Sequoia National Park, California July 3rd - July 6th 2014
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Sequoia National Park, California
Sequoia National Park, California
topgun92000- July 23rd, 2014
Sequoia National Park, California July 3rd - July 6th
For the 4th of July weekend I went trekking at Sequoia National Park with the family. I have never done trekking before, so I was very excited. I didn't really have any equipment to go trekking with but I decided to wing it.
Thursday
Friday
"Which way?"
CJ was in front, she was the leader. She didn't let anyone go in front, not even the dog. Which was fine, we all stuck together. She is however 3 years old so our pace was a good 1 mile/hour, it was slow but I enjoyed the nature. We passed through meadows, forest full of trees, rivers, bridges, and rocks. After about maybe 2 miles (2 hours) we take our break. We eat and we move on. After another hour we had a plan. I go faster with the dog to the lake, get to the lake drop my stuff and come back to grab things to make the load lighter. Off I went with Bulba.
I hiked a good mile and a half when I realized I was the only one with the water bottle and it was getting a bit low. I decide to leave it down on the ground so once they get there they can pick it up. I write their names on it and walked on. I had to make sure to stop on every river crossing so the dog can get some water. The dog also kept stopping every few meters and didn't budge because she realized that the family was back there. After tugging on the leash I got her to go a few more meters every time. Around the 4.5 mile I decide to take a nice long rest, took my backpack off, took the leash off the dog, sat on a log and took a long breather. After the rest I decided to move on, then Steve comes rushing down by himself, he tells me that the girls are getting tired and it's about sunset we should camp here. So we put our stuff down and I grab a few peanuts and go back looking for the girls so I can help them.
"The Shortcut"
As I'm going up, I start climbing rocks. A shortcut so I can get to the girls faster. I climb all the way up and go through the wilderness, then I realize, there is no trail here. Alright I'll go back. I went back, but no trail there either. I stopped and looked around, I must've came from here, if i keep going, I am bound to find the trail. So I keep going and still no trail, no Steve, no anything but nature. Ok, I think to myself there is a bend right there once I get there, i can view more and surely I'll see the trail there.... no trail! Then the feeling sets in, I'm lost. My pace gets faster, my face is flushed I don't know what to do. I realized that during the hike I may have seen maybe 2 people every hour, we are pretty isolated. It's 1.5 hours to drive here so there is no street nearby. I start shouting Steve at the top of my lungs. No response, I went back around the bend and kept yelling Steve's name, and the more i paced the more I got lost.
It was terrible, I just had a bag of salty almonds and I was thirsty this isn't good. It was a while since I had this feeling of helplessness, I haven't been scared like this for a long time. After pacing and screaming Steve's name for what seemed to be hours on end but in reality was probably 20 minutes I saw rocks stacked on top of each other. From my last trip to Utah I learned by observation that these rocks formations had to have been made from humans. It meant that there was a trail. I went to the rocks, went one way, no trail. Went back to the rocks to make sure I didn't lose them, went another path no trail. Then finally the third path led me to a trail. I was saved. I didn't know which way my sister was or Steve but I went the path that went down hill. A hiker comes to me and says are you the boy that was missing and screaming, yes I replied. He says that the husband is downhill waiting for you and your sister is uphill says that she is tired and will stay up there for the night. I thanked him and kept going. I found Steve and asked him to go up to the girls to make sure they are ok and to tell them where I am. I'll just camp here for the night and in the morning they can come to me and we will continue to the lake. I gave him the flashlight and he left. I set up the tent, this time it was easier, I finally realized on how it was supposed to be put up, but I also realized I didn't have any sticks for the tent. Again I improvised, I grabbed 2 hiking sticks we were using and propped the tent up and tighed the rest to the tent stakes that were in my backpack. It got dark, and I mean dark! Steve had the flashlight so I couldn't see anything. I went inside my tent, and refused to get out, too frightened. The worst part is, it was eerily quiet. There were no birds chirping, crickets weren't there either. At some point I heard foot steps outside, it wasn't of an animal but sounded human. Even now I can't tell you what it was because I refused to come out of the tent. I think I slept that night, I don't know it was too dark.
