Long Lake, below Mount Elwell, but still above 6,000 feet
Mountain arising from the lakeWe spent over four hours negotiating 9 miles in the Shasta Wilderness, a forest with pine fragrance, streams and the odd tree or two—that’s in the millions. It turned out to be a mixed day, a mix up in understanding the hike but our best at judging a difficult-to-follow path. It’s easy to understand that people often get lost, spending days in a forest.
How much further to go before the summit?
Finally, at the peak
We did not see another soul during the hike. However, when we do meet people, it’s often an eye opener discovering different lifestyles. We came across a young couple meandering along a mountain on Monday. After a brief chat, we suggested they hike Black Butte. “We don’t have a car,” they replied. ‘How did you get here?’ We asked. “We walked from the town,” they said. For the record, the town is eleven miles away. The woman, who is a nurse, was carrying at least 50 pounds on her back. ‘So how are you returning to the town?’ We wanted to know. They had not thought of it yet.
‘Jump in the car, after the hike, we’ll take you to the town,’ we offered.
“Give us 5 minutes to break camp,” they gleefully responded.
A Sierra viewWhen we got to the town, we asked, ‘Where to now?’ “Black Butte.” Hmm! They took our suggestion seriously. ‘Okay, let’s go’. We dropped them in the middle of a non-camping forest. Later that night we suggested to our editor, ‘Perhaps, we should drive into the forest and take a look.’ Then we remembered when a taxi driver dropped us in the wilderness in Mpumalanga, South Africa. They’ll be okay.
The Lake Basin district, way above the towns
Go high, there's always snow; Jenni at the summitWe left Shasta, the town with some residents and many visitors. The mountain people have a look about them that is unmistakable. The men have beards, many with long hair in pony-tails and dirty clothing. The women, however, are…much the same except they do not color their hair. Above age thirty, they are grayish.
En route, we stopped near Redding to look at Shasta Dam and lake. The area is very attractive—mountainous with a carpet-like covering of trees. At a gas station, we met a young man at the Coke fountain. Where else? We managed to assist him in a matter. “How do you say ‘thank you’ in South Africa,” he wanted to know. ‘Same as in America,’ we answered. ‘How is it that you are not black,’ he continued. We thought carefully for a moment and then answered: “We use a lot of sunscreen.”
Can you see which way the wind blows?We finally hit the Sierras, western side in the north. There is no mistaking the look of the mountains, meadows and lakes. We spent three nights in a place called Portola—don’t try locating it—it’s not on your ‘mapquest’. The area is magnificent with lakes, many of emerald green, hovering at altitudes of 6,000 feet and higher. We reached Mount Elwell, a hike including additions, of 8 miles with an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet. There’s no mistaking the look and feel of the Sierras. There is a tranquility that exists that we believe takes a person into a state of wholeness, oneness with nature, a sense of peace. We think we found our own ‘vortex’.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Much happier on the way down
Rugged surrounds, soft water
The last hike in Shasta
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