by Luke Longatti
On Friday, Aug. 30, the Glissaders embarked on their journey to the Jackass Lake trailhead. The hike began early in the morning light and roughly three miles up the mountain, the group made it to the lake. Camp was made and some members taking a dip in the pristine waters of the lake.
On the second day of the excursion, the members summited Madera Peak! The first leg of the journey was traversing steep terrain up to upper Jackass lake. The group rested there and regrouped before beginning the second leg of the hike. Using a natural snow melt creek bed as a guide, the Glissaders made their way up another 1,000 ft to a beautiful, crystal clear, snowmelt lake. The ice cold water was a welcomed feeling after a difficult and strenuous climb. This would be the last water the group would see on the journey up. After a long rest and refill of water bottles, the final leg of the journey began. This was the most difficult and risky of them all. Another 1,000 feet up a rocky and jagged mountain face. The cool wind was a friend to all as the ascent bore no shade. Finally, after traversing over 2,000 feet of elevation gain the Glissaders saw the top of Madera Peak. Glissader, Sam Wheeler, saw this as the most memorable part of the experience, stating “Getting to the peak after the long journey and finally resting, then hanging out with everybody up there” when questioned. The view was clear for many miles in every direction, the explorers were now deep in the Sierra Nevada.
The Glissaders descended the mountain, stopping once again at the beautiful crystal clear lake.
Back at camp, the relaxation once again began. A fire was started, dinners were cooked, and good times with even better company were plentiful. When night fell, nothing could beat the view of the stars in their full majesty illuminating the pitch black sky.
Glissaders club advisor, Micheal Vaughan was asked why he and Ryan Hansen had decided to start this club, He said that he and Ryan Hansen had a teacher at Spring Valley who had introduced them both to backpacking and helped them develop their love for the outdoors. The Glissaders Club advisors wanted to give students the ability and means to experience the outdoors in their fullest and bond on a personal level over shared experience, outside of social media, removed from technology.
On Sunday, Sep. 1, the Glissaders headed back home with newfound senses of adventure and good memories!
The next Glissaders activity is on Oct.5, if you’re interested, be sure to go to a club meeting or contact advisers Michael Vaughan or Ryan Hansen.
--
Never miss an update. Subscribe to our newsletter.