California Adventure

Entry 2

August 4

I learned SO much yesterday! First of all, I have a confession. When I left Bishop, the long flat road (395 S) enticed my white mustang in such a way that I found my foot quite heavy. I may have gone a bit more than the speed limit. I may have actually gone...well...let's leave that to the imagination, shall we? Anyway...the music was loud, the sky was beautiful, and I've never liked driving as much as I did at that time.

Despite the fun I was having behind the wheel, the trails beckoned me. I passed on Big Pine and headed east from Independence toward Onion Valley. The drive up to the trailhead was daring. It wasn't long before I was creeping along in low gear with my eyes glued to the road to ward off panic. The winding switchbacks were narrow with no shoulder...and often no rail. I COULD have been freaked out. However, I just reminded myself that apparently other people do this, so surely I could too. Sure enough, when I got to the top, there was a full parking lot. Luckily, these adventurers were either camping, fishing, or roaming elsewhere. I encountered a handful of friendly faces initially, but once on the trail, I was alone except for the rattling critters in the bushes.

Now for those things I learned...

It's easy to wander off the main trail when the trail AND the surrounding terrain is rocky and not marked. Approximately 20 times on my 8 mile journey, this happened. And what did I learn from this? If you find yourself on the edge of a cliff with rock ledges all around, this IS NOT the trail. Turn around and go back; find the trail.

Each time you cannot find the trail, it's because you have GONE OFF the trail. GO BACK and FIND THE TRAIL.

DON'T PANIC. The trail will always be there. Relax and your mind will FIND THE TRAIL.

DO NOT keep climbing if you THINK you may have lost the trail.

DO NOT climb if you are not sure you can get back down the same way.

DO NOT think about what MIGHT be in the bushes.

BREATHE deeply. If you have never learned abdominal breathing, you should learn it before hiking long strenuous trails; luckily, my recent studies in speech language pathology included lectures of this sort.

Trail gaiters are the BOMB! For my first hikes, I didn't have these nifty little guys. Subsequently, I ended up with sand and rocks all in my shoes (which is no fun). I used them today for the first time and NOT ONE PEBBLE or grain of sand got in my shoes. It was awesome!

Those are the highlights of my learning for the day. Now for the rundown of today's adventures. I hiked up the Onion Valley Trail towards Kearsarge Peak. My ascent on foot began at Onion Valley trailhead. Not long into my journey, I realized this might be one of the most challenging courses I've accomplished to date. Initially, the trail was a series of steep, gravelly switchbacks. The rocks were loose so sliding was an issue. Early on, I began to wonder if I would eventually have to slide back down.

Nevertheless, I continued diligently. Eventually, the trail narrowed and led me through bushes toward a creek. When trails become very narrow (at this point it was about 6 inches wide), I become focused on moving quickly and watching my steps intently. It's not a good idea to think too much about what critters may be disturbed by my presence. Instead, I sing a little tune to alert them and hope for the best. After making my way through this portion of the trail, I could see a waterfall in the distance. It was still too far away to get a clear picture, but the thought of reaching it exhilarated and energized me.

Furthermore, it's a good thing I was energized because this is the point in time where I began to get off the trail REGULARLY. The rocky terrain was not marked so only my sixth sense could keep me on the trail. On this note, I'm happy to say that my sixth sense was challenged and further developed as a result of my many detours. I had to keep calm and trust myself. Attention to detail was key. Each time my mind wandered, I found myself at the edge of cliff with no trail ahead. I COULD have been scared, but the thing about the trail is that it is always there...waiting for you...I knew I could trust the trail... I just had to trust myself.

Eventually, I reached my destination and enjoyed the coolness of the spring-fed waterfall. Fortunately, I recognized on the way up that I should pay attention to landmarks just in case I lost the trail on the descent. Sure enough, I did. Basically, I roamed the mountain top like a pen roaming on an unfamiliar maze in one of those puzzle books. It was obvious I was not the first to engage in this randomness since the "fake" trails appeared quite "real" for a bit.

Relieved to have gotten past the steep, somewhat dangerous trek of rocks and gravel, I found myself back in the narrow, bushy part of the trail. The bushes seemed taller this time and I was afraid I was off track and headed straight into a trap! I kept moving - figuring, I could turn around if necessary. Happiness filled me when I saw the little stream and recognized the crossing. I was Smiley from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs singing my little "hi, ho" song.

Feeling very accomplished and like a true professional, I cranked up the mustang and ambled back down the winding, mountain road to 395 S. When I passed Lone Pine, I had to decide whether to stop and hike there too. It seemed to me that my time in the eastern parts was finished so I drove on. Jeff from Bishop had told me to head towards Bakersfield on 58 if I wanted to go to Sequoia. This was my tentative plan. However, when 58 presented itself alongside a Los Angeles Sign, my foot was heavy and the road was sweet so I passed on that option and raced for the city. About 8 pm, I found myself in Burbank where I stayed the night.

My plan for today includes some city hiking (shopping) and a trip to Verdugo Mountains where I hope to get a good view of downtown LA for my photo album. Perhaps I will head out of town this evening...back up toward Sequoia. We shall see...