We went up to Pinecrest Lake for our May canoe trip, as a visit to the area before Camp Hi Sierra in June! The paddle was fantastic, and the views of the surrounding forest were pristine.
On the drive up, we stopped by two gas stations because the food mart wasn’t open at the first one, and arrived at Pinecrest Lake by 10:30am. We unloaded the canoes by 11am, and paddled on the circumference of the lake, which is just under 4mi. We then stopped for lunch at a picnic spot- some scouts waded to a nearby island to enjoy their lunch, while others stayed by the lakeshore picnic tables. After lunch, we paddled back to the dock, and spent some time practicing steering strokes (C, D, & J strokes + ruddering), in preparation for the upcoming 50miler. Then, we loaded up the canoes, paddles and pfds, and headed to our campsite.
Our campsite was none other than an area near aquatics, in Camp Hi Sierra! Scouts and adults got to experience the camp in a different way, as we were the only ones there. Everyone set up camp and cooked their food (we drew clean water from the bathroom sinks), and scouts enjoyed playing several rounds of the card game “go fish!” before sunset.
We drove back in the morning, and finished unloading and washing the canoes by lunchtime.
