Day 1
Arrived at lake around 11:00 AM. Started looking for location to stash the depot I made up. Tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc. Found a good spot up in some large rocks. Brought tent over first and set up. Went back to truck to assemble a tump-line to haul steel drum over to location. Wasn't able to make it work vertically so I placed the drum on its side. Made tump-line out of Trail-tube belt and pad, two cargo straps, and some rope. Very Heavy! Had to use bumper for a "dock" (see Photo # 1). It worked! Started over to camp at twilight. Almost broke neck crossing stream. Drum fell in but I stayed dry. Hard work!
The plan was to place the camouflaged depot in an area that would be well out of the way of the general public yet easy enough for me to find each time---even in the dark.
My first thought was to house all the gear in a large galvanized trash can but after consulting the very knowledgeable and helpful ML about various ideas and concerns (thanks ML!), we soon agreed that a reconditioned 30 gallon steel drum would be the best choice. Not only would it stand up to the elements, but for the most part, it would keep out most pesky woods critters, and quite possibly even the two legged type---unless they happened to be carrying a large wrench or acetylene torch in their pack.
For obvious reasons I won't go into details about Depot #1's (I plan on making more) location, but I will list some of the individual pieces of gear that were placed inside.
You'll notice that much of the gear is relatively inexpensive and there's a reason for that---if the depot were to be violated by another person, I really wouldn't be out much cash. I should also mention that the depot is not meant as an end of civilization as we know it type of cache we hear so much about. It's simply a wilderness "shed" where I can store a few items year round and not have to worry about lugging them in and out of the mountains each time I take a trip. Of course I'll have my personal gear (axe, knives, firearms, etc.) with me on the bike and will use it in its usual manner throughout the entire trip.
Here's a run down of the 30 gallon drum contents (see Photo # 2):
1. U.S. shelter half tent
2. sleeping bag
3. closed-cell foam sleeping pad
4. poly-tarp
5. blanket (2)
6. propane stove with fuel
7. kerosene lantern with fuel (lamp oil) and extra wicks
8. utensils (coffee pot, cup, bowl, plate, skillet, pot, spatula, spoon, fork, can-opener)
9. hammer
10. hatchet
11. Mora knife
12. Strike Anywhere matches (2 boxes)
13. 550 cord
14. hand soap
15. dish detergent
16. scrubbing pad
17. trash bags
18. paper towels
19. toilet paper
20. adjustable wrench (for opening drum)
21. tin box (for holding small items)
Day 2
Packed up depot. Smeared on mud from creek to help it blend into surroundings ( see Photo # 3 ). Overall, I think the depot worked very well. Next trip I take I'll try out the motorcycle. Should be fun!
Stopped in meadow to add the bull-roarer that Rik Palm made in memory of David Alloway (see photo # 4). I hung the roarer from the root structure of an ancient tree that had fallen over many years ago (see Photo # 5). The wind was blowing hard and made it twirl.*
As I was nearing my base camp, I noticed what I thought to be a person at the entrance. It was too far to tell so I used my binoculars. Sure enough, someone was camping in the area I wanted to be. Frustrating. I took the "back door" down through a canyon. I soon noticed another person.**
Now I needed a new plan. I didn't want to intrude but I needed water. It was getting late in the day so after much thought, I decided to stay in the tree line further down the meadow. I would have to walk a ways for water but using the Trail-tube, I was able to bring back around five extra quarts. Last night was warm so tonight I'll be sleeping under the stars. After some searching, I found a thick bed of pine needles.
It's been a long day and I'm almost out of light. It's 8:30 PM. I'll be in bed by 9:00 PM. Good night!
- Had an idea today. Thought about doing an exercise during Sierra Solitude using a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB). Might be a good article for a magazine. Everything would be coordinated and legal of course.
- Deet melts things! Melting my shoulder bag and paint on my pencils!