Saturday
"Looks Like We Made it"
I wake up from a night that lasted forever. I get out of the tent and start going up the path to meet the rest of the crew. This time I made sure not to stray away from the path. Hiked just a few meters and there they were coming my way with CJ in the front. I turned around and we continued our journey to the lake. The plan was to leave my tent where it was, only take the essentials to the lake, then hike back as much as possible camp there and get back to our cars on Sunday. We finally get to the lake. One of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It was so clear, I can see all the way to the bottom no matter how deep it got. I changed and quickly got into the water, it was crisp. Cold, but the outside air was warm so it was ok. It was so good to get into the water and rinse the dirt off of me. My sister and I swam to the other side where the rocks were and climbed on them and chilled for a bit on the warm rocks and swam back. Bulba also swam, she had the time of her life. CJ had an insect box display, a clear case with magnifying glass on top. Her and steve caught an ant and were observing it. I was sunbathing, fell asleep a bit and got a sunburn on my stomach even though I put on sunblock. We ate dehydrated mexican soup, which was surprisingly good. I am now a fan of dehydrated food. We took water from the lake and boiled it with our portable stove so we can have more water on the way back. All in all a good relaxing time but unfortunately we had to get going.
"Where is the Tent?"
We started to hike back, and I told them that I'll go ahead and take the tent down so by the time they catch up we can keep moving. So I go ahead, I'm going at a quick pace and realize that I still don't see the tent. Now questioning myself, maybe I passed it. I keep going and saw a few hikers and ask them if they had seen a tent off to the side. They say no, but I think they might have missed it so I keep going. No tent. I hike another mile and made sure that I had passed it. Oye, for a person with no sense of direction, I probably shouldn't hike by myself. I hide the backpack I was carrying and went back, a few miles back I see the rest of the crew carrying my tent. I grab some of their things and we continued hiking back. At about where I left my backpack CJ was getting tired, I grabbed the backpack we went on a little further and camped for the night. We decided to put everything into my tent and sleep in one tent. I kept tossing and turning because none of us brought an air matress and sleeping on hard dirt with a sun burn isn't a good feeling. Another long night.
We start to drive to the hotel. I follow Steve. As we turn left to get onto the street, my car stalls. I cruise onto the side of the road and Steve drives on, not noticing. I try starting my car, it's not starting. I try again, no luck. I open the hood to see if I can shake it to get it started but still nothing. I look on my phone and of course no service whatsoever. Great, it's raining, i'm stuck on the side of the road and no service. Nothing left to do but to keep trying to start my car. What I think happened is the chip in my key is barely readable so I push the key with force and finally start my car. Thank god, but I have no idea what the hotel is called or where to go. I drive anyway, I stop at the nearest hotel to at least get some wifi. I ask them if Romar's are checked in, they say no. I use the wifi to try to contact them on facebook using the hotels wifi but they weren't on. I decided that I had to head home. So I facebooked my mom to let her know that I was heading home so she can tell that to my sister somehow. My mom didn't respond, I then facebooked my friend Dennis who was online to call my mom to let her know, my mom was working so no response. I didn't want my sister and Steve to worry so couldn't really go home because I didn't want them looking for me for 4 hours. But I drove toward home anyway, there is another hotel maybe they are there. I stop and ask the front desk if the Romar's were checked in, no dice. I drove on. After a few more hotels, hazah a room was found. I hope they were there and not looking for me. I knock on the door and my sister opens it. "I'm here and I'm ok, no need to worry" I tell her. She looks at me with a blank face, "I'm glad you found us, but I wasn't worried, I figured you just drove home." So I took my nice warm shower and drove home.
What a trip. People who know me well know very well how crazy my trips get. We end up getting lost all the time because of me not having a sense of direction. We go to unknown places just to explore, we have been through ice, rivers, and had to climb fences. But nothing prepared me for this trip. It was definitely an adventure with no guarantee of safety. I haven't been this tired, dirty, scared, and feeling helpless in a long time. Would I do it again? Hell yes! Now that I have somewhat of experience I'd definitely take friends and maybe hike a bit faster so we can get even further. Of course let them know to not lose the trail, bring lots of water, make sure you have a fitting backpack, and to expect the unexpected. This is what constitutes a true adventure. I do not know what I'm really made of unless I take on trips like this. These kinds of trips are definitely not for everyone. If you are ok with not taking a shower for 4 days, not brushing your teeth for a while, and are prepared to push yourself through some limits, then I invite you to come trekking with me next time! All in all, it was a very fun experience.
Click here to view all of the Sequoia Pictures
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For the 4th of July weekend I went trekking at Sequoia National Park with the family. I have never done trekking before, so I was very excited. I didn't really have any equipment to go trekking with but I decided to wing it.
