Our first overnight backing trip to Bucks. Lake, California

We parked at the Mill Creek trailhead and hiked in 6 miles with out packs fully loaded. Eugene's was 40 lbs and mine was close to that maybe minus 5-10 lbs but heavier than we had been practicing with for sure.
We had our gear, food, and water for the trip. There were lots of descending and ascending of the trails. The weather was perfect. We were looking for a camp spot to settle into. We found one. Just over a creek which I would consider more of a river. We crossed and found a camp spot that was free to camp at. With our campfire permit in hand we started our campfire. Next we set up our tent and followed the backpackers guide of how to set up camp properly while backpacking. Cooking area had to be 300 ft from sleeping area and washing area 300 ft from that. Then came the task of finding where to hang the bear hang. There weren't many trees to choose from but we found a grouping of them that we thought would serve our purpose. We ate our food and then loaded our bag and hoisted it up 16 feet up the bear hang. Thankfully I bought a waterproof bag because as we were getting ready to climb into our tent it started to rain. It was cold but we were dry.
The next morning we loaded up, took the bear hang down, brushed our teeth and washed up and ate our ration for the morning and cleaned up the area. Minding the leave no trace principles. We then loaded our gear and off we went back down the trail to cross the river. Crossing from the camp side was much harder. It took us 20 minutes to build a bridge of fallen trees and rocks. We finally were able to cross. It was sort of nerve wracking. Luckily we had our trekking poles to help steady us through the swift water.
Then we started up the trail. With a gain of 300 ft in a 10 minute time span we had spectacular views of the lake and the river we just crossed. A sense of accomplishment washed over me. Although we were sore and tired we made our way up and down and up and down. At one point the trail gave way and I slipped and fell. I was able to stop myself. As we rounded the corner of another portion we saw that if we crossed at the low point of the lake it would save us time. The water was deeper than expected and we crossed rocks. My foot slipped and I fell sideways. Stuck like an upside down turtle my partner had to help me out of the water and on to my feet. We trudged along. And after 6 miles made it back to the trailhead and the truck. That was a welcome sight. I think we both felt victorious that we had made it. We didn't cover as much ground and it felt like we did but we both felt a sense of accomplishment. Now on to plan the next trip.