While on the subject of memorials, I've had some more time to think about the 9/11 memorial I erected a couple years ago. Even though I was able to express my feelings towards the tragedy in my own personal way, I think the act was a bit selfish. I just don't think the location of the memorial was appropriate. And judging from its present dismantled condition, others may feel the same. I believe I infringed on other people's right to enjoy the outdoors. Much the same way if a person were to spell out "Jesus Saves" in white rocks on a distant mountain-side. It's one thing if it's their own property but if it's public land, I feel people should refrain from those kinds of acts. It really wasn't my intention to flail any religious type beliefs onto others passing by using a cross shaped memorial--- a cross was simply the first "form" that came to mind. Maybe later on I'll think of another way to honor the victims of 9/11 in a less obtrusive way. Actually, I already have---in my heart.
** This was my first trip using a pair of Swarovski 8x20 Pocket Binoculars. What a treat it was being able to explore an area without actually having to travel to it---a real time and energy saver! I often found myself sitting in on the edge of a meadow, gazing though the Swarovskis, "walking" through areas on distant mountain-sides that I would most likely never travel to. I felt like an eagle being able to see into areas that was often just a blur to the naked eye.
Day 3
Burned out protective liner in V-8 can and made coffee. Mixed up some pancake mix, added some raisins, and cooked the "bread" on the coals. Far from gourmet but good when you're hungry.*
While performing ritual, I observed an area that may make a good base camp for my Sierra Solitude trip. Lots of rock overhangs for shelter, water close by, firewood, etc. I think my other base camp has become too popular for my tastes judging from my "neighbors".
My binoculars are sure coming in handy. Observed a lot of marmot activity so I decided to make up several snares along with some stakes to push into the sand. On my way to gather water, I set up three snares across holes that looked like they had some activity.
Went down to stream to gather water. A couple minutes turned into an hour of bathing and sunning (see Photo # 6). It felt good to relax and "air out". Used a handle I made to carry the Trail-tube full of water which worked better than over my shoulder. Had lunch when I returned. Peanut butter, jelly, and crackers. It really is a beautiful day. **
Now I'm just sitting in camp organizing my thoughts for the day and tending to camp chores. My revolver was filthy so I brushed off the dirt the best I could.
Still have a couple hours of daylight left. I'll probably eat soon so unless there's anything eventful in these last hours, I'll say good night.
( Sketched map of depot here - omitted because it's a big ol' secret! )
** Oh boy did that sun feel good! Sure didn't feel good when I hiked out a few days later and had to endure several leather straps and set of suspenders cutting into my medium rare shoulders! Yow!
Day 4
It's about 3:45 PM right now. I've been working on my table and needed a break. Just had some pb & J on crackers. I need it!
I slept in until 8:00 AM this morning. I slept well / warm. Made coffee and ate two power bars then went to check on my snares. Nothing. I relocated one snare to a more active hole. I observed several marmots on the way over so I inserted a reduced load into one chamber. One marmot appeared as I walked by. I shot and missed. I climbed up the rocks to confirm my miss. Prior to shooting, I made sure the campers weren't out and about. Had I seen anyone, I probably wouldn't have taken the shot. They were here before me so I respect their peace and quiet.
I spent most of the day working on the table. At one point, I ventured over to what was my former base camp for some large nails that I stashed a few years ago. I poked around for a few minutes reminiscing about past trips. During this time I didn't notice any campers. Looks like they moved on.
Today I worked on the table top. There was quite a bit of fitting to do (see Photo # 8). After some swapping, I was able to complete a very rugged top. It definitely has that "rustic" look. I imagine I'll be doing much of my writing from this table during Sierra Solitude. I predict the table will become too sentimental to leave behind. I may have to pack it out by mule! *
A somewhat frustrating afternoon turned itself around. On my way over to check the snares, a marmot appeared on top of a boulder. I was still too far out of range when I got in front of the rock the marmot was sitting on. I began climbing the rocks in back of where he was sitting. Just as I popped my head up, it saw me and disappeared. I was just bringing up my revolver - it would have been an easy shot as I was so close. I re-holstered my revolver and climbed back down. Right as I reached the ground, the marmot again appeared, this time lower and quite close. I fired. I went to look for the marmot and found it still alive in some rocks. I didn't know how bad it was injured so I didn't want to pick it up by the tail for fear of being bitten. I felt bad because I didn't want it to suffer. I stepped on its neck in hopes of killing it. Unfortunately, its head was in between some rocks so I wasn't able to apply enough pressure. Feeling bad now, I picked the marmot up by the tail and tossed it out onto the sand. Because I only had its head as a target, I must have only hit part of it. Half its face was missing. Luckily, the marmot died before I had to try stepping on it again. It was probably only a minute or two before it died, but to me, it was too long. I felt bad. Not so much that I killed an animal, but that I wasn't able to do it as efficiently as I would have liked. I guess I'm weak because I cried a little. I took the marmot down to the stream and cleaned it and prepared the pelt for a future project.**
Back in camp, I prepared the meat, added it to the pot, along with some water and chicken seasoning from my mini-kit. It sure tasted good! Marmots are usually tuff but with a little gnawing, I was able to strip the bones bare. The broth was the best part! The sun was setting and I didn't want a bunch of bear bait in camp so I took a walk down to the stream to wash out the pot and scatter the bones along the way.
