| California's Lost Coast Log (2007-06-20 --> 2007-07-10)
Leaders: Clint Blackwood, Krista Nelson, Jolyn Janis
Students: Jenny Cook, Frances Ralston, Callie Daniel, Olivia Coble, Margaret Bujold, Tess Ker-Seymer, Laura Gordon Thomas, Grace Baldwin
GIRL POWER!
June 20
All have arrived safely. Preperations are underway for Backpacking in to the King's Range, California's Lost Coast.
June 25
Greetings from sunny California! We couldn't have asked for a better start to our trip, with bright blue skies and sunshine all week. Our journey began with sights of San Francisco's beautiful coast from the Golden Gate Bridge. After a group photo and a few games, it wasn't long before we left the traffic and congestion of the city behind and traveled up winding roads to California's Lost Coast. Olivia was a huge help on prep day, sharing what she learned of backcountry travel on her last Moondance trip with the rest of the group. We packed our backpacks that night and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the beach.
The following morning we left the van behind to travel along the only remaining coastal wilderness in the state of California. It was easy to find our route, keeping the ocean on our right and following the black sandy beaches south. Francis and Jenny were our leaders of the day, eager to encourage the group and keep us moving forward. Our first night we camped at Cooskey Creek and enjoyed a delicious Alfredo pasta dinner.
Along the trail the following day, Callie kept us in high spirits with her contagious laughter. It seemed much easier than the day before, after we got used to our heavy packs and hiking boots. We camped at Big Creek that night and had a great time on our evening expedition up the creek, led by Clint "skippy" Blackwood. At Moonup, Tess had us rolling on the ground with laughter, telling us stories from home.
We awoke the next morning to the sounds of seals barking from the ocean. After consulting our tidal charts, we decided to head out a bit later and enjoy a more leisurely morning. On the trail, Margaret helped us through the rocky terrain by always thinking of fun songs for us to sing. Grace was one of our leaders of the day, and led the pack for much of the afternoon. It was our longest day of over seven miles.
We woke early on our last day and hiked out to Black Sands beach, where we feasted on tortillas at the van and got a nice change of clothes. We were sad to say goodbye to the beach, but we can't wait to see the Redwoods and get on the river! Already along the windy forest roads, the trees are getting bigger and bigger with each mile. We can't wait to see the National Park tomorrow!
Stay tuned for more updates from California's Lost Coast after our rafting section!
Krista, Clint and Jolyn
June 30
After getting back from a couple fabulous days on the river, we can't be more excited to start our next adventure in the Trinity Alps. The Redwoods were amazing. None of us had ever seen trees so big, and the forests were truly magical. We did a short day hike and explored the Park, but had to keep driving to the Klamath River, where our adventures began again!
Our whitewater journey began when we met our guides, Shon, Kasey and Brian at the Indian Creek River Access point in Happy Camp, California. We loaded our boats and began our float down the river, but the calm didn't last long. Within a few miles, we were headed down class three rapids, with Olivia as our fearless student in the inflatable "duckie" kayak. She impressed all of us with her paddling skills early on and has a knack for whitewater.
Later that day, we continued down the river with bald eagles soaring above our heads in a blue bird sky. We camped for the first night right along the river and feasted on a delicious burrito dinner prepared by our guides. Grace gave us some helpful tips on keeping ants away from our gear! You may have to ask her about that one...
We woke early the next morning and were on the river for much of the morning. Laura Gordon was always in the front and the first one to plunge into the water for a quick swim! During our lunch break, we hiked to a hidden waterfall in a thick, green forest that was simply breath taking. Later in the afternoon, Jenny was a trooper in the kayak, traveling down a challenging section of river with a bright smile on her face. At camp, we slept along the beach and Tess led yet another expedition into the woods filled with old mining remnants.
Our last day was a little chillier than those past, but we hopped in our boats and paddled on. Both Francis and Callie took turns steering the boat through the river and looked quite at home at their guiding posts. Margaret was paddling hard in the duckie yet again, and helping her boat mates find the large, green leaves of a shrub that grows beside the river, which we used as sun hats!
