Set a date. Get gear ready. Cancel. Set another date. Cancel again. Set third date. Gear scattered again, get it packed and ready. Cancel again…
Friday evening, we pull into Shake Camp MHSDF, finally ready to hike. It’s getting dark now, but everybody is too anxious to wait until morning, so we snap our headlamps on and bumble down the trail in the dark. Even if we just go a couple miles and camp. My wife and I, our three girls, excited and giddy and giggling about who would taste better to a bear. Bear tracks in the snow right from the start.
Couple hours later, we are back at the trailhead again. The trail didnt drop down into the canyon as we expected. It kept climbing, and stayed too far against the west side of the canyon. This isn’t right. The trailhead sign is very clear though, how could this be the wrong trail? Whatever. We’ll sleep at the trailhead and figure it out in daylight tomorrow. Burrito Party!!!
The next morning, we discovered what we had all missed the night before. The sign has an arrow on the very edge that is easy to miss. This isn’t the trail! There’s another trail over there!! The girls scurry down into the canyon ahead of us, laughing at daddy’s navigational prowess, while my wife and I fall back and take it in slowly. Majestic Sequoias, ferns and moss-covered boulders dazzle us right from the start.
Break time near Moses Gulch. Tenkara and Cheetos.
Picnic near Hidden Falls. Creek conditions are low, clear and very still. So, fooling the 12-14 inch trout that I saw near here would require stealth and luck. Maybe another day.
Only one of our pyramid shelters saw any use, most of us slept out. Long nights meant lots of time to meditate on the stars, the moon, and the shifting moon shadows on the forest floor. I was also treated to the sound of a landslide not far from our camp. An incredibly loud hissing-grinding sound startled me, until it ended in a huge boom, which is when I knew what it was. Left my heart pounding pretty good for a while. On our first night out, there were new bear prints around our camp in the morning, and muddy prints all over our food can. So many good laughs around the fire and sweet moments enjoying the moon down by the creek.
Salami and Gouda on Naan, with artichoke antipasto. Snickers and Cheetos were coveted more than water and oxygen.
Dogwoods and Black Oak were in full Autumn color. We saw no poison oak that I can recall, picked and ate blackberries, scrambled and explored huge boulders and hidden waterfalls along the creek, and we found comfortable campsites every hour along the canyon. A dreamy place, where fairies hide in the woods and kids rule the world.
Our wanderings took us only as far as the upper end of the canyon. As usual, many lessons were learned and many remembered that had been learned before. Zinc Oxide or other anti-chafing can be vital when hiking, especially with kids. Warm stones removed from the fire ring and placed in their sleeping bag works wonders on painfully cold toes. Restrictive shoes are always a bad idea, but especially so in winter when poor blood circulation can mean feet stay cold all day, even while hiking. The kids made decisions, chose gear, read maps, setup shelters. Many of the lessons learned were not taught by their dad, but were lessons they learned themselves. Through their own experiences and their own discomfort or inconvenience. Most importantly though, they learned that they can simply grab a pack, stuff some basics in it, put on their Chucks, and go for a walk in the woods. They did it so naturally and without any hesitation, even running ahead at night with bear tracks everywhere, that I cant help but feel a sense of pride and an immense excitement at what wonderful young ladies my little girls are becoming. One clumsy, muddy, beautiful, step at a time.