Thursday
"I'm in search of a backpack"
I packed my Jansport backpack, Eric let me borrow a one man tent, and I had my sleeping bag. The tent nor the sleeping bag fit into the backpack. That's alright I thought to myself, I can carry it. When I get to my parents house I see my sister and her husband packed with huge trekking back packs with tons of food, clothes, and other essentials. This Jansport backpack is obviously not going to be enough, my friends already warned me that it would be impossible to do. So I started frivolously texting my friends to see if they have a trekking back pack. First I texted a friend who I know trekks, Nathan, but no response. Then two others, who have responded but told me that they didn't have the backpacks I was looking for. I thought I was going to be suffering this trip, but oh well I'll have to carry things on my back as I bend over the whole time if I had to. So feeling anxious I pack the stuff up into the car, and then Nathan texted me back. He has a backpack! Also he lives right next to my parents house, what luck. I drove to my life savers house, picked up the backpack and off we drove to the Sequoia National Park.
"The Plan"
The drive takes 4 hours, we left on Thursday around 6:30pm. We took two cars so I can leave earlier on Sunday. The plan was, We stay at a camping site Thursday thru Friday and then the following days we can start trekking to Jenny's lake 7 miles away. I took my car, and my sister Anna, her husband Steve, my niece CJ, and Bulba their dog went in the other car. Steve made it clear that when we get to the Sequoia's, whatever we bring we take with us. Which I liked, we took the trash with us, even if a match stick fell on the ground, we had to pick it up! To me it seemed that everyone was following these rules because the park was amazingly clean! On Sunday they had a hotel to stay in near Sequoia Park for a night, I had to work on Monday, so this is where I can take a shower and leave for home.
After the long drive we finally get to the gates where they charge for parking. Most places when I went camping before, you pay at the gate and the camp site is right there, not this site. After we paid, my ticket was $20, we drove ONE AND A HALF HOURS more to get to our camping site! I was dumbfounded. We finally get to our spot, it's dark but we have flashlights. We park, Anna and Steve quickly set up their tent and I have trouble with mine. My friend Eric let me borrow his one man tent but I have no idea how to set it up. My sister starts helping me, I'm thinking we don't have enough tools so we start improvising. We got the tent up, sort of, after maybe 45 minutes of messing with it and off we go to sleep.
Friday
"Which way?"
I wake up, my sister is already cooking for us. She was boiling a pot of tea and in the tea were eggs that were also boiling. It was very efficient. Ate the eggs, drank the tea, cleaned, packed and we were on our way to Jenny's lake. All of our backpacks were to the brim with things, as well as things tied to our wastes, and some things were on top of the backpacks, we also had to carry things in our arms. My backpack weighed a good 55 pounds. Even my niece CJ had her own dora the explorer backpack which she was carrying. My friends were right there is no way I could have made it with a Jansport backpack.
The place was beautiful, we were walking next to the meadows, saw people with horses and nature everywhere. Since we were a good 1.5 hours away from the city driving, i really felt the distance away from civilization. The smell was refreshing, it smelled like wood from the trees. We found what looks like a path and off we went. After a good hour of walking, we found a gate that lead to nowhere. Then we looked at each other, don't tell me we were going the wrong way. We found a house with people sitting outside of it so we decided to ask them. A nice old couple who lived there, the man was a ranger who worked there for years and retired. He told us that indeed we were going the wrong way and led us the right direction. We got back to the beginning and found the path that we actually had to take.
CJ was in front, she was the leader. She didn't let anyone go in front, not even the dog. Which was fine, we all stuck together. She is however 3 years old so our pace was a good 1 mile/hour, it was slow but I enjoyed the nature. We passed through meadows, forest full of trees, rivers, bridges, and rocks. After about maybe 2 miles (2 hours) we take our break. We eat and we move on. After another hour we had a plan. I go faster with the dog to the lake, get to the lake drop my stuff and come back to grab things to make the load lighter. Off I went with Bulba.
I hiked a good mile and a half when I realized I was the only one with the water bottle and it was getting a bit low. I decide to leave it down on the ground so once they get there they can pick it up. I write their names on it and walked on. I had to make sure to stop on every river crossing so the dog can get some water. The dog also kept stopping every few meters and didn't budge because she realized that the family was back there. After tugging on the leash I got her to go a few more meters every time. Around the 4.5 mile I decide to take a nice long rest, took my backpack off, took the leash off the dog, sat on a log and took a long breather. After the rest I decided to move on, then Steve comes rushing down by himself, he tells me that the girls are getting tired and it's about sunset we should camp here. So we put our stuff down and I grab a few peanuts and go back looking for the girls so I can help them.
