Hungry Packer Lake – June 21-22, 2025
I’ve been to Hungry Packer Lake once before – in August 2023 the week after Hurricane Hillary brought unprecedented summer rains to California. The weather was still unsettled at this time and my trip was marked by freezing temperatures and heavy rain. This time, I was much more fortunate to experience one of my favorite lake basins in the Sierra in perfect weather.
I’ve also been making a conscious effort to do more astrophotography this year, meaning my pack weight has increased even further. This hike was quite a struggle for me given the pack weight, this being my first trip of the year above 11,000 ft, and my first 2,000+ ft-gain backpacking trip. I had to take numerous breaks and definitely didn’t eat and hydrate enough – by the time I set up camp at Sailor Lake (just 100 ft below Hungry Packer and just as scenic if not more so, in my opinion), I was quite tired and nauseous. On the plus side, the trees on the south side of my tent blocked out the worst of the wind. I ate a very late lunch and then went off to scope out potential sunrise and nighttime photo spots closer to Hungry Packer Lake.
The tropical blue waters of Hungry Packer Lake.
I managed to capture a shot of the Milky Way behind Picture Peak with the outflow creek from Hungry Packer Lake in the foreground that I’m pretty proud of. Sunrise, on the other hand, was more of a mixed bag. The wind had died down during the night but started back up just before sunrise and ruining any prospects of reflections on the water. Still, the sight was breathtaking if a bit cold. Since the Milky Way photography messed with my sleep cycle, I decided to sleep in for a couple of hours before breaking down camp and heading back to the trailhead.
—Justin
