Scaling New Heights - The Peakers

Location: Burney Falls State Park, CA

Much to my surprise, Denise was up before me this morning at 5:45am! What's up with that - I'm the morning person and she's the sunflower that slowly opens. However, I'm not going to complain about waking up to a cup of coffee handed to me. Okay, I can see this is going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...Our goal was to hit the trail for the peak of Mt. Lassen early and we certainly attained that goal. We were the first ones in the parking lot, but by the time we got situated (backpacks loaded up, feet taped up, one last pee stop) someone else actually started the climb before us. The climb was actually not bad compared to yesterday. It's a steady up with a lot of switchbacks. Yesterday's hike was just plain straight up for a good couple of miles. We were hoping to reach the peak within two hours and were on track when..doh! an obstacle prevented that from happening. A real obstacle, a metal gate. We were so close to the top but the last .9 miles was closed off for trail repair. Bummer! However, we saw that the trail will be opened for full moon hikes in August or September. We vowed to come back and own the peak. (Thomas you don't know this but you are already recruited to make this trek with us). We were back at the winniemobile much sooner than anticipated so after some reconnoitering we decided to head for Burney Falls and get in a bike ride and perhaps another hike. Yes, we are two girls ready to feel the burn. Once at Burney Falls, we checked out the Visitor's Center, watched a video and got some great ideas on how to spend the rest of the day. We took a short bike ride to the cemetery to see where the McArthur Brothers or Sam Burney was buried, the co-founders of the park. Much to our surprise neither were buried there. Oh well, good ploy to get us moving. The ride back was a bit uphill in the blazing sun. (Oh yeah, we needed another layer of dust to top off the Mill Creek and Lassen Peak hikes). We continued on the bike ride down to the lake and had quite a climb back up. If there is a God, our quads HAVE to look better after this trip! We both agreed that if we were going to continue to ride together in the winniemobile that showers were a must. Late afternoon showers...ahhh best damn .50 cents we ever spent! On the bike ride we ran into a park ranger and asked about the evening program. We decided to join him for an early evening hike around the falls up to the headwaters. He was disappointed that we couldn't join him for the old fashioned campfire sing-a-long tomorrow night. Oh and how I love to belt out "On Top of Old Smokey!" As Ned always tells me, what I lack in tone I make up in enthusiasm! The hike began at 6 and lasted for almost 2 hours. We started at the top of the falls and walked to the headwaters. Pretty amazing that millions of gallons of water pour over the falls each day all originating from tiny springs about a mile upstream. The ranger identified plants and provided great tips such as how to tell where the sun will be in a hour's time. Handy bit of knowledge when you're hiking. We totaled up the day's hiking miles and we figured a little over 7 miles. Not bad considering a lot of it was uphill. We are going to see how we feel tomorrow and maybe do a hike before we take off for Oregon. We are having a blast taking photos and blogging together. (Hint to Chuck. I think Denise would LOVE an ipad for her birthday - wink, wink - let's talk). Let's see if Ms. Earlybird is going to bring me coffee again. Mmm, better not push my luck.

Mill Creek or Hill Creek?

Location: Lassen National Park, CA

A month or so ago, my friend Denise Allured and I dreamed up the perfect summer camping getaway. Our plan was to head north to beat the summer heat and explore the backbone of the Cascades from Mt. Lassen to Mt. Rainier. We named this trip the "Double D Cascade Jaunt." Everyday has a hike or bike trek planned. If we are not dead by the end of the trip we at least will be in better shape. Wahoo...the day finally arrived. We took the scenic route of highway 32 and really enjoyed the vistas on both sides of the ridge. By the time we arrived at Mt. Lassen we were in awe of the killer views - you could see Lake Almanor, the wooded valley and beyond.

