For this trip I decided to drive up after work the night before. I've done this in the past and it works out very well. I simply park, crawl into the back of the truck and go to sleep. In the morning I don't have to mess with striking camp, I just dress, grab my gear and go. Of course another advantage to this method is that I've had adequate time to acclimate to the higher elevations.
Friday August 27 , 2004
Later on, after passing a large herd of cattle, I spotted a small pack-train moving in my direction. Preferring to keep to myself, I decided to take a break under a group of trees and wait until they passed.
Upon closer examination, it appeared a large rat (later identified as a Bushy-tailed Wood Rat) had fallen into the bucket and drowned. Funny thing is, aside from me feeling partly responsible for the poor rodent's failed attempt at swimming lessons, I couldn't help but admire how well the water filled, slick walled bucket worked as a trap. Perhaps a future experiment is in order!
Saturday August 28 , 2004
Hearing a non-coyote-dog in the distance, grabbing my Austrian glass, I decided to see who, if anyone, was camping in the distance.
Sure enough, whoever I had seen the day before was out by a pair of grazing horses. Luckily, due my camp's remote and well-hidden location, the chances of interrupting each other's solitude was remote.
I should mention that I usually prefer to camp away from streams. Not only are they a natural magnet for other campers, but they also tend to be quite noisy, often masking the other sounds in the area. I have no reservations about hauling my water back to camp and most times feel the trade-off is well worth the extra effort.
Spent much of the day exploring interesting looking rock formations, and old cow camps.
Sunday August 29 , 2004
Anyone not familiar with the eerie sounds of "yotes" upon first hearing them may very well feel their limbs stiffen in their sleeping bags wondering what kind of "thing" is lurking outside their tents. I, on the other hand, enjoy their "discussions"and find them quite comforting. Kind of like hearing the faint bark of the neighbors dog from across the field.
Spent the first portion of the day restoring the old saw I found the day before. After repairing the broken handle using wire, two wood splints and some para-cord, I preceded to sharpen the saw's numerous cutting teeth (each cutting tooth has two bevels) using what has proven to be a very useful tool in the woods, a small hand file.
After breathing new life into a tool that has more than likely provided many years of faithful service, it was time to take this classic saw for a test drive.
Rather than simply walking up to a downed tree and start cutting it into pieces, I chose to try out the saw by cutting off a piece from one of the planks I hewed a couple years back.
Towards the end of the day I started working on my mother's sign for her new garden in Texas.
Monday August 30, 2004
The main focus of this trip was to document a well hidden Indian camp I stumbled across a year or so ago.
In wanting the light to be "right" for filming, I purposely waited until later in the day to begin searching for the camp.
Without having any specific coordinates and due to the vast number of rock formations in the Sierra it took me a couple hours to travel to and locate the camp. But I think a large part of the experience is the actual "rediscovering" of the camp and one of the main reasons I elect not to take any G.P.S. readings.
One of the first "clues" was a white, clam-like shell. Since my "discovery" of this camp, I've done some research on how shells played a role in the Indian community. After reading some books on California Indians, I've learned that certain types of shells were used as currency and were often traded for other goods.
Once again I was finding pottery fragments lying in the sand. I have little doubt the fragments were at one time part of cooking pot or other container used for storage. Perhaps someday I'll try to have a piece carbon dated to see how old it really is.
I've found some fairly sizable chunks of obsidian on past trips but never any that much resembled a tool or weapon. Spotting the refined arrowhead was indeed an exciting event!
The crowning jewel was spotting the grinding stone tucked in behind one of the shelters. With the grinding pestles still in their mortars, it felt as though the camp had just recently been occupied. I still shake my head in disbelief and wonder about the camp's past occupants.
The Indian camp is obviously a very special and meaningful place to me and even though it's remote location will likely remain hidden for who knows how long, like a favorite fishing hole or hunting ground, I'll most likely keep the camp's location to myself.
Naturally I feel that discoveries like this are important and therfore should, for the most part, be left undisturbed. Hopefully this glimpse into the past will inspire those who may be fortunate enough to stumble across something similar, to leave things as they are, and to enjoy the "secret" part of what they are viewing.
