I don’t really know where to begin. The past three days have been a whirlwind for sure. Some highs and some lows. When all is said and done, we camped two nights in a row, one of which was backpacking! Success! We saw some of the most amazing caves I’ve stepped foot in. We fell in love with Great Basin National Park and Baker, Nevada. We made it to Lee Vining, California and just was dealt a bummer of a card due to the snow. But we’ll make it work.
We have video blogs to post for the past two nights, but our WiFi is horrendous and the one four minutes video from two nights ago has 9 hours and 36 minutes left to upload.
I won’t be able to do all the details from the past few days, but I’ll do my best to give a decent summary of my version.
We had planned on camping three nights ago, but due to the Snake Valley Water Festival the campground was full. We regrouped at Kerouac’s, a most delightful restaurant full of delicious food and charm. After finding and booking a hotel an hour away, we cut our losses and enjoyed the pool, shower, and actual beds.
We were back at Kerouac’s by 10 for the Snake Valley Water Festival Parade. There were ten floats/groups and they matched up the one block main street, turned around and walked right back by all 30 spectators. You can see why the campground was full. This was a big deal.
When the parade was over (10:08), we headed into the park and began our first backpacking trip. I’ll be honest. I was not a fan at the beginning. But I don’t totally think it was my fault. The ranger had me write our intended hike and I gave him my mom’s contact information in case they needed to search for and rescue us. Right then, I was in a bad mood. What if we did get lost? And need rescuing? (Spoiler…we didn’t.)
As we said goodbye to Fred, I put my backpacking pack on for the first time. And it was heavy. Like ridiculously heavy. When I took a step, my whole body was thrown off balance and I needed to recenter myself. Every single step. But I was determined. I made it almost out of the parking lot before I decided that this whole thing wasn’t for me. I figured I could pretend for the day and then have a heart to heart with Zak about how I’m going to need more hotels and less trees.
When we got to the trailhead, I was pretty miserable, but I forged forward. Then the hike actually started and it was straight up a side of the mountain. No joke, straight up! I was in tears within minutes. The family humored me and offered to turn around, but I couldn’t do that to Ellie who was so excited. So I forged on. (After Zak took the tent from my pack and agreed to carry both of them.) It was awful. But so beautiful. We hiked through a butterfly tunnel where hundreds of the creatures flitted around us. They were drinking the nectar from the wildflowers of all colors that surrounded us. We were in thick forest one moment, and then quickly taken to openings that showed us the desert far below. It was truly majestic. And awful. Don’t forget we are hiking straight up.
The day’s hike finally ended when we found the perfect spot to set up camp. Now I know I am a very reluctant camper, but if I had to camp, this was the way to do it. No campground filled with campers and noisy people. No smoky fire to stink up your clothes for days. Just your family, the open mountainside, and dozens of mountain deer drinking from the natural spring. Despite the hike, the evening was wonderful. The girls were so anxious and excited that they set up camp with Zak’s watchful eye overlooking the process. I got to sit back and relax. We had a totally crappy dinner of beef jerky, raisins, Cheetos, nuts, and Little Debbies. And then we played games with our tent partner and eventually drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
The morning was ok. I had snuck my razor, makeup, and dry shampoo into the bear canisters, so I was able to feel like I was actually getting ready for the day. Zak had also packed a can of some coffee drink that was pretty disgusting, but did the job. Once, camp was packed up, we made the super easy and fun hike down the side of the mountain. Again, we saw deer and butterflies, as we followed a rumbling creek. I had also learned that my pack needs to sit lower on my hips, so the carrying of the monster of a bag was even a tad easier.
Once we checked back in with the ranger (who did not pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate our success), we headed up the big peak in the park via car, stopping at a few lookout points and tiny hikes. It really is a beautiful park, one that is so well hidden that not many get to go. Turns out there is more to Nevada than Vegas.
We had dinner at Kerouac’s (I think we were considered regulars for a hot second.) Our lodging was site 14 at the Baker Creek Campground. Not nearly as peaceful or private as the night before, but we all got enough sleep.
This morning we went on your through the Lehman Caves in the park, and once again, I am blown away by the history and mystery of caves. I know our pictures will do no justice and our words couldn’t possibly describe the beauty.
Once we left Baker, we had a 5 hour drive across Nevada. Every 100 to 150 miles we’d see a small town with a gas station and a sign that read “no gas for 100 miles.” It was a long boring drive, but podcasts and audiobooks kept us entertained enough.
We are in Lee Vining tonight and were greeted with the news that the 36 mile road across Yosemite is not passable due to snow, so we have a 300+ mile drive tomorrow. A huge bummer, but it seems to be the theme of this year’s trip. Snow. Replan. In fact, Zak spent a better chunk of the evening replanning and jiggling reservations since our plans in Lassen Volcanic need to be canceled because of the snow. (Read: less camping now!)
We have gobs of photos on our phones and I’ll try to upload some to the blog tonight as we sleep, but the WiFi is incredibly unreliable, so it might be a couple more days. Sorry, Mom!