You know that old axiom, it's not the destination but the journey, well that pretty much described today. When I was about 33 years old, (for you bean counters out there that was 20+ years ago) I hiked to Mill Creek Falls. Somehow I remember that hike as being relatively flat and through a meadow. WRONG! This was supposed to be our "ease into the trip warm-up hike" to get ready for the climb to the top of Mt. Lassen tomorrow. Instead the hike was a very strenuous downhill/uphill climb. I think we hiked a little over 7 miles today. The walk really was about the journey. We ventured through meadows of wild flowers, sometimes waist high in lupin, Indian paint brush, daisies, and corn lillies - to just name a few. We started at Kings Creek and were accompanied by several babbling brooks meandering through the wildflower meadows. We skirted two lakes and then began the descent down, down, down. When we finally reached Mill Creek Falls it was nothing like I remembered. It's the biggest fall in the park of at least a 75 foot drop. Unfortunately, we approached it from the top and were never able to get a view of the actual falls descending. The climb back was a challenge especially since I was still recovering from the Half Dome hike, blistered included. Thank goodness for Denise's patience and expertise on how to tie up laces for a tight fit - way to go Denise! One of the scientific highlights of the hike was stumbling across some bear scat or to be more specific the "fecal plug". When I was in Glacier the ranger gave a talk about when a bear sleeps for the winter (not hibernates) it licks itself and digests its own hair. This forms a "fecal plug" so that he isn't awakened by bodily functions. Apparently it's a rare find to come across this. Imagine our surprise! We spent some time examining it and thought it pretty cool. I know other chicks dote on their looks we get our kicks out of bear scat. This is definitely a match made in heaven. Our campsite tonight couldn't be better. Not bad for showing up and winging it. We are camped at the summit next to a meadow at the end of a loop. We have privacy, shade and a killer view. We got back from the hike a little later than anticipated (3 hr. 47 minutes and close to 7 pm) so instead of cooking up veggies and salmon we made a killer salad with veggies from our gardens. Yum! Of course, the wine helped it go down easy...Tomorrow is the big hike to the top of Lassen. Here's to a good night sleep, blistered healed and an early start!

The Long Journey Home

Location: Somewhere on Highway 97...north of Weed

Contrary to popular opinion, Thelma and Louise were not held hostage by the campground host. We've had several long days traveling or preparing for the trip home. When Lisa and I left Glacier we stopped here and there taking pictures. The scenery was gorgeous but the only animals we saw were two dead moose, legs sticking straight up in the air, on the side of the road and a couple of dead deer. We were thinking of bringing some home to Uncle Bud for jerky, but we decided that even he had his standards. (sorry Uncle Bud, couldn't resist). Lisa showed me around Couer d'Alene and I enjoyed seeing the park, bike trails and cute town. It's such a beautiful city, but somehow I think a just a tad too cold for me during the winter.
Once home we (okay Lisa and Cary) worked late into the night getting ready for the trip to California. Suitcases were packed, boxes sorted, trailer loaded and lights on the Winnie installed. Whew a heck of a lot of activity was whirling around. My cousin Cary is a paraplegic, but I swear nothing slows that guy down! In the winter he blows snow with the snowblower attached to the wheelchair and in the summer he mows the grass! I'm attaching a picture of Cary with the trailer attached to his wheelchair getting it hooked up to the Winniemobile. Pretty remarkable! Lisa and I were traveling pretty light, but dang rolling down to California is a whole new ballgame! Cary is stuffed in the back of Winnie surrounded by wheelchair, pillows, suitcases, coats, Cary's concentrator/oxygen machine, bi-pap machine, and lots of snacks! I never pulled a trailer before, but both Winnie and I have done just fine. The first day we rolled into Bend at about 7:30 pm, went out for dinner and hit the sack. This morning we rose at the crack of dawn and left around 7:30. I think everyone is anxious to get home. Cary hasn't seen his dad (Uncle Bud) for 8 months and I've been away from Ned for 9 days. Yes...it has seemed to me like 8 months! Ned, my dad, Uncle Bud, Cary & Lisa and I are all meeting up for dinner tonight. It's going to be quite the reunion!

