Craving a break from the stratus and leaky clouds, Matt and I began plotting our escape. While summertime on the coast is cloudy and cool, we often find ourselves craving the intense heat of summertime just a short drive inland. Just ten miles makes a difference. Fifty miles away is even better. The seasons appear to change as we make our way inland, climbing over the steep coastal mountains that separate these two distinct climate zones.
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| Home base. |
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| I knew I'd find a use for the snow brush in California! |
Since our weekend happens to fall on Saturday and Sunday, we invite our gaggle of trail friends. The school year is drawing to a close so most are too busy to join, but we find one person who can't seem to resist the allure of sunshine: Rachel.
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| Stuart Fork of Trinity Lake. The lake looks so full! |
We awaken early to the buzz of Matt's alarm. For a moment, we're reluctant to move but we know that the day will heat up quickly. Either way, it will be rough: getting up before dawn or running in the midday heat. We choose the former and pile into the car after a quick breakfast.
Our first run is on the trails of Weaver Basin. This small mountain town boasts almost thirty miles of trails and is the perfect place to get a taste of the mountains without having to deal with the major snow pack that is reluctant to leave the high country. For now, moderate elevations are good enough.
In true Matt and Karen fashion, our run begins with nary a warmup before the climbing begins. Within two minutes, my heart rate maxes out and I'm covered in sweat. The route levels off and our first view of the snowy Trinity Alps appears in the distance. The trail rises and falls, in the sun and in the shade, for the next two hours. I quickly find my happy place.
Since I seem to be prone to getting lost on this particular trail system, we check our route at many of the intersections to be sure. So many of these trails look alike, it's easy to end up on the wrong one. An added element of challenge comes when we realize that our map isn't the most current version and several little intersections have been created since then.
Once we find our way climbing up a giant steep logging road, I know we're in the right place. I'm enjoying the challenge of the brisk hike. Matt and Rachel, not so much. Haha. Really guys, it's not that steep!
While I do enjoy a good climb, it's unusual for me to choose a brutal route without some sort of payoff. Not only does this one include some spectacular views to the north (Mt. Shasta) and to the south (Weaverville), it has a beautiful ditch trail that is both flat and smooth. It's also man-made, a petrified relic of the gold rush era. I love stumbling upon a history lesson in unexpected places.
The second half of our looped route is mostly downhill as we make our way back to town. Just as I mention to Rachel that the trail crews on our current trail have trimmed trees down to small foot-grabbing stumps and staying upright is tricky, she goes down. Luckily her fall appears to be soft and she's got only a few rocks embedded into her leg. We slow to a walk to help her recover and then resume. It's not a proper trail weekend if someone doesn't deposit some skin on the trail. Speaking of which, Rachel tried to make an additional deposit by leaving her debit card out there somewhere. Whoops.
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| That Subaru life. |
When we return to the car, it's mid morning. We waste no time changing outfits and cleaning up. This time of year, we're careful to check for ticks too. Once we're all cleaned up, a relative term while camping, we head for the store. The iced coffee has been calling our name. We also need a few provisions before we head back to camp.
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| Nut and seed burgers! |
The afternoon is spent lounging near a swimming spot. Since snow is still melting into these creeks, the water is icy cold and nobody is brave enough to go all the way in.
After that, it's nap time. Matt is the first to doze off. A champion napper, he'll have half a dozen catnaps before the day is over. We relax reading and dozing for the remainder of the day, resting up so we can do it all over again on Sunday.
14 miles, 3:07, 2,047 ft. gain.
Our first run is on the trails of Weaver Basin. This small mountain town boasts almost thirty miles of trails and is the perfect place to get a taste of the mountains without having to deal with the major snow pack that is reluctant to leave the high country. For now, moderate elevations are good enough.
In true Matt and Karen fashion, our run begins with nary a warmup before the climbing begins. Within two minutes, my heart rate maxes out and I'm covered in sweat. The route levels off and our first view of the snowy Trinity Alps appears in the distance. The trail rises and falls, in the sun and in the shade, for the next two hours. I quickly find my happy place.
Since I seem to be prone to getting lost on this particular trail system, we check our route at many of the intersections to be sure. So many of these trails look alike, it's easy to end up on the wrong one. An added element of challenge comes when we realize that our map isn't the most current version and several little intersections have been created since then.
Once we find our way climbing up a giant steep logging road, I know we're in the right place. I'm enjoying the challenge of the brisk hike. Matt and Rachel, not so much. Haha. Really guys, it's not that steep!
While I do enjoy a good climb, it's unusual for me to choose a brutal route without some sort of payoff. Not only does this one include some spectacular views to the north (Mt. Shasta) and to the south (Weaverville), it has a beautiful ditch trail that is both flat and smooth. It's also man-made, a petrified relic of the gold rush era. I love stumbling upon a history lesson in unexpected places.
The second half of our looped route is mostly downhill as we make our way back to town. Just as I mention to Rachel that the trail crews on our current trail have trimmed trees down to small foot-grabbing stumps and staying upright is tricky, she goes down. Luckily her fall appears to be soft and she's got only a few rocks embedded into her leg. We slow to a walk to help her recover and then resume. It's not a proper trail weekend if someone doesn't deposit some skin on the trail. Speaking of which, Rachel tried to make an additional deposit by leaving her debit card out there somewhere. Whoops.
After that, it's nap time. Matt is the first to doze off. A champion napper, he'll have half a dozen catnaps before the day is over. We relax reading and dozing for the remainder of the day, resting up so we can do it all over again on Sunday.
3 comments:
no snow, where is this magical place? I admire you guys for going all over the place. I used to do that until I moved to a place that had (almost) everything and now I am so lazy I think, why drive an hour when I can just go to that trailhead 2 miles away? I don't even like going six miles to the grocery store. Ha. Ha.
Your post has put me in the mood to go camping!
Mary, Our mountains aren't quite free of snow yet. Maybe by the end of July? I sort of want the drought to return. It never was that dry here so a little bit less winter precip was a welcome change!
Linda, You wouldn't say that if you saw the raging case of poison oak on my legs right now!
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