Dispatch #51 - My Daughter's First Backpacking Trip, Part 1

The Warner Mountains, the edge of the Great Basin, and the ridgeline that divides two watersheds.

Several months back, my 11-year-old daughter Vivian asked if we could go on her first real backpacking trip together.

After resisting the urge to weep and then run outside and hoot and holler and howl at the moon in gratitude — DREAMS COME TRUE! — I offered a very cool and relaxed, yes.

Where do you want to go?

One of those tall mountain lakes with clea…