The Case of the Missing BBQ Grill

Location: Glacier National Park, MT

We slept in this morning, finally getting our lazy bones out of bed around 8:30ish. Perhaps it was staying up til around 2 am or so, chatting away, that contributed to our laid back morning. We sure took our time having coffee at the campsite enjoying the beautiful view. Even tho the weather was about 10 degrees warmer this morning, the skies were cloudy and overcast. After a while we noticed a very gentle rain falling on the lake. Fortunately, we were under enough tree cover that we could continue to sit outside and enjoy the raindrops dancing on the lake. Eventually we got motivated, and after a much needed shower, (yes our first in a couple of days) we got around to exploring more of the park. By exploring I mean poking around the various gift shops in Apgar Village and West Glacier, visiting Lake MacDonald Lodge again, and taking a short walk to MacDonald Falls. I had to buy a new camera this morning (yeah, killed my other one by dropping it - ouch!) and we had a good time visiting with the owner of the local camera shop. I was excited about testing out the new camera so a lot of our day was spent was going on a photo safari. By early evening we were ready to have a night "at home". I spent the time playing around with some new photo apps and Lisa spent the time reading. If we can get our act together we are planning on attending the ranger talk at 8 tonight. There is one ongoing little side story that might be fun to share. The first day we were here we got a violation from the campground host for leaving our bbq grill on the picnic table while we were gone. He also confiscated it. Lisa and I thought we were being really meticulous about keeping the appropriate things put away. Who knew an empty bbq grill was not allowed? So, last night after fixing a really late dinner (bbq ribeye steaks) we made sure to put everything away and thought since our campsite wasn't vacated, it was okay to leave the bbq grill out while we went to bed. Also, the coals were still pretty hot so we thought it best to let them cool before touching the grill. Well, imagine our surprise when we woke up this morning and saw we had received another "food citation" and once again the bbq grill was confiscated! Okay, lesson learned! We were very diligent about making sure the bbq was put in the Eurovan before we took off this morning and seriously thought about leaving the campground host a plate of mini donuts on the picnic table with the note that said, "Sorry about leaving the bbq grill out. Please have some donuts on us." I wonder if we would have received another violation and the donuts confiscated - ha.

Going to the Sun

Location: Glacier National Park

Lisa and I woke up bright and early raring to go. (Okay, full disclosure here, I woke up bright and early and poor Lisa feigned she was awake). Our big outing for the day was to take the old fashioned red touring cars over the pass to the east side of the park. This road is referred to as the "Going to the Sun" road. We were blessed with bright blue skies, albeit still a bit chilly at 8:15 when we departed. Fortunately, we were provided with a blanket to snuggle under which just made the whole outing seem so much more like a step back into time. The entire tour lasted almost 10 hours! Our day included seeing Lake MacDonald Lodge, viewing six glaciers, numerous waterfalls, big horn sheep, mountain goats and views that were just jaw dropping spectacular. Early afternoon we arrived on the east side of the park and had lunch in the swanky dining room of Many Glacier Hotel on St. Mary's Lake. The driver even pretended not to mind we were late and had to come looking for us. Oops. BTW - our driver really made the trip special. He was really informative on a lot of the geological info, Indian folklore, flora, fauna and he was pretty hot to boot. (Not that Lisa and I really talked about it in length or anything! I mean those glaciers and views kept us pretty busy...Are you buying it Ned and Cary?) He kept entertained for hours. By the end of the day, Lisa was actually quoting him before he would say something. I think Lisa should move here and start giving tours. You think I'm full of b.s. Dang, Lisa is now an expert on everything glacial. We both agreed this is one of the best, most memorable days we've ever had. We took so many great pictures it's really hard to decide which one to post. Enjoy!

