ANSEL ADAMS WILDERNESS — talk about an offer I couldn't refuse.

Join us for a four-day trip to Thousand Island Lake, that magnificent spot on the John Muir Trail made famous by Ansel Adams' camera lens. Let mules carry your stuff. And, oh by the way, we're also having the horse packers bring in a few fordable kayaks.

You bet I was going. Couldn't hit the "reply" button fast enough.

The day finally arrived, and that evening I made the 4 1/2-hour drive from Fresno to Mammoth Lakes by way of Tioga Pass. After a restless night at Agnew Meadows, I met my companions at the nearby pack station.

Leading the trip was Steve Cosner, a Fresno, Calif., software developer and avid backpacker whom I'd written about in 2007 when he implausibly found the memory card belonging to a friend who dropped his camera from the Half Dome cables. Steve, wife Jennifer and daughter Charlotte were riding to Thousand Island Lake on horseback.

The rest of us went in on foot, carrying day packs and letting mules do the heavy lifting. Amazingly, it took just three mules to carry gear for seven people, plus three kayaks broken down into large duffel bags. My hiking partner turned out to be David Morton of Santa Monica, Calif., a 67-year-old Brit and folding-kayak enthusiast who also owns an endless supply of stories from his days in the Royal Navy. Delightful Fresno couple Don Gaede and Jenny Martin rounded out our group.

It had been many years since my last visit to this section of the Eastern Sierra and the memories of past trips flooded back as we began the 9-mile hike. But I had completely forgotten about the wildflowers and spectacular views along the aptly named High Trail. It was also extremely hot. Fortunately, David and I were able to keep cool by dipping our hats and bandannas at every stream crossing.

No sooner had we arrived at the outlet of Thousand Island Lake than the caravan arrived carrying the Cosners and our gear. Pack station employees Fred and Lana Willis said 6-year-old Charlotte Cosner was the youngest person to make the journey on horseback. Thatta girl!

Of all the cargo, none interested me more than the three fordable kayaks. I had never seen one up close and was anxious to see how they worked. Turns out they're even cooler than I imagined.

Foldable kayaks are descendants of original Inuit kayaks made from animal skins stretched over frames built from wood and bones. Now, of course, they use synthetic fabrics instead of animal skins and the frames consist of aluminum poles and plastic brackets.

Each boat took 10-15 minutes to assemble, and David and I spent most of our first full day at Thousand Island Lake exploring every nook and cranny of the 2-mile-long lake that's dotted with tiny islands. The scenery couldn't have been more dramatic. From the cockpit, 12,945-foot Banner Peak appears to rise straight out of the cobalt blue water.

Thousand Island Lake sits at 9,800-foot elevation and the mountainsides were still snow-covered. The water was frigid, which we expected, but also unexpectedly clear. In some places, David and I could see 20 feet below the surface. We spotted only one fish, a large rainbow trout, but that didn't stop a dozen anglers from trying.

The following day, some of us got a different perspective by climbing Banner Peak by way of North Glacier Pass and the permanent snowfield that leads from nearby Catherine Lake, which was almost completely frozen.

That evening, still exhausted and feeling a bit sick, I was nonetheless convinced by David to take a short moonlight paddle, which turned out to be pretty spooky because of windy conditions. We used headlamps, glowsticks and the light of a nearly full moon to avoid the lake's many, many islands and barely submerged rocks.

Next morning it was time to break down the kayaks, wait for the horse packers to return and hike out to the trailhead. Back in Mammoth Lakes, David and I enjoyed a hearty Mexican feast. But the experience of paddling a kayak on a remote High Sierra lake will take a little while to digest.

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