Bad trip to snow - there has to be one

Drove up to Icehouse to try the hike Andy and I did the other weekend except this time turn right at the intersection. The weather was supposed to be bad, but it was worse than I thought. Ran into fog so heavy in Pollock Pines that the CHP was escorting vehicles west bound. It rained almost constantly with occasional gusts of downpour. There was no snow until we got to the top of Icehouse road and there was only about a foot of snow left.

I put the raincoat and snowshoes on and Commando and I headed off down the forest service road. The snow was very slushy and not supportive. The snow turned to mush underfoot. Commando had the worst of it as his feet just aren't as good as snowshoes.

When we got to the steel bridge, that was the end of the trip. I carefully crossed the bridge with the snow breaking down underneath my feet and hissing into icy Silver Creak. I tried to coax Commando across, and even tried to get him to lie on my jacket and drag him across but he would have none of it. His feet kept dropping into the abyss and he didn't like it.

We headed back to the car and then drove to Icehouse Lake. We parked at the dam and walked across. My plan, before it got very dark, was to walk to a little prominence just past the dam. Well, we were stopped by a steep cut that let overflow water bypass the dam in wet seasons. If it had been earlier in the day I might have tried to go down and back up to continue, but the sun was setting and I didn't want to get covered in mud and soaked to the skin and discover that there was a wet, muddy climb back up in the pitch dark.

We finished up with a tiny bit of stick throwing on the shore and then drove home through the pouring rain.

Oh well, there were some good views of water vapor rising from the dark green hills on the drive down so the day wasn't a complete waste.

Coldstream Canyon

Drove to Truckee and took the Coldstream Canyon trail out past some small nameless ponds and then headed back. At the beginning we ran into a state parks ranger and kept Commando leashed until he left (scofflaw!). We encountered several sets of dogs and Commando even played his favorite running game with one pup. The trail is nice but busy and I imagine it will be even busier in the summer. I was dismayed by the many, many, many piles of dog poo everywhere. We certainly don't make many friends when we don't pick up our dog shit!

Snow, snow, snow

Several trips to the snow and I've decided to abandon x-c skiing for now and stick with snowshoeing.

The day after Christmas we drove up to Hope Valley and rented skis and took a short trip on the flat area. Commando got to play with a lab and they really tore around like loons. We didn't stay out too long. The snow was deep and powdery so Commando found it tough going. It was also bitterly cold, about 9 degrees Farenheit and I wasn't sure how Commando would tolerate the temperature. He kept lifting his paws off the snow. The traffic was also horrible and very near Red Hawk casino there was a bad accident. The views were spectacular though with fresh powdery snow shining in the sun.

Drove up to Truckee on New Year's and rented x-c skis at the BackCountry store. They are really nice with no attitude so I highly recommend them. Drove up 89 almost to the big valley and skiied up a small road that leads to a closed for the season shooting range. The skis did well going uphill although it was no easier than snowshoes. I found going downhill to be harder than I thought and I was so afraid I would fall and break another bone that it just wasn't fun. These skis are easier to handle than the skinnier kind. That was nice. Still, it's on this trip that I decided to just stick with snowshoes.

Andy came up and we drove to Icehouse. We stopped at REI in Folsom first and were dismayed to see an enormously long line. An employee handing out tickets outside said it was the used gear sale. So much for our quick trip! Andy spent heavily on new boots, new snowshoes and new gloves.

We stopped somewhat randomly at forest service road 12N28 and hiked up about 2 miles and then back down. This road passes Jones Camp and skirts Bosworth Meadow. I'll have to explore the meadow a little more next time.

Snow! Hallelujah SNOW!

Friday night it snowed. Saturday I rented some x-c skis and headed up to the Peavine Ridge road in the Ice House area. It's nice and flat there and I figured I could practice x-c skiing without too much trouble. As a backup, I brought my snow shoes too.

We first stopped way, way down the road where it intersected with a snowed over dirt forest service road. I picked it because the snow plow had made a parking space off the road. Although the road trended uphill, it wasn't too steep and didn't look too long and I was going to practice anyway so I might as well practice on a hill. After struggling for about 15 minutes trying to get over the chunky snow berm, I re-thought my cunning hill plan and we drove back to the intersection where one could turn off to Union Valley Reservoir. It's flat, flat, flat there.

