I got really excited last night because of paper towels. The bathroom at this campground has the trifecta – running water, soap dispenser and paper towels. Now, the water is cold. Really cold. Cold enough to turn oils from dinner into a buttery paste that adheres to plates and bowls like Crisco, but it didn’t have to be gathered from a stream, river or lake. Anyway, this glue-like residue is usually wiped from the dishes with a fast-dry towel reserved for this purpose. Problem is . . . said towel is pretty nasty by this point from the past several nights’ dinners. After using the dishwashing sink at the bathrooms (also a five-star feature) I was left with these Crisco- paste covered dishes and a filthy towel prepared to do what was necessary. I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands in the frigid (but soapy) water, shake them off and wipe them on my pants as per the norm, when I noticed the paper towel dispenser. A paper towel dispenser? In a national park? Sweet potatoes! I considered denying myself the treat for about half a second. Feverishly I ripped three or four from the device and quickly wiped down the dishes and flatware before disposing of the paper towels in the bathroom garbage can. I returned to camp feeling slightly guilty but oh so smudge free.
All of this to say we have officially become completely comfortable with our dirtbag status. Snot-rockets, thrice worn socks, baby-wipe “baths”, trash can pockets and pit toilets are a constant reality. When three paper towels makes one giddy it can safely be said that the dirtbag groove is found.
It is July 1st (not sure when this will be posted as we are nowhere near internet access right now) and we are currently in Lassen Volcanic NP in northern California. The past few days have been spectacular despite having to deal with some unexpected snow. Most of the trails we were hoping to hike in Great Basin were closed due to eight feet of the white stuff remaining on the ground. Here on Lassen’s higher elevations thirty feet of snow remain, including 10,457 foot Lassen Peak (a dormant volcano) which we hoped to climb. Not gonna happen. We first entered California at Lake Tahoe where below 8,000 feet we managed to find some trails snow free. So despite forecasts of heavy rain we ventured on a backpacking trip (Katie and Ash’s first ever!) along the Rubicon trail.
Backpacking presents a new set of challenges, especially with a five-year old along. Generally when backpacking, everyone is responsible for carrying their own sleeping gear, clothes and food while splitting up shared gear like the tent, stove and fuel. Ashlin does not yet share this burden which means three peoples’ stuff in two peoples’ packs. Only going for one night helped with the space shortage and the trail proved a great one for a first trip. The Rubicon trail follows the shore of the bluish-green water of Lake Tahoe taking the hiker up, down and through the exposed granite rock that is characteristic of the Sierra-Nevada mountain range. Views of the lake and the many inlets and bays are frequent and breathtaking and the water is so clear one can see straight to the bottom, even as the lake deepens away from shore. At 7,000 feet, we were able to see the 9,000 foot peaks towering above where the clouds from the imminent storm were pouring over the ridge like a powdery waterfall. It started to drizzle lightly before reaching camp but we were able to get the tent set up before the real rain came. We boiled some water for a freeze dried dinner, ate fairly quickly and settled into the tent for a couple hours of Uno (Ashlin was the Tahoe Uno champ by the way – you have to really try to beat her now). It rained hard through the night and into the morning with the nighttime low reaching the upper 30s. Fortunately, it stopped right after we woke up and we were able to hang out by the lake while watching the RVs drive by 800 feet above our heads. Knowing they were all wishing they could be where we were, we felt quite content with our decision to make the trip.
We had one of those beautiful, bright and crisp sunny days that seem a reward for suffering a torrential and lasting downpour. We hiked the three mile return trip to the car and began resorting all of our stuff into the proper travel places and drove north still following the Sierras. We set our sights on a state park that, upon arrival we found closed due to toxic material in the water. Turns out mercury was somehow used in gold mining and is just now reentering the water table. Mmmmm . . . mercury. So we ended up driving out of the way a good bit to find a campground that was neither detrimental to our health nor covered in snow. Easier said than done. We managed to find a killer home for the night along the Salmon River in a really secluded spot. Because of the late and heavy snowmelt there was a newly formed wash creek that separated three sites from all the others. We found a fallen log to transport ourselves and gear across the creek and landed ourselves a location without any other campers in sight. Awesome spot and another cold night - prompting our first fire of the trip.
The next morning we stopped at a stable and Ashlin got her first horse ride of the trip! Kate and I spotted the place as we were backtracking slightly from Poison State Park but withheld the info (Ash was “magic napping” when we passed) in case, as some stables do, they deny riders under 10. It all worked out and she got a mini-lesson and a ride on the aptly named Mocha.
Shortly after hitting the road again one of those weird life-moments happenstanced us. We’ve been hoping to meet up with Jared and Ryann (friends from our California days) but they had long standing plans for the High Sierra Music Festival and said they probably couldn’t meet. So sadly we were cruising through California with no expectation of getting to see them. It was only about an hour we had been driving along this tiny 2-lane highway in Bumble Fork, CA when we enter this little town of Quincy – population 5,421. Suddenly we see all these people (mostly damned hippies) with backpacks, coolers, blankets and kids heading in the same direction. It took about 12 seconds for it to register that this was most likely the location of the Festival. Must call Jared. I asked Kate to check my phone to see if we happened to get reception and just as she did we got three bars and a message from Jared. We’re in Quincy if you happen to come this way. Bullstuff!!! No way would it work out his way. Sure enough we called and they were about ¾ mile away from us heading to a park and a pool where we could meet. Ashlin was thrilled, we were thrilled and we spent the next few hours hanging with the Thompsons, swimming and constantly reminding ourselves how dumbfounded we all were that this was actually happing. Could not have planned it. It was so great to see them so serendipitously that all three of us were in a fantastic mood for the rest of the drive. Even when we got here to Lassen and they told us the main road was closed due to snow and that it would be an additional two hour drive to an alternate entrance.
Our time at Lassen is now ending as we are packing up early on our third day here to find a spot on 4th of July weekend. We got to hike to the top of and into the caldera of a cinder cone volcano yesterday which was crazy. 7 mile hike with 800 foot climb in half a mile – two times, once for the summit and once for the caldera. Over really loose and sandy volcanic rock and rock dust which makes for a difficult up and many rocks in the boots. Ashlin is sad to go because she has made a friend these past few days named Heidi. They have been playing horse, catching bugs, climbing fallen trees and playing in fire together almost constantly except when we have been sleeping or hiking. But we must go and must go early if we hope to land a spot tonight. Hope all is well with you all and we’ll update sometime soon!
Peace. D-
No comments:
Post a Comment