Spanish Peak

 To me, the Bucks Lake Wilderness and Spanish Peak are every bit as exciting as California's better known mountain regions like Yosemite and Kings Canyon with the added bonus of having no crowds.  I was so glad to live near them when last week I was paid a visit by friends from England who could have easily been sidetracked by Chamber of Commerce type pitches to go to the more famous places.  On their first day in town, Last Sunday, we hiked up to Spanish Peak from Silver Lake.  The top photo is the view from the dam by the east end of Silver Lake.  So gorgeous that one could easily spend the day sitting on or near the dam with a sketchbook and some food and drink.
We went in search of Fall Colors - capitalized because they are treated as sacred this time of year.  Interestingly, there weren't many reds, oranges and yellows along the trail as we've had a very dry winter and summer.  Even the Mountain Ash, which I thought would put on a good show, was mostly dried up and had lost its leaves and berries.  However, the views, as always, were spectacular.  We could see Lassen Peak in one direction, and Sierra Buttes in the other.  Then I pointed out the path we took up from Quincy.  The view of Silver Lake from the top (photo below) always gives one a feeling of accomplishment.

 Ironically, the most dramatic fall color was the wolf lichens covering the huge Red Firs that suddenly appear as we emerged from Granite Gap.

 Nearing Spanish Peak, we encountered several friends and colleagues from Quincy and a nice lady with a Labradoodle jogging along the PCT. 

We picnicked near the peak and watched the many Chipmunks waiting for us to drop some crumbs.
The only negative experience, for me, was being greeted by three hunters as they were leaving the Wilderness Area.  I hope they didn't find anything.