I recently took a trip to Alpine Lakes High Camp, and boy was it a trip for the memory books. This was a trip I took with a girlfriend, Kirsten, and a few other gals from her bookclub who I had never met. High Camp is quite close to my house and I’ve heard incredible things about it so it was a trip I just couldn’t turn down.
Our trip started in a parking lot 15 minutes away from my house. We got picked up by our driver in his Land Rover, he threw our gear on the top of his truck, strapped it down and packed us in. He drove us 8.5 miles up a very, very rough road. We winded our way up the mountain to the Alpine Lakes High Camp, a series of small, rustic cabins set in literally the middle of nowhere.
High Camp is off-grid – no electricity and no running water in the cabins. We had a wood burning stove for heat and a propane cooktop to prepare food. Sleeping was bunk-style – we slept in our sleeping bags in the loft/attic of the A-frame cabin. I’d heard it referred to as “glamping” but there was definitely nothing glamorous here!
We did a hike every day, with the highlight being our 11.5 mile trek to Larch Lake. The hike was strenuous, with nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain and lots of downed trees to shimmy over. The reward was high and so picturesque.
I’ve never seen anything like Larch Lake before. It felt like we were in the middle of a Dr Seuss book with twisty, spindly Larch trees surrounding us.
The scene at Larch Lake was so magical. It was just breathtaking.
Our hike was so enjoyable and was most certainly the highlight of the trip. We had the lake to ourselves upon arrival, though our visit was quite quick given how chilly and windy it was.
I was quite out of my comfort zone being in such a remote location, essentially with strangers, but it’s those experiences that have a way of leaving a mark. Definitely a bit of type 2 fun!