It's 9:40 PM so I better get to bed. Tomorrow is my last day in camp so I'll probably work some more on the table and take another dip in the creek.
Almost forgot. I brought down the table so I could do some more work on it in camp. I was doing some planing on the top when I began to notice my axe was not cutting as well. Examining the cutting edge, I noticed what was once a straight edge was now quite serrated. I had been planing nails! Good job Eric. I immediately marked the nails with charcoal to avoid making the same mistake twice. I took a trip down to the stream to search for some smooth stones. back in camp, using the stones and my leather belt, I was able to bring the edge back. Not quite shaving sharp but close. The ol' Hunter's Axe comes through again!
Hey! I said I was going to bed. Good night!
** I actually thought about editing this section out of my journal (shame on me!). Why on earth would I want anyone to know that I, a rough and dirty "woods guy", got a little choked up over a little old' marmot? I've killed animals for food before, so why was this any different? I don't know, maybe it was some kind of a spiritual thing. I've heard that Indians considered animals their brothers. Was the marmot my brother? Is it possible the Indians may have felt a sense of sadness whenever they killed an animal? Were the spirits pleased with the way I was conducting myself? I hope so.
I've found that it's sometimes more difficult to take an animals life up close with my bare hands (in this case my Vibrams) than it is by staying rather "detached" from the action from behind the cross-hairs of a telescopic sight. With the former, I'm able to hear, feel, and see the animal die which is a lot different than simply seeing it go down from a distance.
When it's all said and done, my life goes on because the animal's ended. A gift.
Day 5
Woke up around 7:30 AM. Had breakfast then started right in on the table. I worked some more leveling the top. I was able to "bridge" the table top between two boulders which made working much easier. I then traveled up to the same tree I used for the planks and selected four pieces I thought would make good legs. Back at camp, I began fitting them to the top. I tried nailing the first leg on and ran into a few problems. My Hunter's Axe has a polished poll (see Photo # 9) which I'm sure works well for skinning out a deer but try to hammer a nail and you're in for a heap of frustration. The poll is rounded and smooth like a bar of soap therefore it has a tendency to glance of the head of the nail. The poll is also much narrower than some of the axes and hatchets I have used. After bending several nails, I finally resorted to grinding the poll against the rough surface of a nearby boulder. This action seemed to help some but it still didn't cure the round/narrow poll. I won't be finishing the table on this trip which is good because I'll be needing projects to keep me busy on "Sierra Solitude".
I'm really glad I was wearing my glasses a few minutes ago. I went over to get the body bag that was hung on a tree airing out and rammed a branch into my eye. I didn't even see it! Had I not been wearing my glasses, I would have had some problems. There are a lot of hazards in the woods and getting a branch in the eye is one of the greatest of all. Ouch! *
Well, tomorrow I head back to civilization so I'm going to start tying up some loose ends around camp. I want to store my table parts and other various items up in the cave I found. I also want to go through my food. I'd like to prepare some of it ahead of time so I don't have to mess with it on the trail.
A quick list of "lessons":
1. "Knee highs" are weak - buy liner socks
2. Polished polls don't work well with stakes and nails
3. It's good to bring reduced rounds for the revolver
4. Always test camera before a trip - have back up and more than enough film
Things to remember:
1. Check into "PLB" test for Sierra Solitude
2. Try out spigot idea with Trail-tube
3. Use leather straps W/ roller buckle for "Tt"
4. Relocate buckle on shoulder holster
5. De-bur left stock on revolver. Ouch!
6. Knee pad idea
As I write this, I'll have to say that I'm feeling quite an emotional charge going through my body from an event that happened to me in just the last hour. No, I wasn't charged by a bear, thank God.