Tuesday August 31 , 2004
I woke up at 5:00 AM in order to get a early start on what would be a long day of travel.
Still quite dark outside, rather than struggling trying to pack up all my gear, I decided to get breakfast out of the way.
Lighting a fire under "normal" conditions sometimes is a struggle, lighting one in the dark can be, well, interesting to say the least.
Even though I had a small flashlight handy, I thought I'd light my morning fire "blind".
The process was simple but effective. Light a cotton ball using a sparking rod, carefully hold a handful of pine-needles above the flame until it catches fire, then start adding small twigs.
One of the main keys to lighting a fire in the dark is knowing exactly where all your equipment is. One of my pre-bedtime "rituals" is to gather up and organize all my equipment and place it within easy reach just in case I need something or have to leave in the middle of the night. Thanks to this "habit" I was able locate my jack-knife, tinder, and sparking rod having a fire going in was probably under a minute.
A person has a lot of time to think while on the trail and on this day I thought a lot about my Grandpa Charles and how he influenced my life. You see Grandpa was an innovator and a truly intelligent man and was always building and creating or thinking of ways to solve problems. Grandpa would often try to make something before buying it.
Grandpa's been gone for some time now but I know he's looking down on these adventures of mine smiling as I make something out of nothing.
Later in the day I was startled by a black figure standing under a small pine tree beside the trail. It was a young calf that I had spotted on the first day straggling behind the herd. I knew at the time it had to be sick.
Looking around to make sure no other cattle were around, I walked right up to the calf, talking softly as I approached. At first the calf didn't seem to mind my curiosity but after re-thinking the situation decided to voice its opinion by giving me a weak yet firm head-butt. I was happy to see the calf had enough strength to defend itself and walk off. Hopefully in time it will feel better otherwise the coyotes and bears will handle the situation as nature intended.
The last fifteen minutes of my hike was memorable to say the least. A short distance up the trail I spotted a man...naked...walking in my direction. "Great." I thought to myself. Probably the only naked hiker I'll encounter in my lifetime and it has to be a man!
I'd like to say that I'm amazed how well the entire "summer job" experiment turned out but then again, when I set my mind to something, most of the time, I'll find a way to make whatever plan it is I'm putting together work.
I think it's hard for most people, including my family, to comprehend why I would want to go through all that trouble just to squeeze in a few trips to the Sierra. After all, I had just relocated to Texas, found a job, and was poised to purchase a home.
Once the blank stares and eye-rolling stopped, I believe people began to realize that my passion for exploring the Sierra goes much deeper than simply wanting to "hike" or "camp". Without trying to get overly "deep", I strongly believe that my interest in wilderness travel is simply very spiritual to me and one which allows me to stay in tune with who I am.
The video journal portion of my trips turned out much better than I had anticipated and I'm quite pleased with the final results! Once edited (not an easy task), I feel I may be able offer others a look into an interesting and at times unique approach to wilderness travel and living. Luckily, what I feel is the hardest part of the project, the traveling 1400 (one way) miles, sleeping on a cot in a kennel for four months and filming three trips part is over.
To top off the great summer, my boss (and good friend) invited me on a week and a half long road trip (In a brand new Cadillac Escalade!) up to Vancouver Island to do some salmon fishing. Of course it all sounded extremely boring (yeah right) but decided to tag along anyway.
Not only did we catch Salmon and search for Orcas deep within the Strait of Georgia, we also took time to stop off at the Redwood Forests in Northern California and explore the rainforests in Washington's Olympic National Forest. On the way back we took a quick what-the- hell-we're-here mentality and decided to stop off for a quick peek at Half-Dome, El Capitan, and the other spectacular views Yosemite National Park has to offer. Boring, boring, boring!
My thanks goes out to my Jan, Ted, and my extended family out in California. Without their friendship and support, I would never had been able to go forward with my plans. And of course nothing would matter if I didn't have a family that supported the things that bring joy to my life.
Until next summer!...
Copyright © 2004 by Eric Stoskopf. Last updated 11/14/04
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