I geared up again and tentatively headed out across the virgin snow. It was about as physically hard as snow shoeing, although the few slipping sensations were scary. The snow was only about a foot deep, but these skis were really engineered for groomed trails not "back country" conditions. The springiness was nice. After plowing through some snow for a while, I took the skis to the road, which had a few inches of snow on it and could be classified as a groomed trail.

I got into the whole gliding motion thing and could see that these would be faster under some circumstances. Soon though, I was getting a bit tired.

Commando ran around like a loon. The snow was chest deep for him so while I was getting my ankles wet and making slow progress, he was bounding around and pushing through much more mass. He demonstrated the terrier interest in rodents and spent a lot of time with his ass in the air and his head shoved under the snow terrorizing some poor beasties.

We also played the "catch the snowball" game which both of us find pretty darn entertaining. He really makes some spectacular and athletic leaps and gets good water from chomping down on the snowballs.

We drove down to the reservoir and walked about 1/2 across the dam. The tracks are some tiny mouse-icle tracks. For some reason, several teeny rodents had crossed over the top of the dam in many directions and their tracks were all over.

The view of the mountains is of the Crystal Range and the reservoir. My pathetic cell phone doesn't do it justice, but maybe it will remind me of the majestic view.

Eagle Lakes again

Drove up to Eagle Lakes again off 80 at the Eagle Lakes exit near Yuba Gap. This is a good trail in winter and spring when the days are short and the weather is iffy. It's an OHV area so during the summer and on good days you may encounter too much dust and noise for a good hiking experience. Plus, I'm guessing the OHVers would rather not be on the alert for meandering hikers.

We made good time to the summit (at about 1.5 miles) and stopped for a drink. Encountered no one and had interesting views of a half moon over Old Man Mountain.

Got a little lost near the lakes because the map does not really correspond to reality. Took a spur trail to the east end of the biggest lake in the group and enjoyed another rest.

Commando thought he could see something in the water so he spent some time up to his belly in the water, leaning forward eagerly then leaping back onto shore when whatever he could see underwater did something scary. It was very cute.

We hiked back up and continued on to the west most end of the lake and got onto the Grouse Lakes trail for a few minutes till it crossed over the (now dry) stream between a small lake and the big lake.

I sat on a sunny log and watched Commando experiment with the thin ice. I had tossed some little sticks on the top and he wanted to get them, but couldn't quite figure it out. He would push with his chest and lean forward and not reach. Then he would run out on the bank and circle around looking at the sticks from other angles. Finally he discovered that he could use his paw to break the ice and get close enough to touch the stick but he couldn't quite pick it up. He tried for probably 20 minutes.

On the way back I nearly killed him. There was a very small lake at the side of the trail and I meant to throw the stick in at the very edge. I chucked it over a log and about 4 feet out. Commando leapt over the log and swam to the stick. Of course, on the other side he can't leap because he can't touch bottom. He started to swim back out and I called to him and he scrambled over the log (pokey things on top) and made it back to shore. He seems to tolerate the cold very well and seemed to enjoy the icy water but I didn't want to test his endurance under those conditions. I'm sometimes surprised at how well he tolerates cold because he's got thin fur on his belly so he's not really bred for snow and ice...but he loves it.

We encountered two people on the way back and had no further adventures.

This is probably best in the spring, as soon as enough snow has melted to make the trail passable but before the OHVers get outdoors. It is good in the fall and winter too. It's not good enough (other than the views of Old Man Mountain) for more than a nice walk.

White Bark Vista

Although Andy's feet hurt and I was sick with a little influenza we still drove up to explore around Shaver and Huntington Lakes. We stopped at the main public parking area at Shaver and took the dogs along the beach. We didn't encounter anyone and the dogs enjoyed the time. Commando demonstrated his great swimming and stick chasing skills.

We took the back way up to Huntington Lake. Andy remembered a great granite overlook so we continued on up to Kaiser Pass. Mother remembered a camping trip here as a child with Uncle Norman.

There were only a few inches of snow, the sky was clear and sunny and temperature was in the mid-40's. We first tried driving up the road but the car slipped and we had no idea whether it was passable or not. We chose the better part of valor and parked the car off the road at Kaiser Pass.

