California Odyssey 3--Leavitt Meadows to Hetch Hetchy conclu
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:32 am
As I rested at the junction of the Lake Vernon Trail and Moraine ridge trail an NPS pack train trod up the hill to resupply the trail crew camped at Lake Vernon. Earlier in the day I could clearly see the trail switchbacking up the lower west slope of Mt. Gibson. Now I wondered if the clarity was the result of this summer’s hard work. After the pack train passed I continued on to Beehive and took the s. trail to Laurel Lake. In early mid afternoon I set up camp in a well worn site near the outlet. From 1980 I did not remember all the aquatic grass growing around the lake. I decided the way to fish was to wade but in my melancholy mood the effort did not seem worth it. After dinner I decided to walk around the lake. As I got to the sw corner I was struck by the massive thunderhead that appeared to be directly over Jack Main Canyon. It never got any closer and for the 3rd night in a row I did not put the fly over the tent. A little later I ran into a stark reminder of the potential consequences of leaving a fly dangling from a tree limb. A really early start the last morning got me to Hetch Hetchy by 11 AM. It was quite warm by then and I met 3 twentysomethings just starting out for Rancheria Creek. A pretty location but about the time they should be arriving rather than starting. The hardest part of the day? The damn hike from the dam to the parking lot!
So after 3 trips to California this year what did I learn or relearn?
1. Be willing to lose a little elevation rather than fight the terrain to maintain elevation.
2. Make sure you have books that you will enjoy. Preferably long books with small print.
3. Don’t invent stupid things to think about. Focus on your surroundings.
4. On the last trip I came out with several extra lbs because I added some “Love Force” bars to my food. They are about 400 calories for 3 oz. I should have reduced some of my snack food. Came out with 8 oz of jerky and a couple of lbs of Trader Joes honey roasted peanuts mixed with wasabi peas plus some other stuff beyond what I would have consumed had I stayed another day.
Epilogue:
1. Kathy (my wife) told me I was crazy and the elevation must have affected me.
2. A few days later Kathy was driving in the same Prius down to California and hit a deer less than 30 miles s. of bend. She was able to drive the car back to Bend. When we were checking the car out at the body shop we discovered that a little critter had chewed on some wires when the car was parked at Hetch Hetchy.
a. One dead deer=$3600 damage.
b. One little rodent=$4800 damage
And that’s the truth!
mike