I was out for a leisurely hike just poking around killing some time before going to bed. For some reason, I began climbing through some large rocks. I was looking into dark holes and cave type openings. At one point, I noticed a white, clam type shell in the sand. I wondered where it could have come from because I've never seen any before in the Sierra. A few minutes went by and I saw a couple more. I even saw one in a tight rock overhang type cave. I saw a piece of obsidian in the cave as well.
I kept climbing higher until I could go no further. I then noticed a large group of shells in one area. They were under a large rock overhang. There was also evidence of a fire due to the charcoal that was scattered around. I knew it had to be from Indians. I soon found another "cave" with the same exact items - clam shells, charcoal, and what I forgot to mention before, many small flakes of obsidian. If finding two of these incredible dwellings was not enough, I found another one! In total, there were three very similar dwellings. But there's more!
As I squeezed through two boulders, I couldn't believe my eyes in fact I had to step back and turn around to convince myself if what I saw was real. Tucked away behind one of the caves was an Indian grinding rock and get this, the grinding stones were still sitting in each hole! I couldn't believe it! It's as if time had been standing still all this time.
Nothing in this area appears to have been disturbed. I could almost picture each family sitting in their homes, cracking open clams and cooking them over a fire, not to mention all this while knapping tools from obsidian!
I feel very fortunate to have been led to this very special area. I've seen many flakes of obsidian lying about the sand but I've never encountered an area where Indians actually lived. Amazing! **
OK, I've calmed down. It's 9:00 PM as I write this. I'm lying in what has been my bed for the last four evenings. It's basically a small area filled with pine needles surrounded by several large rocks. All this is under several huge pine trees with an incredible view of the stars. It's a new area to me but has "welcomed" me all the same. My watch alarm is set for 5:00 AM, so I hope to be on the trail by 6:00 AM. I usually don't start a camp fire in the morning as it takes too much time building the fire and waiting for the coffee to brew. I like to get up, strike camp, and boogie!
So unless anything exciting happens tomorrow, I'll make this my last entry for the trip. Wonder if I'll dream about Indians tonight. Good night!
Like most people, I like to wear sunglasses on a sunny day but as a wearer of prescription glasses, there are a few things to consider such as quality, cost, convenience, and for many, aesthetics.
I've been searching for a pair of sunglasses to wear while I'm in the mountains. Prescription sunglasses are expensive and like anything small and fragile, they can be easily lost or damaged. Not good if you tend to lose things.
I even looked into those sunglasses that fit over the top of your regular prescription glasses but they're expensive too. Kind of a neat idea though.
I finally settled on a pair of inexpensive ($8.00) clip-on lenses from Target. What's really neat about these sunglasses is that the lenses are made from a thin material that can be cut with relative ease. And because the lenses are somewhat oversized, they can be used as is (if you don't mind that "bug" look), or carefully trimmed to provide a custom fit over your prescription eyewear. Another nice feature is that they can be "flipped" up out of the way while still remaining attached to the top of your glasses. Very nice when you're frequently moving in and out of shady areas then back into the sunlight.
The above is a clear example when something simple and inexpensive can often turn out to be the best tool for the situation. After having recently lost a pair of these very same sunglasses on a day hike into the local mountains, I'm again thankful I only shelled out eight bucks for them!
** What can I say? There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about the Indian camp. Since the discovery, I've been immersing myself in books about the California Indians (bought my first $75 book!), having dreams about finding beads, necklaces, and shells in deceased people's homes (go figure!), and just plain day-dreaming about the day when I'll be returning to the site. Hopefully, I'll be able to find it again.
As I mentioned in my field journal, I feel very fortunate and honored to have received what I felt was an "invitation" to visit what was once home to a very unique group of people. I was quite literally walking, sleeping, hunting, living in their backyard. To whom it may concern...thank you.
To be continued...
In memory of David Alloway
Copyright © 2001 by Eric Stoskopf. Last updated 6/30/03
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