Weekend, short version
11-Aug-03
Friday: we drove to the campsite (7,000 ft. altitude, in the Sierra Nevada mountains, inside the Stanislaus National Forest). In the afternoon, we went on a 3-hour Jeep trail. I determined to take Dramamine before Saturday’s trip.
Saturday: we left for the trail sometime between 9:30 and 10. It was about 3 hours to the first river crossing, about halfway down the intended trail. At that point, the group decided to turn back, though continuing on another 2+ hours, plus an hour and a half drive back to the base camp on paved roads (paved!) Everyone chose to take the trail back, but fortunately it was less time. I was so tired by the time we got back at 4, I could barely walk (and napping was not an option in the Jeep).
Sunday: Got up early, packed up, longed for a shower, had breakfast, left, parting ways with the Jeepers. We went the wrong direction at first (heading back the way we came), but got nicely turned back around and headed up to the geocaches I had planned for the day. We found 2 of the caches, including one that had a broken crack pipe in it (I hate humans– we’re a virus, I tell ya). Did not find one that was supposed to be fairly easy, but ended up being much harder cause of the altitude, so we quit for the day and went home. Did not make it to the two SUV-rated geocaches– ah, well. Next time, really.
The altitude, by the way, combined with the dust, gas fumes from all the f-ing Jeeps, and my asthma to make this a very difficult weekend. It was so bad, rolling over in my sleeping bag would completely exhaust me.
The drive home took, predictably, 7 hours. Note to self (again): Hwy 50 sucks monkey leotards. Avoid it, always– it adds 3 hours to what should be a 4-hour drive. And the stoplights in Placerville need to be removed.
What I learned this weekend:
Jeeping is basically the practice of following a dried-up creekbed, preferably with lots of rocks in it, until you can’t go any further or your drivetrain falls out.
Also: “It’s a Jeep thing. I don’t understand.”