We were trying to camp at a higher elevation in hope of escaping the heat that has been relentless this summer in the Bay Area-- lower 80s would be wonderful.
We knew the likelihood of snagging a unreserved site on a summer weekend was like zero, but we headed out anyways since there is lots of places to boondock off of Blue Lakes Rd.
We got lucky that we didn't have to travel too far, and we were lucky that we had nobody on either side of us or in front and back of us.
We nestled in-between trees that provide shade.
Even though the sky was filled with smoke from the numerous CA-fires burning throughout California, we had peaceful views from our campsite.
After settling in and eating lunch, we headed off to the Tamarack parking area to hike along the PCT.
We passed numerous hikers heading north along the PCT with packs as we headed south towards Lily Pad Lake.
The trail was not difficult, no more strenuous than our Ridge trails close to home, just a bit tiring since we hadn't adjusted to the elevation of about 8400 ft.
The heat of the day was getting hotter, but we had chosen the direction south that provided us with shade from the pines. At the top of one climb, we were rewarded with the view looking south to the craggy range southeast of our destination.
Just when we were about to give up hope of hiking to Lily Pad Lake, we came across a PCT section hiker telling us that it isn't that much further--just after the dried up pond. There was only one couple resting and enjoying the peacefulness of this lake. There are numerous campsites for those wishing a place for the night. It sure was a wonderful place to rest and soak hot feet.
After resting, we headed back north to our car. Along the way back, we were rewarded with this view of the Nipple. I'm so glad we didn't head north that day since the hike to the Nipple is mostly open trail. That hike will have to be when the weather is much cooler.
Back at camp, we relaxed and went to sleep early--like all the other folks boondocking close by. It was so quiet...then early morning someone's dogs started barking at 6 AM...and barked and barked and barked.
We got up, ate, and explored the Valley. We discovered a trail at the end of the dirt road where we were camped and hiked a small portion of that.
And then we headed down to the river to see its condition. We walked the dirt road checking out boondocking sites and met some friendly campers.
Yes, we would come back here to explore more of Hope Valley!
No comments:
Post a Comment