We started out with two women on cross country skis and soon left them in the dust (well, snow). The climb was steady, but not at all steep and I wasn't bothered by the altitude.

Close to the top, an SUV passed us so I guess the road was passable after all. Still, we had the moral high ground.

The view at the top was magnificent! It looks over Edison Lake and the Ansel Adams and John Muir wildernesses. Andy had cleared the summit long before I did so he was ready to go once he'd come down from some nearby granite outcroppings. The SUV that had passed us also had some annoying barking dogs that they said weren't friendly.

Perhaps they were annoyed at off leash Commando and Moose, but our dogs are well behaved...well, sort of. We did watch Moose because he's very old and deaf and may be a bit crotchety with the young whippersnappers trying to pee on his lawn.

We started back being mindful of some of the patches of ice covered in snow. The SUV headed down and we had a bit of a job getting deaf Moose out of the way but no animals were harmed.

Two other SUVs headed up as we headed down.

We thought we were at 8000 feet but we were really over 9000 feet. The distance was short, about a mile of walking, less than that as the crow flies.

Enchanted Pools Deux

Made it! On the last trip I was within 100 feet of the pools (maybe 300), but it was good that I turned back because it was dark when I got back.

This time, because I knew the "trail" I made excellent time to the pools and was sitting on a rock between the upper and lower pool eating my leftover pizza within an hour. They are beautiful, exactly as described by the name.

We hiked a bit upstream and I crossed and tried to find the Rockbound trail to return. I didn't find the trail and we ended up bushwhacking to the lower falls (where steep cliffs stopped us) and beating through some willows and stepping into the stream up to the middle calf to cross.

Commando needed some urging, but he finally came through.

I think next time I'll try the Rockbound trail and see if I can determine where to cut off and head for the pools.

This also looks like a nice trail up to Twin Lakes, much easier and more pleasant than the real trail. That will probably wait for summer though!

I'm very glad I made it this time.

Enchanted Pools

Tried to get to the enchanted pools and didn't make it. In my defense, we didn't leave till noon and it gets dark early. I also didn't have a map or compass and only my memory of looking at someone else's map to guide me. I also met some people on the trail who confirmed that if I just headed left on the faint trail off of the Twin Lakes trail and had some luck I might find them. I probably got very, very close...say, within 1/4 mile.

I'm glad I turned back when I did because it was almost completely dark when I got back to the car. There was just enough light to see the beautiful Crystal Range reflected in the mirror still Wright's Lake with a tiny campfire across the lake and an early star over Mt. Price to add extra charm to the scene.

It was an excellent hike over awesome granite slabs with some stream crossings and a waterfall. I could hear a bigger stream at the place I stopped in a steep canyon below (probably the source of the pools) but it was getting late.

As usual, Commando enjoyed running around like a fiend. We only met 4 people. Three in a group at the beginning, and 1 guy who came up behind me on the way back. He'd been at Grouse Lake.

I wanted to try again today, but I was more tired than I expected and so I lazed at home with a small trip out to get a new ear piece.

Snow 2008!

Drove up to Wright's Lake again, this time via the partially paved Granite Springs road. The weather was overcast but clearing up and the recent storms hadn't dumped too much snow so I figured the roads would be driveable and they were.

The forest service had been clearing the forest all season and with the start of rain and snow we drove past dozens of burning slash piles. I was surprised at how much heat those piles create!

Wright's Lake was more overcast than the rest of the area as Commando and I headed out on the short 1.5 mile loop trail. I had brought my snow shoes, but as the snow was only a few inches, I didn't wear them.

It was quiet with only two sets of human tracks. We met the couple and their two dogs about 5 minutes from starting out. They had two. The dogs exchanged pleasantries and we each headed our separate ways. I was glad to be able to follow their footprints in case I lost the trail.

Well, they weren't very good at route finding as it turned out. After a very short climb, their print stopped when the "trail" did at one of the cabins and they had looped back on an alternate route. I pressed on a bit into the brush, but it was obvious that there was no trail.

