We drove down to Mineral King for some camping and hiking over Labor Day weekend. We caught up with old friends and new, simply enjoying the outdoors, company, and gourmet meals that have set a new standard for camping dinners in general.

After the mutually long drives, we gathered around the fire on the first night, being spoiled by Tom & Tim’s steaks over charcoal and an equally satisfying vegetarian dish over the cast iron.

Our crew woke up early to beat the heat wave and get started on the hike to Eagle Lake. Interestingly enough, the site supplied tarps for us to wrap our vehicles. Apparently Marmots, will eat up your car cables? Definitely a new one for me.

The landscape changed from grassy valleys to tree-covered pathways under dappled sunshine, and rocky alpine terrain with full exposure closer to the top. Admittedly, I made a few stops along the way simply taking in the views and taking photos while resting in between. Feeling a bit more winded than usual, I was thankful the guys didn’t seem to mind me trailing a bit further behind.

I’m extremely thankful to my husband, Irving who introduced me to the joys of camping. Even though there wasn’t a ton of water at the lake (due to forest fire emergencies), it was still beautiful.

I suppose as we all get a little older, we all get a little stiffer. Here are the guys doing some stretches on our way down, back into the valley.

We rolled back to camp for a cold dip in the river next to camp, a hearty stew for dinner, and companionable conversation around the fire late into the night. Already looking forward to the next adventure and hope to travel with this group again soon.