Now we're headed into the Trinity's for a couple days in the alpine. Stay tuned for more updates!
Krista, Clint and Jolyn
July 6, 2007
We're back in civilization after a fabulous four days in the Trinity Alps National Forest. After hiking nearly thirty miles over rough terrain, we're feeling strong and ready to test our limits on Mt. Shasta!
We began at the North Fork Trailhead, where we walked over relatively flat ground to our first campsite near Rattlesnake Creek. We were glad to be back in the wilderness with the sound of the creek soothing us to sleep after another long day's hike.
We woke to the next morning by singing happy birthday to Callie, who turned sixteen! We surprised her not only with song, but a birthday banner in the backdrop of our camp kitchen! The day was difficult, as the grade began to increase, but our spirits were high when we made it to our camp near treeline. In celebration of Callie's birthday, we made backcountry pizzas. While most of the group was on yet another evening expedition, we prepared surprise brownies and sang again! Later on, Laura Gordon and Margaret made lip sync music videos on their cameras, which had us roaring with laughter for much of the night.
The next day was our hardest yet, as we pushed to get to an alpine lake. Though we didn't make it all the way there, we saw some amazing views and even got to see snow! Tess developed the reputation as the chocolate queen, bartering with everyone for scarce m&ms in our gorp! We kept pushing on that day, and made it back to our first night's campsite, where Olivia and Jenny impressed us all my hanging a "bomber" bear bag all by themselves.
With the motivation of fireworks and a cookout, we hiked as strong as ever on our last day. Grace was one of the Leaders of the Day and along with Francis, the two encouraged us all the way to the van, which we were never so happy to see! We stopped at a great farmer's market in Weaverville and pushed on all the way to Mt. Shasta.
After an amazing shower and holiday barbecue, we watched fireworks from the beach of Lake Sisikyou. Beautiful colors exploded over the lake, with Mt. Shasta as the perfect backdrop. After the crowds cleared, Francis recited a beautiful, encouraging poem, which we all reflected on while mentally preparing for our climb.
Today we're giving our feet a well deserved rest and can't wait to head up Shasta tomorrow. We'll let you know how our climb goes in a few days! We're all thinking of our family and friends and will be in touch soon!
Krista and Clint
July 9 Update
We've all returned safely from a breathtaking three days in the shadow of Mt. Shasta. It was a welcome relief to be back at the van and rest our feet after a sixteen hour day filled with adventure!
Our climb began when we met our guides at a local climbing shop in Mt. Shasta. We were sized for plastic mountaineering boots, crampons, harnesses, helmets and ice axes and didn't waste any time. We drove to Bunny Flats trail head and embarked on our climb.
We stopped at Horse Camp after a two mile hike, where we immediately started to gain elevation. We filled our water bottles at a fresh spring and continued on another mile to Hidden Valley Camp. We set up our camp and attended snow school with our guides. Margaret impressed us all with her stellar self-arrests and not long after, Callie and Laura Gordon initiated our first snow ball fight!
Afterwards, Tess was our head chef, helping to prepare a delicious mac and cheese dinner. It wasn't before long until we were in bed early that evening, preparing for our climb.
Our guides woke us at one a.m. on our summit day and we quickly boiled water for our oatmeal. We tramped up rock scree for just an hour, until we stopped to put on crampons, pull out ice axes and separate into our rope teams. Jenny and Olivia led the way on their rope team and seemed to be unstoppable!
As we climbed higher, in the distance all we could see was the faint light of headlamps. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise and Tess couldn't help but sing The Beatles, "Here Comes the Sun." Francis was as strong as ever, encouraging her rope team to keep moving when the summit finally became visible.
Our guides told us it was rare for a whole group to reach the top of the West Face, but we did it and couldn't be more proud! Grace encouraged everyone on the way down, which was a welcome relief to our sore quads! We glisaded for much of the decent and reached camp around five p.m. Needless to say, we were all exhausted.
It's hard to believe our trip has come to a close and we will be returning home tomorrow. Thanks for an amazing trip!!! Though we'll miss our new friends and fond memories, we all are excited to share our adventures with our family and friends tomorrow!
Krista and Clint
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