Thelma and Louise Ride Again

Location: Glacier National Park, Montana

The big day finally came! After a couple of false starts (forgetting this, forgetting that), Lisa and I (aka Thelma and Louise) were on the road at last. We headed north to Sandpoint and instead of continuing north, we decided to drive around Lake Pend Orielle and then head over a mountain pass eventually catching up with highway 2. This drive was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, definitely making the top 10 list of scenic drives. While we were looking forward to reaching Glacier Park, Lisa and I were also in no hurry to get there. We savored the drive, letting the day unfold, enjoying each other's company and thoroughly appreciating the journey. We stopped to view some falls several other times we just had to pull over, get out and appreciate the spectacular beauty of Northern Idaho and Montana. (One of the pics below is of the Clark Fork River.) Hard to believe that yesterday it was cold, wet and stormy. When we finally pulled into Glacier National Park and checked in at the campground, the Park Ranger handed us a couple of tokens and said, "here this is for a free 5 minute shower. Come here and you'll get one for every day." Dang!! Most National Parks don't have showers and if they do, they are run by a private company and usually cost you anywhere from $3 to $5. Imagine my surprise! The Ranger also congratulated us on having the premier spot. She said this was the most coveted campsite in all the campground. (I guess it pays to sometimes be a bit obsessive and book things 6 months in advance!). Lisa and I couldn't wait to see just what we had in store. OMG - we have this picture perfect little spot, off by itself, right on Lake MacDonald! (See the other picture of our little dining area!). After getting set up we decided to get on our bikes and do a little exploring of the campground. By this time it was close to 6 and definitely wine and popcorn time. Well, after a couple of glasses, and feeling pretty proud of ourselves for getting the van perfectly leveled we decided it was time to attempt hanging up the hammock. I was showing off my bowlines and half hitches, which might have been pretty swanky if it was just knots, but the whole hammock thing didn't quite work out. No matter how hard we tried, the minute we got in the hammock, the rope would slip down the tree and our butts just hit the ground. Yes, between gales of laughter, Lisa managed to snap a picture of me "enjoying" the hammock, butt firmly planted on ground. Don't worry Ned, it's only day one and we still have 3 more days to get it right! We eventually got around to making dinner, which included barbecuing chicken, a salad, and cooking naan bread over a fire. After polishing off a bottle of wine we decided to call it a night. Life is good.

Catching Up with My Cousins

Location: Post Falls, Idaho

I slept like a log last night, but I have to admit I was a tad sore this morning. I've been keeping in touch with my dad while on this trip, and if you think I was going to get any sympathy from him on my harrowing bike ride, fuhgetaboutit! Growing up, no matter what trials or tribulations we endured dad's response was always the same, "It builds character." Needless to say, after hearing about my experience yesterday he actually trotted out that old line. I figure by now my moral fiber should be a cross between Atticus Finch (as in Gregory Peck's badass Atticus) and Scarlett O'Hara in that scene right before intermission when she is standing in the fields of her beloved Tara, holding a handful of dirt and proclaiming to the heavens, "As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again." You get my drift...So dad, for the record I feel fine, I'm doing great, ready to go at it again today!!
My destination today is Post Falls, Idaho where my cousin Cary and his wife, Lisa live. For the last several months Lisa and I have been planning a trip to Glacier National Park. I can't believe we'll actually be together by tonight. Originally, I was going to head for Spokane and then head into Idaho. While pouring over my maps this morning, I decided to take a more scenic route and go thru the Southeast corner of Washington and then head up thru the Idaho panhandle. I realized that it would probably add about 3 hours or so to the trip, but I figured a) it was raining so why not b) it'll be fun to drive thru some of these old towns and c) it sure as hell beats riding a bike! I spent a couple of hours driving along the Columbia River leaving the high cliffs of the gorge behind and watching the land flatten out into barren desert. When I finally cut thru the bottom corner of Washington I really appreciated the beauty and colors of the growing wheat. Green, yellow, golden brown everywhere! See today's pic. I finally crossed over the Snake River and made it to Idaho. I stopped at several fruit stands and vista points, checked out a couple of state parks for future camping trips and drove past numerous Indian smoke shops until finally touching the outskirts of Couer d'alene and reaching Post Falls. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see Lisa and Cary again!! The time just flew by getting caught up. After a night run to the grocery store Lisa and I are sufficiently stocked up to survive the wilderness for 3 days...yes, adult beverages and snacks are part of the wilderness experience.
Tomorrow...into the wild! (well in a car camping, junk food, road trip music kinda way).