From Rock Lake to Sand Harbor

We left the high desert and carried our packs four miles into California's Lakes Basin Recreation Area, climbing 1,135 feet to reach Rock Lake at 6,300 feet elevation. The lake sits tucked between granite walls, mirror-still in early morning light. This is the kind of quiet that makes you understand why alpine lakes exist beyond the reach of roads.

Day two brought our longest single hike of the season: 14.6 miles circumnavigating Mt. Elwell with day packs only, including a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. Six lakes revealed themselves through granite corridors: Grass Lake, Wades Lake, Rock Lake (our camp), Jamison Lake, Smith Lake, and Long Lake. We took cold plunges at Rock Lake and Long Lake, swimming just long enough to remember why mountain lake swimming requires mental courage, but rewards you completely.

Day three brought us back to Reno where the week featured a couple of days at Lake Tahoe beginning with an excellent Production of Twelfth Night at the annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival. We also enjoyed walking the Tahoe East Shore Trail from Hidden Beach to Sand Harbor during the perfect August weather. The path follows the shoreline for a couple miles, ending at one of Tahoe's most photographed beaches. We floated in the blue water during late afternoon sun before it dropped behind the western peaks, simply enjoying calm time before our upcoming September road trips.

Watch our latest video: Backpacking California’s Lost Sierra

Regional travel forces constant adaptation: Nevada’s desert demanded shade and dust protection, while the Sierra requires layers and cold-weather preparation.

Our backpacking equipment has been purchased over time and refined over several years of use. Here's our current setup for maximizing comfort while minimizing weight:

Key Gear List:

For video production while backpacking, we only carried our small, lightweight tripod (Joby GripTight), which worked perfectly for key shots. We look forward to testing our new audio equipment (DJI Mic 2) in a couple of Utah’s National Parks (Zion and Bryce).

Performance Notes:

These real-world tests help us plan future trips with confidence in our gear readiness, weight distribution, mileage tolerance, and elevation strategies.

The Sierra Nevada teaches that alpine environments demand patience and respect. Weather changes rapidly above treeline, afternoon thunderstorms can build quickly (though we encountered none), and the most beautiful camps often require challenging approaches. This rugged landscape rewards preparation over spontaneity.

The Southwest will teach us different lessons on our next trip: water consciousness in Zion's hanging gardens, geological time in Bryce's hoodoo formations, and the intersection of natural wonder with human spectacle in Las Vegas. Each ecosystem doesn't just change the view. It changes daily rhythm, physical demands, and how we approach documentation.

We're particularly interested in how different landscapes affect content creation. Sierra granite and mountain lakes provide natural light reflectors. Desert sandstone offers warm light but harsh midday conditions. Urban Vegas will test mobile workflows in artificial environments entirely.

Lakes Basin: Backcountry cooking over our Jetboil MiniMo, where easy freeze-dried backpacking meals become satisfying through effort. Verve Coffee Roasters Craft Instant tastes even better at elevation with a beautiful lake view.

Tahoe East Shore: Beach picnic with simple provisions and afternoon swimming.

Coming Soon: Camp dinners on the road, regional barbecue in Tropic, Utah, Southwestern food in Zion, and finer dining options during our one-night Vegas hotel stay.

The food experiences reflect our travel philosophy: elevation and effort enhance simple pleasures, while occasional luxury becomes more meaningful through contrast.

Lakes Basin Recreation Area & Lake Tahoe

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Next week: Time in Reno with pool relaxation, trip prep, and live music with Battle of the Bands and Reno CityFest.

Coming soon: Dispatches from Zion, Bryce, and the transition from natural wonder to Vegas spectacle.

After next week's Reno festivities, we'll embark on a six-day road trip spanning Nevada and Utah. We're building in working sessions on several mornings to test our digital nomad travel gear, including secondary screens. The route moves through dramatically different ecosystems and elevations:

Our gear is tested, our packs are dialed in, and our sense of travel rhythm grows steadier with each regional trip. Next week brings time to settle into Reno's rhythms with CityFest, an outdoor Christian music festival, before our longest Nevada road trip yet.

The heart of the project remains consistent: slowing down enough to notice place, wherever we land. The upcoming Southwest road trip represents a bridge between weekend exploration and sustained nomadic flow. We're eager to discover what that transition teaches us.

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Until next week,
S&S

Some Great Place
Living local in a global world