So, to continue, I'm still on trail in Redwood Canyon. The topo map I have doesn't show the trails on it, and the trail map I have doesn't have any topo info. In addition, the trail intersection isn't marked. If I miss the turn, the trial continues for another 10 miles or so. This would have been the one time it would have been nice to have tracks to follow. As it was, I managed to read the topo well enough (considering I didn't have a compass- one of my many camping sins this trip) that I didn't miss it.
It was a couple miles down into the valley, but it was a gorgeous walk. The snow wasn't as deep in most spots since the sun had melted much of it, most of that was crusted enough I was able to walk on it even with the pack (300+ pounds of weight). The best part, by far was the smell. Now, my nose barely functions. Sometimes I can breath through it, and only rarely can I smell anything but the strongest smells- perfume and cleaning agents being the most common. But in the spots where the sun was hitting the pine needles, you could feel the pine and juniper scents coming off the ground to greet you. It was one of the many things that by themselves would have made the trip worthwhile.
At one point I come across a deer that had bedded down. I thought that maybe I'd accidentally snuck up and spooked it, sicne it was in a small copse of trees a few feet off
the trail. I did the standard talking to it in an even voice (if you're calm and non aggressive they'll often stop and look at you wodering what they heck you're doing), and it kept trying to get up. The trail took me close enough to touch it, but on closer inspection it was obviously sick and dying. It looked my like a deer skin over a deer skeleton, it was so skinny. I can't imagine it was starving (they'd only received about a foot of snow to date, compared to an average annual around four feet), but it didn't have long to go. I didn't feel that it would be appropriate to intervene, that that there was really anything to do, so I kept going.
I reach the valley floor around noon. Since I'd expected to get there mid-afternoon, and was looking for a camp site, I decided to grab a quick lunch and keep going. Here they have signs where the trails meet. They don't, however, have any bridges over the creek. It's pretty ambiguous with snow cover, and this is another spot where if I pick the wrong trail I could go many miles out of my way. I manage to cross and find the trail again, and continue on my way.
I go past the "Fallen Goliath," a freakin' huge sequoia that must have fallen at least a century ago. It's still amazing to see how large they are, eveny lying down. I keep walking, now on the second have of the loop (the "Hart Tree" trail). I cross some small streams, and even on small waterfall. Kinda bummed that the waterfall picture didn't turn out too well, but it was a nice little spot.
I figure that I could camp at Hart Meadows. It's near the end of the trial, but I figure that it's gonna take me long enough to get there that it'll be worth stopping there. When I arrive, not only is it only about 1:30, but it's definitely not a good spot. It's marshy ground in the meadow itself, and the surrounding hillside appears to have had a recent fire. The topsoil is all ash with a thin covering of needles- a messy, messy area to camp. At this point I figure I might as well just make a day of it and head back to the car. Follow some elk tracks along the trail, check out some more gorgeous views, and get back to the car. All in all, it's taken me 8 hours. That's not fast for a 10 mile trip, but considering the snow, elevation changes, and me being out of shape, I'm quite happy with it.
I meet a guy in the parking lot who works at a Christian camp a few miles away, and we chat for a bit before I head back towards the ranger station. Or I try to. You see, on the way down I'd made sure I'd be able to get back up. Indeed, just to find out, I actually backed up the worst section on the way down without a problem. Unfortunately, since it had been so warm all day, all that hard packed snow I'd driven down on had thawed. This made it much more difficult.
Finally, I get to the spot. It's not the steepest. It's not the snowiest. But it is the worst combination of the two, and it's been in the sun all day. I've been doing fine so far, keeping my speed up and gunning through the soft spots. Here, that's not gonna happen. I can get most of the way up, but the snow just breaks up beneath me, I lose speed, and then traction. I decide "fine, I'll just back down, park off to the side, and wait for it to freeze up." I figure if I sleep here overnight it'll be fine come morning. What I don't see is that my turn-out has a culvurt in the middle of it.
Shit.
My left rear tire is in the ditch, and while I have front wheel drive it's a soft shoulder, and I'm stuck. Since I drive a manual, there's no us trying to push and gas at the same time. I try just pushing, and while at one point I manage to almost lift the side of the car off the ground, I hear a lot of stuff crack (luckily all on the car) and have no way to give forward momentum so I stop. I try rocking back and forth in gear, but nothing's working and I'm just digging myself deeper. I'm tired from the trail and kinda peeved at myself at this point, so I decide to give it up and try in the morning. I switch into my long johns and get ready for bed.
Well, I read for a while, and sure enough someone comes by. Turns out it's some guys from Visalia out gathering wood or some such. They've got 4x4's, tow straps, and soon enough they've got me out of the ditch. This is a huge relief, but the snow's still too soft to make it up the hill. I revert to plan A, this time avoiding the damned culvert.
During the night, I almost sleep well. Now, during the hike, I'd felt fine. I'm always somewhat worried about my knee (I'd broken my knee cap into three piece about two and half years ago), especially when I do something involving "heavy" walking. But like I said, I had no problems on the trail. When I woke up the first time, I couldn't believe it. I was actually worried that I unkowingly worked my knee to the point of a stress fracture- that's how bad it hurt. I couldn't move the leg without extreme pain, and when I had to move for sleeping purposes I actually had to put my other leg under it and lift-and-shift that way. Of course, had I broken my knee, there's not a whole lot I could've done. It turns out I've just been favoring that knee to the point of atrophy. Something I need to work on there, 'cause that's a good way to get another bad injury on trail.
