a bitter sweet labor day weekend 2020

The weekend started with excitement as we made the drive from LA up to Mammoth Mountain, which by the way had the cleanest air in the entire state of California. Our journey started Thursday evening with some fire clouds and smoke off to the west but as we made it closer to Mammoth the skies cleared up with stars as far as the eye can see (until the full moon rose and lit the skies). 

Friday morning was perfect: the air was crisp, skies were clear, birds chirping and the smell pine overwhelmed our noses. It truly was beautiful. On Saturday we went for a hike to see the craters then off to June Lake in the afternoon to cool down. After a few hours chilling by the water the skies began to darken and the smell of fire and smoke took over the pine smells, then the ash began to fall. It was the Creek Fire that had started earlier that day and was making its way towards us. 

When in nature it is always good practice to observe your surroundings and be ready to move at a moments notice as things can change quickly. While we would have loved to stay longer the smoke and ash become too much for us so we made our way back to LA in the heat, fire and smoke following us all the way home. 

You can see more by watching the below video.