August 17, 2007
Eastern Sierras Lessons Learned
I've been to the Eastern Sierras many times before, but this time was slightly different in that we stayed in hotels the entire time and didn't go any day hike over 6 miles. Some things I will change for the next trip include:
Don't stay in a hotel at all (they are nice but you can easily sleep in and kill time watching TV or surfing the web)
Do tougher hikes (that means both Timber and I need to challenge ourselves more)
Overall it was a fun trip. I was bummed that we were not able to get permits to backpack in the Bishop Pass area but we made up for it by doing 4 day hikes and getting to spend time in areas that we had not been before. There are tons of great hikes and backpacking trips in the Eastern Sierras. There are also a few good places to eat. Here are my recommendations from this trip:
Erik Schatt's Bakery (Bishop) -> Great pastries, sandwiches, etc... They have tons of variety and everything is good.
Looney Bean Coffee -> Good drinks and free wifi (both in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes
Mobile Gas Station near Lee Vining -> Gourmet food, the best you'll ever get at a gas station. The lobster taquitos were to die for.
Mountain Light Gallery -> Inspirational photography.