I backtracked to the flat land and started ahead at the most recent "Loop Trail" sign. I kept looking, but no other sign. I took a side road (snowed over) that went in the right direction. We passed a few more cabins and then some signs saying that vehicles couldn't pass.

I could see one set of human tracks from the weekend before, that had been snowed over. I could also see what looked like a trail, if I were a heavily travelled trail covered with a few inches of snow.

Still no "Loop Trail" signs but the route looked good. There were some orange markers nailed to some trees, and signs in different directions saying "Horses" and "No Horses" at a large clearing. The horse trail didn't look very well used.

I was just starting to get a little worried that I might have to backtrack when we finally encountered the trail junctions to Rockbound Lakes and Twin Lakes. A bit down from here I sat on a cozy rock, ate my snack and drank some water. There is a spectacular meadow above the lake with Silver Creek running through it. The creek is very still with little current (usually!) and someday I'll have to bring my kayak up.

We continued onward and as we neared the cabins on this side of the lake there were fresh footprints again. The sky cleared up a bit and I thought maybe Red Peak might show up.

Back at the car Commando got to run around with a beautiful red hound dog pup. Great end to the day!

Lyon's Creek Trail

Although the weather was frightful with rain (and snow above 6K) I still wanted to hike. Commando and I got into the deathtrap and headed up to Wright's Lake via Ice House and the Wright's Lake tie road.

I was an uneventful drive although the huge rain in Placerville didn't fill me with confidence.

There was about an inch of slushy snow just below the big meadow at the junction of the tie road and Wright's lake road and it continued to snow/rain steadily. Snow had accumulated on the road to the lake with many tracks of previous vehicles. I had passed a few hunters on this last day of deer season so was glad that I'd remembered to bring Commando's bright yellow slicker.

At Wright's lake the gate was open. I had planned to hike around the lake, but when I saw the snow on the road, and that it was continuing to snow, I chickened out and decided to head a bit lower to hike. Although the deathtrap had handled well enough so far, I really don't have a lot of confidence in it and I really don't want to become a statistic.

We stopped at the Lyon's Creek trailhead. I hadn't hiked here in the past because the parking area has always been crowded. Today, there was a truck towing a small boat and that was it. As I parked, a couple (with two charming dogs) pulled in to hike. Our dogs got acquainted and ran around like loons while we geared up.

They hiked on ahead as I made my slower way along. For some reason my cell phone wasn't working, although it should have plenty of power, and I wasn't sure how long I would be out. The terrain was pretty, with about an inch of very wet snow. The temperature couldn't quite decide whether to be freezing or not, so there was a mix of snow, light rain, and even some sleet at one point. There was about an inch of snow on everything.

As far as I went along the trail (which wasn't far, maybe a mile) the trail was easy. Relatively level with only a few rocks. It's mainly a typical alpine forest on granite. There are a few views of the creek from just off the trail.

I will have to try this trail in better weather, and even perhaps stay overnight at one of the lakes. Next year!

Crystal Lake, Hampshire Rocks, Summit Valley

On the other side of 80 from Eagle Lakes it looked like one could drive or hike up to a lake on the other side of the railroad tracks. It's more scenic than it sounds. One could drive up to the tracks, but the fenced property on the other side said "No Trespassing" about 100 times so I figured they were serious.

We then exited at Big Bend and looked at the Yuba River. We strolled around the closed Hampshire Rocks campground and explored the river a bit. Commando got wet and enjoyed trying to chase the pitiful excuses for sticks I threw for him. At the end of a season of camping, even the twigs are puny and weak.

Finally we drove down to Soda Springs and explored Lake Van Norden and the surrounding valley. It's a beautiful valley in the fall, although it could use some aspens on the surrounding hills. The grass is golden yellow and the center of the valley is dry. It must be quite a bog in the spring or in a wet year. Commando really had a great job leaping all over the terrain occasionally stopping to terrify the rodent population by sniffing at a rodent hole. I could see signs of other predators in a pile of game bird feathers with nary a bone left of the carcass. There was a gaggle of Canada geese and ruined part of Commando's afternoon by leashing him up so he wouldn't chase them. A part of me would like to see him chase them. I suspect they would be more than a match for him, and I might enjoy him watching him running away from a particularly aggressive specimen. However, I try to be a good citizen and harassing wild life is not in the handbook...even if the wild life is more like a flying rat that converts meadow grass to copious poo.

