I was treated to an incredible display of stars last night. Because the weather is warm and dry, I slept without the fly on my tent so I could look up into the sky. It made waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom a much more enjoyable experience when afterwards I could lay in my sleeping bag and look up at a sky that seemed to have more and more stars appearing as time went on. It was just incredible. That’s one thing I love about camping, especially in areas like Big Trees that are far away from city lights, the night time sky show is amazing.
I took things nice and slow this morning, having some coffee while I journaled and read, then slowly getting my breakfast together – scrambled eggs with feta and spinach, toast, and more coffee. Then I loaded the cooler in the car and drove to the other side of the park where I planned to do a couple of hikes. The first hike was at Lava Bluffs. On the way there I had to wait as the park road was down to one lane for a distance of about 3 miles because they were doing prescribed burning. It was eerie driving past areas that had already been burned – large swaths with black and gray mush streaming down the banks and further in the trees smoke was rising up. It had an end-of-times type feeling.
The lava bluff hike was short, under 3 miles, but had a lot of up and down, so it ended up to being a rather strenuous hike, especially when I was on the sunny, exposed rocks. That’s why I decided to do that hike first thing before it got too hot. There were lots of butterflies and wildflowers and some amazing views of water cascading into a lake and then the lava bluffs themselves. You’re not able to get very close to the bluffs, but at a few points on the trail there are some great views of them. The return part of the loop was shady most of the time which was nice, but I was definitely tired at the end of that short hike.
Next I headed down to the South Grove, not sure if I would do the entire 5 mile loop but decided to head out and see what it was like. I crossed over the Big Trees river where a few families were happily playing in the very cold water as it tumbled past. It was a steady slight uphill to the Agassiz tree, the tallest one in the park. I passed many beautiful imposing trees, including one that was called the Palace Hotel, named after the hotel in San Francisco because the burned out interior of the tree apparently resembled the great hall of the hotel. I was pretty warm by the time I got to the Agassiz tree and luckily the river went past just behind it, so I dipped my hat in and put it back on my head. The cold water cascading down my head and back was the most heavenly feeling and helped to re-energize me for the hike back.
I opted for the return loop even that was a half a mile longer than going back the way I had originally come and I’m really glad I did. I was rewarded with gorgeous scenery, not just the trees, but the ferns and everything else growing around there. I was very happy to get back to the car and ready for some lunch. I had brought a few snacks on the hike, but it was now almost 3 o’clock and I was ready for something a little more substantial. I made myself a hummus, spinach, turkey sandwich which hit the spot. And of course, it was absolutely heavenly to take off my hiking shoes and socks and let my feet relax. My legs and feet were very dirty from the dusty trail so on the way back to my campsite I stopped at an area that had river access and plunged my feet into the cold river. That helped revive my spirits, and it was so nice to get them clean again.
I headed back to my campsite, got my book and laid down on my air mattress to read for a bit. Soon that turned into a nap which felt so delicious. When I went to get some water, I saw a notice had been taped to the water spigot telling campers to boil their water as there was a concern of potential bacteria in the water. Fingers crossed the water I drank earlier in the day was ok.
The park has WiFi so I checked my email to make sure there wasn’t anything I needed to deal with and found that I had been invited to interview for a job I had just applied for last Thursday! So now I have a day and a half to prepare for an interview that’s going to take place a few hours after I get back from my camping trip -yikes! But I’m excited to be asked to interview, the position is a Deputy Executive Director for a statewide association. It would be a fantastic opportunity to work for a bigger association but not have to be the person in charge of everything.
In the evening, I went for a walk on the boardwalk that goes through the meadow in the middle of the campground, then had dinner, did a little reading and writing, and made a campfire. My neighbor in the next campsite came over to say hi and enjoy the campfire. We had a nice chat, she’s been coming to this park ever since she was a little kid and usually comes a couple of times each year. It was interesting to hear about how things have changed in the park in that time and how much she and her sister both love coming out here. I can see why – it’s such a fantastic place, lots of beautiful scenery and wonderful hikes and the river. I finished the evening making my customary s’mores and watching the stars come out. I can’t wait to get into bed and look at the stars before I go to sleep.
