

Most of the afternoon was spent just following the stream through the tall grass, surrounded by the quiet of the mountains. It was a simple, peaceful day trip, and a much-needed chance to be out in an open space.

A scenic view of a vast pine forest stretching across hills towards distant mountains, with a blue lake on the right.A wide, calm blue lake with forested mountains and snow-capped peaks under a clear blue sky.Two people and a dog wade through a shallow stream in a grassy meadow with pine trees and forested mountains.Two people and two dogs stand in a shallow stream in a grassy meadow with a forested mountain in the background.Two people and two dogs stand in a shallow stream surrounded by grassy banks, trees, and mountains.Two people and two dogs stand by a stream in a grassy meadow with a forested mountain.A clear stream flows through a sunny meadow with green grass, surrounded by trees and mountains under a blue sky.A clear stream flows through a grassy meadow with pine trees and a forested mountain under a blue sky.

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