He slept soundly on the ride home and was only able to chase one tennis ball before falling into a nice nap before going to bed. A tired dog is a good dog.

Eagle Lakes hike

Drove up 80 to the Eagle Lakes exit. This was the first time I've had Commando in the dog seatbelt. He wasn't too happy about it, but I felt more secure knowing he wouldn't fly out the windshield.

We stopped for a rest break at the Indian Creek staging area and then drove up the pretty bad road for a bit. Most forest service roads are marked "high clearance 4WD" but many aren't that bad. This one was pretty bad, and it got worse the further we travelled.

I parked about 1/4 mile past the staging area and hiked from there on. We soon came to a signed fork saying only 2 miles to Eagle Lakes. Various OHV clubs are maintaining the trail and they have done a good job. The road is relatively flat, going gradually uphill with some minor steep bits. From an OHV perspective, it's really strewn with big boulders and there are granite or sandstone ledges with varying degrees of steepness every tenth of a mile or so.

We never made it to the lakes because I got sidetracked at some muddy ponds. Commando was hot and thirsty and we kept going off trail to check out likely looking places. One was very, very boggy and Commando sank in up to his stomach in the mud. We kept on and reached a actual pond with water and spent some time gazing around. He drank and cleaned some of the mud off chasing sticks.

We headed back to the OHV road and continued on to a summit. There is a faint OHV road intersection to Fordyce creek and it said Eagle Lakes was 3/4 of a mile ahead. We were out of water and I had forgotten to bring food and was pretty hungry. We did spend some time at this summit sitting on a granite rock looking over the (spectacular) view. Although I'm not a fan of logging, a lightning strike on a particularly large, old growth tree would have improved my view of the Old Man Mountain (looks kinda like Half Dome).

Quite a few small birds flew around to enliven the view.

We finally headed back and I was so hungry that the mild climb back to the truck really took it out of me. Commando was also extremely thirsty! I guess I'll have to carry more water for him. When we got to the store at Cisco grove he was butting my hands trying to hurry me along in serving him the water.

This looks like a nice snowshoe hike this winter, and I'd like to explore the area more next summer and try to get to Old Man Mountain. It looks like Fordyce Lake might be car accessible and might be within hiking distance.

Andesite Peak

My goal was to reach the Peter Grubb hut, but I miscalculated the route and didn't make it. I also let the last 100 feet of Andesite Peak defeat me. I scrambled up maybe about 30 feet, then considered the loose rocks and the steepness and considered how I would get down without breaking any bones. Perhaps I was a wuss, but I'm not the most graceful person and I really did not want a cast for my 49th birthday.

We drove up the snowmobile trail/road. It looked like if I followed the road to the end, we'd be very, very near the Andesite Ridge and the trail to PGH. I took a wrong turn and we ended up about 1/2 way to Andesite Peak. I bushwhacked along the ridge through a mature forest which desperately needs a cleansing fire. We reached a small meadow and I gave Commando some water and sat on a perfectly lovely bent tree and surveyed the pretty view.

I could hear voices so knew I was close to Hole in the Wall trail. Sure enough, about a football field away was the trail. Hiked up, ate my snack at the top, hiked down. It was a beautiful fall day and I enjoyed the views over Donner Summit.

Texas Hill Road

Drove up to Emigrant Gap and took the Texas Hill road. I was planning on hiking from the campground down the stream to the waterfall, but ended up exploring THR until the pavement ended and then hiking up the Helester Point road for a bit. (Side note, read the Helester Point link, then go to the linked blog home page. It's a special story)

The fire had burnt through here in a good way. Plenty of pines were left and there is a lot of new shrub growth from the roots. There are lots of critters as evidenced by Commando running off pell mell to try to catch them. He ended up a little soot blackened, but not too dirty.

We tried to drive over to Foresthill and got lost (the map is not clear) and then stopped by the expected gate. Along the way we saw some spectacular views of the North Fork of the American River. There was one particular place that was breathtaking!

