I received a lot of interesting comments and questions after a recent column about wilderness dangers. Now I'd like to tell the rest of the story.</p><p>John, Eric and I started off from Florence Lake, 7,328 feet above sea level and about 100 miles east of Fresno. This is the farthest east you can drive in the Central Sierra. The lake lies at the end of the most frightening paved road I've ever driven.</p><p>If you've traveled Kaiser Pass Road, you know what I'm talking about. It's safe as long as you drive cautiously and are prepared to allow other cars to pass. It's also a beautiful route over a 9,175-foot summit.</p><p>We cut five miles off of our trip by paying to ride the Florence Lake Water Taxi. The first couple of miles of the trail aren't too exciting, but once you hit the San Joaquin River everything changes. I've never seen water so clear and blue anywhere else in my life.</p><p>About 6.7 miles from Florence Lake, the path joins the John Muir Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, both of which share the same route for more than 150 miles. The biggest surprise of the day was running into three friends from Merced! I was walking behind John and Eric when they recognized Ranger Maynard Medefind, Dr. Jim Correa and pastor Henry Greene. Warm greetings and storytelling followed. Halfway through their epic journey along the 211-mile John Muir Trail, they were headed to Florence Lake to resupply food for the remainder of the trip.</p><p>Farther along, a little more than five miles down, the trail splits a second time. The Goddard Canyon branch follows the South Fork of the San Joaquin to its headwaters at Martha Lake, while the John Muir Trail branch follows Evolution Creek east and then south over Muir Pass. We spent our first night at the junction and slept a deep sleep of exhaustion from having hiked 12 miles with heavy packs.</p><p>The next day we followed the Evolution Creek route into three of the most beautiful meadows in the Sierra. Evolution Meadow is very nice and McClure Meadow is spectacular, but Colby Meadow is my bet for a true rival of Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows. </p><p>Perhaps it was the fact that we arrived there right after a thunderstorm and got to witness a dramatic sunset. Perhaps it was the fun of catching beautiful golden trout as we fished our way up the lush meadow below a dramatic mountain backdrop. Maybe it was that we ran into Maynard, Jim, and Henry again. Or quite likely it was the combination of all these factors.</p><p>Whatever it was, I am still left with the impression that Colby Meadow is the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. We spent our second night in a comfortable campsite near the creek.</p><p>In the morning we worked our way up to Evolution and Sapphire lakes. Well above the treeline, both lakes were hauntingly beautiful and full of golden trout. These fish don't grow to be very big, but they are beautiful, plentiful and fun to catch.</p><p>At Sapphire Lake, which sits 11,000 feet above sea level, we weathered a violent all-night storm. </p><p>Our original plan was to spend two or three more nights following a cross-country loop across the Goddard Divide to rejoin the San Joaquin River in Goddard Canyon. We had to scrap this plan after the storm and the altitude sickness.</p><p>Early on the fourth day we returned to Evolution Meadow to dry out and rest up.</p><p>We returned to Florence Lake on the fifth day. Despite the weather, the difficulties, the length of the trip and the surprising number of people we encountered on the trail, this was one of the most memorable backpacking adventures I've ever been on. We passed through some of the most beautiful places I've seen anywhere in the world. </p><p>If you are looking for a difficult but spectacular area to backpack, I highly recommend this route.</p><p>Many shorter hikes are also possible from Florence Lake and nearby Lake Thomas A. Edison.</p><p>Both Florence Lake and the Vermillion Valley Resort at Edison have camp stores, water taxi services, boat rentals and packing services. In addition, Vermillion Valley offers lodging, a restaurant, a fishing guide service and fly fishing lessons. Nearby Forest Service campgrounds include Ward Lake, Jackass Meadow, Vermillion Valley, Mono Creek and Mono Hot Springs.</p><p>Adam Blauert is an avid outdoorsman and local historian who enjoys fishing, backpacking and exploring the western states. He can be reached at adamblauert@yahoo.com.