9/10: Here's how you end another EPIC summer.

So, another summer of traveling and playing with Mattie has come to an end. It was a really special one, with new places, changes, people, adventures, mountains, deserts, lakes, fish, climbs, and love.

How do you go about ending one of the best summers on the books?

STEP 1. Start with another short backpacking trip with your awesome adventuring boyfriend. Fishing, osprey, hiking, really good freeze-dried food, great weather, trees and clear water. We weren't going to let sickness stop us, but Greg brought some medicine just in case:

This is how you get a sick girlfriend to go backpacking.

Mountain fashion at Marlette Lake.

STEP 2. Leave the next day for an ALL-TIME backpacking trip with Yeti, Dad, and Greg - Dad's first since he almost checked out on us early!!!! - over Piute Pass. These are kind of out of order, but you get the general sense of awesomeness. 

Dad crushed it, it was beautiful, the smoke generally stayed away, it was COLD, we had hot chocolate every night, caught Rainbow, Brooke and Golden Trout, ate delicious lasagna, saw pika, listen to coyotes howl at night, walked around it tons of granite and generally just had the best time above tree line. 

Leaving for the mountains with Yeti and Dad.

Yeti and Dad burning it up on the way to Loch Leven.

Dad catching brookies.

Greg, Yeti and Dad at Camp 1. Yeti fish-hooked her finger here.

 

Green-phase Yeti and Dad. We basically tagged along on their awesome trip. THANKS GUYS!

Sunrise at Piute Lake.

In one of my favorite moments ever, Dad and Yeti make it back to the mountains together after a very long journey. I hope I never forget this celebration for as long as I live.

The man, the miracle, the legend. The one who taught us to love mountains, backpacking and adventuring - standing atop Piute Pass where he belongs.

The trip crew. Greg isn't that tall.

Greg finds perfect catch & release arrowheads at 12,000 feet.

Finding our way to Humphreys Lakes Basin.

Greg and perfect granite reflections on the warmest morning.

Yeti and Dad with Humphreys Peak.

 

This is what perfect alpenglow looks like. Yeti and Dad warming up.

 

On our way to Desolation Lake. It looks kind of warm out. It wasn't. We woke up with ice in our tents.

 

Yeti and Dad catch a break from the wind, Greg plays on a perfect granite block.

Wild Y and Dad on the way out. Perfect cross-country adventuring.

Paying homage to the toilet Gods, and a throwback to a picture of Dylan after our last trip over Piute Pass about 15 years ago. It always feels like this at the end of a trip.

Back for our favorite tradition - "We Toss 'Em, They're AWESOME" pizza to end the trip!

Yeti and Dad -- we know this was kind of your trip that you let Greg and I tag along for. We had the best time and were so pumped to be there with you. Thanks for letting us adventure with you! That was the BEST!!!!

STEP 3. Pick up Mattie Dog and get a HOMEMADE APPLE PIE from the SIERRA FOSTER FAMILY!!!

Seriously. John made us a delicious, awesome, thick-crust, Granny Smith HOME MADE APPLE PIE that we picked up on our way out of backpacking (and on our way to camping with friends). Are you SERIOUS??? No better post-backpacking, pre-camping treat. 

Thank you, John and Mary, for always being so welcoming, for giving little Mattie such a good home while we were out in the back country, for being such wonderful friends and mountain foster parents, and for hanging out with us no matter how bad we smell. You guys are just AMAZING dirtbag angels!!!

No but seriously, he made us an apple pie. Our friends finished it in about 3 minutes. Camper heaven.

STEP 4. Meet your best buddies for one last weekend camping trip in the mountains.

We got little Mattie, and drove the short road up into Lundy Canyon where we met Sam, Sara, Jimmy, Elissa and Rincon for an amazing weekend of hiking, beer, Mobil Fish Tacos, Mono Market Monorritos, games (Blocus is AWESOME), fishing, and catching up.

Rincon, Greg, Sara, Sam, Jimmy and Elissa on a perfect end-of-summer hike in the Virginia Lakes Basin.

 

Jimmy and Elissa brought baby food. We were suspicious, but it was actually pretty delicious. Babies these days are spoiled.

Elissa, Jimmy, and Rincon the lap dog.

 

Best buddies atop Summit Pass. Red rocks and peaks everywhere.

Lunch break at Frog Lakes.

STEP 5. Spend one last perfect night at the Lee Vining Creek home with your adventure buddies.

Our friends left Monday and we headed back to our little creekside campsite home, set up the tent, got sad that summer was ending, drank beers and ate fish tacos at the Mobil (yes, again), and slept peacefully to the sound of the creek making its way quickly down to the shores of Mono Lake.

The next day we got up early, got coffee at the Latte Da, laughed at dumb Burning Man people who can't drive RVs trying to park and get gas in RVs across the street, ate blue cheese bacon burgers at Base Camp in Mammoth, fished at Convict Lake, then spent our last hours fishing and wandering on the shores of Rock Creek Lake above Tom's Place. It was a beautiful final day in the Eastern Sierra for Travels With Mattie 2015.

Our little adventure clan, loving one last evening along Lee Vining Creek.

STEP 6. Pack up, and head south with your best friend. 

Around 6pm on Tuesday evening, Mattie and I once again packed the back of the Nissan Adventure Truck and left Greg from Tom's Place. I cried for another summer ending, leaving Greg, and leaving the mountains. 

We drove down the 395, past a completely smoked-out Lone Pine and Taboose Pass, through Mojave (still 90 degrees at 9pm), and finally to the coast then back up into the hills and our sweet cabin. It was spider central, but we got it cleaned up and cooled off enough to fall asleep back in the Santa Ynez River Valley for the first time in over three months. 

Now we're really back, doing some fun demolition in the cabin bathroom to start our big remodel (I have no idea what I'm doing, but it's fun so far...). We'll keep you posted on the progress. 

So that's how we end another summer together. It was the best yet. Thank you for everyone who helped to make it so beautiful. 

Come back soon to hear about FALL with Mattie, our cabin upgrades, the spider situation, how many FROGS we find during the renovation (spoiler alert - I've already had to relocate THREE that were living under my bathtub!), and all of the awesomeness that happens along Paradise Road. 

With so much love from a cabin,

Allison and Mattie the CABIN OWNING DOG!!!

My best friend, adventure buddy, little heartbeat, constant companion -- THANK YOU for another incredible summer Mattie Mae! I think we still have another few years together, you beast of a rescue dog!!! I love you!