Meiss Country, Scott's Lake to Big Meadows Trailhead

Drove up to Hope Valley to see the aspens and the fire damage around Burnside Lake road from this spring, and of course, to take a hike somewhere. I had decided that either Crater Lake or Scott's Lake would make good hikes from highway 88. Although the climb was steep, the distance was relatively short.

As it turned out, the forest service road to Scott's Lake was open and we drove all the long way up to the lake. It isn't much of a lake now with the water level down almost to dry.

It has pretty views of the peaks around Hope Valley and there were some small groves of aspens framing the lake. I was going to hike back down, but a hiker said there was a well marked trail down to the Big Meadows trailhead that was less than 3 miles. Commando and I headed off and let our shuttle driver take the car to meet us.

It was a beautiful trail, although probably too crowded in the summer for us. Easy to follow and not very steep. It generally follows a creek and watershed down from the peaks. The forest is mixed with pines and aspens. We passed several golden meadows with willow thickets and ate our lunch sitting on an ancient log still impervious to rotting.

We did pass a few mountain bikers (or they passed us) and only 1 other set of hikers so at a more popular time of year I'm not sure Commando would have been so welcome.

Close to the trailhead there's a junction to head to Meiss Lake and that looks like a great hike for another day.

Cascade Lakes to Long Lake

Drove to Soda Springs, then took Pahatsi road until it turns to dirt and continued following it till it ends at Cascade lakes. These were pretty unimpressive although the glacier erratics boulder field we passed through to get to the lakes was interesting.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do and was pleased to see a trailhead sign, "Palisades Creek Trail." The mileages were a bit much for me. About 1/2 mile down, the trail forked and I took the non-trail fork and ended up at Long Lake. This is a very pretty lake, and natural too. We hiked along an easy path on the east side of the lake and took a trip down into a watershed declivity that is probably more like a waterfall in the spring.

Then we crossed the lake and went trail less back to the trail head. This was a little more difficult than it sounds because there wasn't a shore, more of a series of boulder cliffs to scale interspersed with willow and manzanita thickets. I came home with plenty of pine needles in my hair!

This is a pretty, pretty area and I think I'll try the Palisades Creek trail for a bit longer.

Dog Mobile at Heart Association

Saturday we took two dogs, Spike and Becca to the American Heart Association walk in Land Park. Becca (my dog) was a sweet, sweet puppy who is very smart and already knows a lot of tricks. She was a little uncertain a few times and did NOT like the band, but she was happy and willing to trust. She knows sit, down and touch! She was learning not to jump on people and showed real progress by the end of the day. She also is learning to walk on the leash.

I picked her because she greeted me at the cage door with a toy in her mouth. That's the kind of happy, playful thing my dog would do and I found it charming. She happily chased balls in the ball yard and came willing to me when I called. She wanted to play with all dogs and people that she saw and she wasn't phased at all when an owned pug dog growled at her. She thought Spike was awesome and really wanted to play with him. She happily accepted petting from everyone, adults, men, women, children and even the whole cheerleader squad.

What a cute, cute dog.

Spike was very dignified and happy to meet everyone. The picture I took of him shows him getting belly rubs from several people. One person had just taken her hand off his belly and he had opened his eyes.

Kayaking!

Teana wanted to try kayaking so we drove to Lake Natoma to the Sac State Aquatic center so she could rent a kayak. Mine traveled fine in the back of the pickup truck, although it could probably use some padding. For some reason, I'd forgotten that there was parking at the AC so I parked in the park and ride lot at the entrance to Nimbus Flats. Then I had to carry my kayak and gear all the way across the road, along the bike trail, around the razor wire topped chain link fence, into the parking lot, and finally, finally to the water. We had no problem renting although there was quite a long wait till the "harbor master" came to help us get underway. I had launched from the beach and was sitting in the water by the docks.

We headed straight across the lake to the area through the culvert. The water is very low and we actually had to walk about 20 feet at the end near the culvert. The water plants that fill the water on the other side were propagating and poking some kind of pollen dispenser (or seed pod) above the water line. We didn't see any of the giant fish that I was hoping for.

When we got back out to the main lake, we briefly switched kayaks. I could not get comfortable with the other backband and so we switched back. The rental paddle was the worst paddle I think I've ever touched! It seemed like it was weighted with lead. I let Teana have the nice paddle and I used her bar bell, I mean paddle, for the trip back.

