For our annual Father’s Day backpacking trip, we had planned on setting up camp along the Pacific Crest Trail between Highway 80 and Donner Pass Road. My brother and dad went out a day before me and ultimately decided it wasn’t a great location for a variety of reasons. So we decided to go to Long Lake at the base of Devils Peak. This trip was the first backpacking trip for my youngest, which made for a very rewarding experience waking up with my 2 kids next to me on Father’s Day (with my dad, brother and his kids there as well).

The photo below was taken at sunset from nearby Cascade Lakes. We had decent clouds at sunset because a storm was rolling in overnight (we got hit with a bit of rain at just above freezing temperatures as we began our Father’s Day). I wasn’t thrilled with the composition, but the clouds lighting up at sunset made it a great photo to remember the trip with.

Here is the group from this year (I probably should have stood on a rock like everyone else so I didn’t look like the short one):