Anyhow, I get through the night, and in the morning the road has set again. It does take me a couple tries, but I get momentum and blow back up the hill. I was about 300 yards from the main road. Return to the station, and begin the next stage. Tonight, Death Valley!
It was a couple miles down into the valley, but it was a gorgeous walk. The snow wasn't as deep in most spots since the sun had melted much of it, most of that was crusted enough I was able to walk on it even with the pack (300+ pounds of weight). The best part, by far was the smell. Now, my nose barely functions. Sometimes I can breath through it, and only rarely can I smell anything but the strongest smells- perfume and cleaning agents being the most common. But in the spots where the sun was hitting the pine needles, you could feel the pine and juniper scents coming off the ground to greet you. It was one of the many things that by themselves would have made the trip worthwhile.
At one point I come across a deer that had bedded down. I thought that maybe I'd accidentally snuck up and spooked it, sicne it was in a small copse of trees a few feet off
the trail. I did the standard talking to it in an even voice (if you're calm and non aggressive they'll often stop and look at you wodering what they heck you're doing), and it kept trying to get up. The trail took me close enough to touch it, but on closer inspection it was obviously sick and dying. It looked my like a deer skin over a deer skeleton, it was so skinny. I can't imagine it was starving (they'd only received about a foot of snow to date, compared to an average annual around four feet), but it didn't have long to go. I didn't feel that it would be appropriate to intervene, that that there was really anything to do, so I kept going.I reach the valley floor around noon. Since I'd expected to get there mid-afternoon, and was looking for a camp site, I decided to grab a quick lunch and keep going. Here they have signs where the trails meet. They don't, however, have any bridges over the creek. It's pretty ambiguous with snow cover, and this is another spot where if I pick the wrong trail I could go many miles out of my way. I manage to cross and find the trail again, and continue on my way.
I go past the "Fallen Goliath," a freakin' huge sequoia that must have fallen at least a century ago. It's still amazing to see how large they are, eveny lying down. I keep walking, now on the second have of the loop (the "Hart Tree" trail). I cross some small streams, and even on small waterfall. Kinda bummed that the waterfall picture didn't turn out too well, but it was a nice little spot.
I figure that I could camp at Hart Meadows. It's near the end of the trial, but I figure that it's gonna take me long enough to get there that it'll be worth stopping there. When I arrive, not only is it only about 1:30, but it's definitely not a good spot. It's marshy ground in the meadow itself, and the surrounding hillside appears to have had a recent fire. The topsoil is all ash with a thin covering of needles- a messy, messy area to camp. At this point I figure I might as well just make a day of it and head back to the car. Follow some elk tracks along the trail, check out some more gorgeous views, and get back to the car. All in all, it's taken me 8 hours. That's not fast for a 10 mile trip, but considering the snow, elevation changes, and me being out of shape, I'm quite happy with it.
I meet a guy in the parking lot who works at a Christian camp a few miles away, and we chat for a bit before I head back towards the ranger station. Or I try to. You see, on the way down I'd made sure I'd be able to get back up. Indeed, just to find out, I actually backed up the worst section on the way down without a problem. Unfortunately, since it had been so warm all day, all that hard packed snow I'd driven down on had thawed. This made it much more difficult.
Finally, I get to the spot. It's not the steepest. It's not the snowiest. But it is the worst combination of the two, and it's been in the sun all day. I've been doing fine so far, keeping my speed up and gunning through the soft spots. Here, that's not gonna happen. I can get most of the way up, but the snow just breaks up beneath me, I lose speed, and then traction. I decide "fine, I'll just back down, park off to the side, and wait for it to freeze up." I figure if I sleep here overnight it'll be fine come morning. What I don't see is that my turn-out has a culvurt in the middle of it.
Shit.
My left rear tire is in the ditch, and while I have front wheel drive it's a soft shoulder, and I'm stuck. Since I drive a manual, there's no us trying to push and gas at the same time. I try just pushing, and while at one point I manage to almost lift the side of the car off the ground, I hear a lot of stuff crack (luckily all on the car) and have no way to give forward momentum so I stop. I try rocking back and forth in gear, but nothing's working and I'm just digging myself deeper. I'm tired from the trail and kinda peeved at myself at this point, so I decide to give it up and try in the morning. I switch into my long johns and get ready for bed.
Well, I read for a while, and sure enough someone comes by. Turns out it's some guys from Visalia out gathering wood or some such. They've got 4x4's, tow straps, and soon enough they've got me out of the ditch. This is a huge relief, but the snow's still too soft to make it up the hill. I revert to plan A, this time avoiding the damned culvert.
During the night, I almost sleep well. Now, during the hike, I'd felt fine. I'm always somewhat worried about my knee (I'd broken my knee cap into three piece about two and half years ago), especially when I do something involving "heavy" walking. But like I said, I had no problems on the trail. When I woke up the first time, I couldn't believe it. I was actually worried that I unkowingly worked my knee to the point of a stress fracture- that's how bad it hurt. I couldn't move the leg without extreme pain, and when I had to move for sleeping purposes I actually had to put my other leg under it and lift-and-shift that way. Of course, had I broken my knee, there's not a whole lot I could've done. It turns out I've just been favoring that knee to the point of atrophy. Something I need to work on there, 'cause that's a good way to get another bad injury on trail.
Anyhow, I get through the night, and in the morning the road has set again. It does take me a couple tries, but I get momentum and blow back up the hill. I was about 300 yards from the main road. Return to the station, and begin the next stage. Tonight, Death Valley!
1 comment:
I'm jealous...it looks like you had an awesome vacation! I love the pics. :)
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