Both of us were tired and my shoulders ache. I remember how much I enjoy kayaking though and must figure out a way to take Commando along.

Grouse Ridge hike with cow drama

Got Commando because I wanted to tackle the (I thought) trail-less overland route to the little lakes I could see from the top of GR proper. We parked under the shade trees where the trail to GR starts and headed overland down the meadow.

We got to the edge of the cliff and looked down over Sanford lake. As expected, there's no easy route down the cliff for a hiker. We paralleled the cliff edge for a while gazing over the spectacular view and then worked back to the meadow. We crossed a dry stream and then intersected a good trail to Sanford that followed the stream's course.

We took it, and after about 1/2 mile or so, we were soaking our feet in Sanford lake and gazing around. The lake is at the base of GR and is framed by a lichen covered granite head wall on that side. The granite continues around the lake getting lower and lower until it disappears and gives the lake that "endless" pool effect overlooking the wilderness beyond.

We waded around and explored some of the shoreline and I tossed sticks for Commando. Although I had carried my big, heavy Neal Stephenson book (System of the World) I just wasn't quite in the mood to sit and read it as planned.

There are quite a chain of little lakes and so we headed out to find some of them. There wasn't much of a trail and the first lake we found was really just a muddy pool. Then we found a dry lake. Then we found a tiny, pretty lake, then another little lake. At a granite saddle at the north(?) end of this lake I could see another big lake (about Sanford sized) maybe 500 feet below. This was Downey lake.

It was getting late so we turned our backs on Downey and scrambled up some scree and into a volcanic slot to the top of the ridge overlooking both the little unnamed lake and Downey lake.

We just kept bearing west and south and going up and eventually we reached the proper trail and had just a bit of a climb left to back to the car.

I saw some strange, fresh tracks on the trail. I thought, gee, those look like cow tracks, but I'm not sure they graze cows here. I tried to make them out to be very large deer tracks...or perhaps scuffed horse tracks...or perhaps horse tracks where the horse had some kind of weird shoe...but none of those theories seemed plausible.

As we neared the camp, I could hear some musical tones...perhaps a banjo? Also, the music was intermittent. Keep in mind that it's windy and non-wind sounds are obscured wind sounds.

Eventually the mystery was cleared up...by...free range cows with bells! They were marching through meadow just below the camp. The campers thought this was pretty exciting and people headed into the willows to get closer to the cows. The cows weren't too fond of that idea and a terrific mooing racket began. It wasn't really mooing, more like braying and mooing.

By now I had Commando on his leash, because I was pretty sure he would find cows entertaining to chase and that's just not right. We kept walking along the (now) road back to the car while the cows kept up the same pace just below us in the meadow.

The continued the braying and mooing. Something was stirring them up (and it wasn't Commando).

We saw them stretched out in a loose line below. A caramel colored cow, followed by about 7 light to dark red cows, then a dark red cow behind and still in the brush. The last cow was making most of the noise.

We kept on to the truck and sat down near it on some rocks bordering the meadow just as the line of cows was walking over the saddle to wherever they were headed. The caramel leader cow paused at the top to give another loud bray, moo bellow and they continued on at a fast pace. These were cows on a mission.

I kept sitting on my rock while Commando kept trying to figure out if there was some combination of moves he could take to escape the leash and follow the cows.

A good while later, I heard the bell again and the dark red cow and a large dark red bull calf crested over the saddle. They didn't like seeing us and paused, but then continued on after circling us. So this explained the mooing and braying! The bull calf wasn't keeping up and the other cows were scolding him. The lead cow had finally abandoned the mother and her calf to get the rest to...wherever they were going. Fascinating!

Commando was very disappointed to not get to chase the cows but he settled down once we were back in the truck headed home.

Visit from brother

Andy came for a visit this past weekend. It was fun (except for his usual foot odor) and relaxing. I did forget to put the Trader Joe's croissants in the oven so breakfast was a bit haphazard. We drove up to Grouse Ridge and strolled around there, up to the lookout and up to Grouse Ridge itself. We also lazed around in lawn chairs reading. Very nice. Up from GR, it looks like a very short hike to some small lakes just down the crest from the camping area. That will be my next trip.