2. Conquering the High Peaks. We hiked for a total of about ten miles to the High Peaks and back. It was about a six-hour hike, with an elevation gain of 1,400 ft. The hike is not difficult, although National Parks labels the High Peaks to Bear Gulch “strenuous”. This is probably because there are points in the trail that are super steep, especially the part leading to the main peak. Where it’s too steep, there are bars you can hold on too so you would not fall.

This is also the place where we saw the California condors flying almighty high. We got lucky because there was a biologist and a ranger at the peak, letting people look through her scope to get a closer view of the condors.

3. Admiring the Reservoir. After reaching the Peak, we decided to go check the cave. Very near the cave is the Bear Gulch Reservoir, the area is a welcome sight after walking for hours without seeing any water (except for what’s in your water bottle) It is not that big of a reservoir either (that part) but it is beautifully lined with green trees making it a perfect spot to rest and perhaps, have a small picnic. We did not really spend a lot of time here. We just walked passed by it and headed direct to our target destination, the Bear Gulch Cave.

4. Exploring the Bear Gulch Cave. Bear Gulch Cave was a lot cooler than we expected. To “survive” inside, you would need a headlamp, or a flashlight, or in our case, a cellphone. Okay, a cellphone as a source of light might not be great advice but that was all that we have, aside from Larry’s faint headlamp. We got there after a day of rain so the cave was mostly wet, we had to step on the ground with probably a few inches of rain. It was also super dark in some areas that any sign of light feels like a beacon of hope that you will survive. You have to be extra careful too cause you could bump your head in areas where the ceilings are low as you cannot see them since it is dark.

We had a funny experience though and I think it is interesting to share. The six of us got in the cave at the same time, but somehow we lost half our crew who were walking ahead of us. The trail down is steep only one can pass by at any given time. We could hear them so we thought they were still ahead of us so we were surprised to see them “arrive”. This about ten minutes after we got to the picnic grounds already very far from the cave. The cave is a home for Townsend’s big-eared bats too. We did not see them though when we were there.

5. Slow Hike at South Wilderness. We spent our last day at Pinnacles with a slow hike at the South Wilderness Trail. It’s probably the trail less-traveled. I remember seeing only about ten other hikers besides us. There is no elevation gain here, so it’s a relaxing trail to hike through. There are a few surprises though. We saw a huge valley oak, and it was so grand we had to stop. There’s also this stream along the way which offers a cold refreshing salve to hikers’ tired feet.

So what is there to enjoy at the Desolation Wilderness? Here are our picks:

1. Surrounding Yourself with Nature. Desolation is a nature feast. There is so much to discover and rediscover when you surround yourself with nature. You get to see surrealistic places like the island at the Heather Lake. If you are lucky, you can even get to see the sun cast its first rays on it first thing in the morning if you camp near it. Also, when I say nature, it’s not just these snow-capped mountains, the pines, and the magnificent granite rock formations. It is also seeing marmots, deer, several species of birds – including a red-tailed hawk!

2. Chasing Meteors. On our second night, we laid on a big boulder by our next campsite at the Lake of the Woods. We traced constellations and counted meteors while watching the glorious night sky. We were way up in the mountains, but probably a few hundred ft elevation less than when we were at Lake Aloha, which was an elevation gain of 2000 ft from Glen Alpine. There, we were able to enjoy an unobstructed view of the Milky Way, made more special because of the Perseid Meteor shower.

3. Appreciating People. This may be ironic but I feel that when you’re used to being in a city like San Francisco (or Manila) where there’s just too many people, most of whom you ignore, backpacking to a place like this where you are surrounded by about less than seven people at any given time makes you appreciate people even more. When you’re at the wilderness, you have more time to introspect and strengthen your relationship with others — in my case, my husband and our friends. For a couple of nights, it was just us — we cooked meals together, shared stories, learned from each other. And it’s not just about other people, you will learn a lot about yourself too, as I did. You would learn more about your character, how strong you are and could be (mentally and physically), and your connection to the rest of the earth — this, unless your lifelong goal is to be an hermit, of course.

4. Swimming in Cold Waters. I am honestly not a fan of swimming in cold waters. However, after hours of trekking, dipping in lakes so cold suddenly wasn’t as bad of an idea. Larry and I discovered saw a mini waterfall while exploring after having set up camp at Lake of the Woods, and well, I had to do it. Despite the cold, I jumped in (and then out after about three minutes, haha). Larry was so much braver. Among us, he was the only one who would readily jump in any of the cold lakes we had seen. Brrrrr.

5. Conquering Yourself. The Desolation Wilderness is an adventure where you can conquer yourself. Along with its beauty are obstacles a beginner backpacker like me might find intimidating — boulders, heights, cold spells, extreme heat, hunger and thirst. But, as Larry would say, “You don’t have to go fast, you just have to keep walking.” Every time I find myself thinking “I’m so tired” or “This is too steep”, I would remind myself to just keep walking. Then, I would just see myself conquering whatever mental obstacle I had that had me feeling physically limited.

I specifically remember our trip downhill, after already about more than five hours of hiking from the mountains back to the trailhead. My knees had become wobbly and we had to traverse this extremely steep and narrow trail. I was so tired and then we saw an old lady looking way past her sixties, hiking uphill alone. We talked for a bit, wished each other a happy hike. In my mind, though, I had an image of a strong woman imprinted, and how inspiring for me she truly is.