We slept an hour more than we planned (we were tired and needed it!) but still made it out of the house by 3:30am. After a redbull and lots of good tunes I pulled the truck into the parking lot of the Madera donut shop.... 6am donuts are so fresh and still warm!
We ran into the gas station first for some drinks *milk* and gum *elevation changes ahead!* and I also asked for some matches for our trip. The teller wanted to verify my age and his jaw literally dropped when I told him 27. He made my whole week. Someone thought I might not be of age! Yesss!
We grabbed our refreshments and walked over to select our donuts. Unfortunately for us they must have had a new baker or something because our donuts were very greasy and not worth eating.
Driving past Shaver I started noticing cars driving down the hill covered in snow. Soon, there was a light snow coming down and all the trees on the side of the road had a white blanket covering them. Not a good sign! Flashbacks of scrambling out of the hole 5 months ago came to mind but before I could worry about it too much we had to stop for a heard of cows crossing the road. How much I love cows! Black cows, brown cows, spotted cows, baby cows... Beautiful cows!
I was once again back in my happy place with the warm and fuzzys in my belly (I really love cows!)... and then we hit an icy patch of road and lost all traction. Boy, was I thankful for the snow pack- it really helped us gain control of the truck back!
After we slipped a second time on the road we turned around and drove back into Shaver to hang out at Angelos and sip on coffee while we figured out what we were going to do. I love that even in tiny towns in the mountains there are places that offer free wifi!
I went into the diner and started sipping on some (mediocre) coffee while Cliff napped in the truck. There was another pair of travelers in the cafe that were also heading up the hill, hanging out, hoping to wait out the storm. When Cliff woke up (or froze, one can't be sure) he joined me inside to share the cowboy breakfast platter of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast.
When Cliff and I first got to Angelos (about 7:30am) it was supposed to snow until 10pm. By noon, the snow was supposed to stop by 5pm. It didn't matter.
After my 5th cup of coffee, and 5 hours of waiting and surfing, we realized that even if the snowplows cleared the road, and the rain melted the ice enough for us to drive up to Sawmill Flat by morning, there would still be too much snow in Sawmill Flat for us to drive to the trail head- and we had already decided that neither of us was willing or prepared to do a river crossing on such a short trip.
That was totally worth the 8 hour drive for my five cups of coffee served by a decent waitress! If I keep telling myself I went for the service maybe I'll be less factitious about it....
I took the normal 'we got to camp' pictures but I don't think it worked....It was worth a shot. I considered pulling out my tent and sleeping on my lawn to take my camping experience into my own hands, but something about my cozy bed (and the sweet, sweet call of my computer and internet) that kept me from actually opening the packs at all.
Now I'm going to go eat a late dinner of just rice as is custom after a frustrating first day backpacking.
As always, more pictures... just not as many as there should be
We ran into the gas station first for some drinks *milk* and gum *elevation changes ahead!* and I also asked for some matches for our trip. The teller wanted to verify my age and his jaw literally dropped when I told him 27. He made my whole week. Someone thought I might not be of age! Yesss!
We grabbed our refreshments and walked over to select our donuts. Unfortunately for us they must have had a new baker or something because our donuts were very greasy and not worth eating.
Driving past Shaver I started noticing cars driving down the hill covered in snow. Soon, there was a light snow coming down and all the trees on the side of the road had a white blanket covering them. Not a good sign! Flashbacks of scrambling out of the hole 5 months ago came to mind but before I could worry about it too much we had to stop for a heard of cows crossing the road. How much I love cows! Black cows, brown cows, spotted cows, baby cows... Beautiful cows!
I was once again back in my happy place with the warm and fuzzys in my belly (I really love cows!)... and then we hit an icy patch of road and lost all traction. Boy, was I thankful for the snow pack- it really helped us gain control of the truck back!
After we slipped a second time on the road we turned around and drove back into Shaver to hang out at Angelos and sip on coffee while we figured out what we were going to do. I love that even in tiny towns in the mountains there are places that offer free wifi!
I went into the diner and started sipping on some (mediocre) coffee while Cliff napped in the truck. There was another pair of travelers in the cafe that were also heading up the hill, hanging out, hoping to wait out the storm. When Cliff woke up (or froze, one can't be sure) he joined me inside to share the cowboy breakfast platter of eggs, bacon, potatoes, and toast.
When Cliff and I first got to Angelos (about 7:30am) it was supposed to snow until 10pm. By noon, the snow was supposed to stop by 5pm. It didn't matter.
After my 5th cup of coffee, and 5 hours of waiting and surfing, we realized that even if the snowplows cleared the road, and the rain melted the ice enough for us to drive up to Sawmill Flat by morning, there would still be too much snow in Sawmill Flat for us to drive to the trail head- and we had already decided that neither of us was willing or prepared to do a river crossing on such a short trip.
That was totally worth the 8 hour drive for my five cups of coffee served by a decent waitress! If I keep telling myself I went for the service maybe I'll be less factitious about it....
- We left this morning at 3:30am, after just 4 hours of sleep so that we could do our hike and be in camp by lunch.
- I stayed up late last night making banana bread so that we would have good fuel for the hike down.
- We spent two days packing, and several hours shopping for the items we needed for this trip.
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| We made it! Wait, that's our home... |
All of that, to come home by 3:30pm the same day (almost ironic, don't you think?) and put our beautifully packed backpacks into the garage un-opened and not an ounce lighter than when we left.
Where's my outdoor experience?
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| This does NOT look like camp |
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| I don't remember needing a gun that big! |
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| Does Berty count as wildlife? |
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| Where's my waterfall? I see the right boots... |
I took the normal 'we got to camp' pictures but I don't think it worked....It was worth a shot. I considered pulling out my tent and sleeping on my lawn to take my camping experience into my own hands, but something about my cozy bed (and the sweet, sweet call of my computer and internet) that kept me from actually opening the packs at all.
Now I'm going to go eat a late dinner of just rice as is custom after a frustrating first day backpacking.
As always, more pictures... just not as many as there should be
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