Chico BrewFest

[Soulrebel]

Just wanted to shoot you guys a note and say thanks for "saving" us a place in line! We had a great time and I hope you all did too. Let us know about the hiking trip you have planned. Next time were going to Ben's to drink all of HIS beer afterward.
Cheers,
Steve

[BenDoney]

haha! That was great running into you guys, I had a lot of fun (maybe too much?)! The dates we've got planned for the hiking trip are July 10th-13th. The more the merrier, we'd love to have you join us and anyone else interested. The first day is a bit of a haul, but we've got all day to do it. After that we'll just be kicking back and enjoying the clean mountain air. Here's the plan:

Start at the trailhead at Stuart Fork, then hike in to Morris Meadows. Next day move camp up the trail closer to Emerald Lake. Hike out on Sunday or early Monday morning.

Thursday 7/9: Leave Chico by 6pm, get to the trailhead campground around 9pm (2.5 hrs driving time)

Friday 7/10: Hike to Morris Meadows (8.5 miles uphill - 2600' to 4200' el.). Hike will take the better part of the day, with a stop in the middle of the day for lunch. Give this hike 6 hours since it is a relatively strenuous hike, make time for plenty of rest. The end point has plenty of campgrounds and access to fresh water at Stuart Fork.

Saturday 7/11: Hike 4 miles to Emerald Lake campground. Most of this hike is easy going, the last mile or so is pretty steep. Should take under 3 hours, so leaves plenty of time for playing in the lake and/or hiking up to Saphire/Diamond lakes.

Sunday 7/12: Option 1: Hike all the way back to the trailhead (wake up early, that's a big 13 mile hike downhill!). Head home or camp at the trailhead campground.
Option 2: Spend the day hiking to the other lakes and swimming. Head back to Morris Meadows in the afternoon and camp for the night.

Monday 7/13: Hike back down to the trailhead (8.5 miles). Have dinner in Weaverville and drive back to Chico (2.5 hours). Should get back in around 8pm.