"The Shortcut"
As I'm going up, I start climbing rocks. A shortcut so I can get to the girls faster. I climb all the way up and go through the wilderness, then I realize, there is no trail here. Alright I'll go back. I went back, but no trail there either. I stopped and looked around, I must've came from here, if i keep going, I am bound to find the trail. So I keep going and still no trail, no Steve, no anything but nature. Ok, I think to myself there is a bend right there once I get there, i can view more and surely I'll see the trail there.... no trail! Then the feeling sets in, I'm lost. My pace gets faster, my face is flushed I don't know what to do. I realized that during the hike I may have seen maybe 2 people every hour, we are pretty isolated. It's 1.5 hours to drive here so there is no street nearby. I start shouting Steve at the top of my lungs. No response, I went back around the bend and kept yelling Steve's name, and the more i paced the more I got lost.
It was terrible, I just had a bag of salty almonds and I was thirsty this isn't good. It was a while since I had this feeling of helplessness, I haven't been scared like this for a long time. After pacing and screaming Steve's name for what seemed to be hours on end but in reality was probably 20 minutes I saw rocks stacked on top of each other. From my last trip to Utah I learned by observation that these rocks formations had to have been made from humans. It meant that there was a trail. I went to the rocks, went one way, no trail. Went back to the rocks to make sure I didn't lose them, went another path no trail. Then finally the third path led me to a trail. I was saved. I didn't know which way my sister was or Steve but I went the path that went down hill. A hiker comes to me and says are you the boy that was missing and screaming, yes I replied. He says that the husband is downhill waiting for you and your sister is uphill says that she is tired and will stay up there for the night. I thanked him and kept going. I found Steve and asked him to go up to the girls to make sure they are ok and to tell them where I am. I'll just camp here for the night and in the morning they can come to me and we will continue to the lake. I gave him the flashlight and he left. I set up the tent, this time it was easier, I finally realized on how it was supposed to be put up, but I also realized I didn't have any sticks for the tent. Again I improvised, I grabbed 2 hiking sticks we were using and propped the tent up and tighed the rest to the tent stakes that were in my backpack. It got dark, and I mean dark! Steve had the flashlight so I couldn't see anything. I went inside my tent, and refused to get out, too frightened. The worst part is, it was eerily quiet. There were no birds chirping, crickets weren't there either. At some point I heard foot steps outside, it wasn't of an animal but sounded human. Even now I can't tell you what it was because I refused to come out of the tent. I think I slept that night, I don't know it was too dark.
Saturday
"Looks Like We Made it"
I wake up from a night that lasted forever. I get out of the tent and start going up the path to meet the rest of the crew. This time I made sure not to stray away from the path. Hiked just a few meters and there they were coming my way with CJ in the front. I turned around and we continued our journey to the lake. The plan was to leave my tent where it was, only take the essentials to the lake, then hike back as much as possible camp there and get back to our cars on Sunday. We finally get to the lake. One of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It was so clear, I can see all the way to the bottom no matter how deep it got. I changed and quickly got into the water, it was crisp. Cold, but the outside air was warm so it was ok. It was so good to get into the water and rinse the dirt off of me. My sister and I swam to the other side where the rocks were and climbed on them and chilled for a bit on the warm rocks and swam back. Bulba also swam, she had the time of her life. CJ had an insect box display, a clear case with magnifying glass on top. Her and steve caught an ant and were observing it. I was sunbathing, fell asleep a bit and got a sunburn on my stomach even though I put on sunblock. We ate dehydrated mexican soup, which was surprisingly good. I am now a fan of dehydrated food. We took water from the lake and boiled it with our portable stove so we can have more water on the way back. All in all a good relaxing time but unfortunately we had to get going.
"Where is the Tent?"
We started to hike back, and I told them that I'll go ahead and take the tent down so by the time they catch up we can keep moving. So I go ahead, I'm going at a quick pace and realize that I still don't see the tent. Now questioning myself, maybe I passed it. I keep going and saw a few hikers and ask them if they had seen a tent off to the side. They say no, but I think they might have missed it so I keep going. No tent. I hike another mile and made sure that I had passed it. Oye, for a person with no sense of direction, I probably shouldn't hike by myself. I hide the backpack I was carrying and went back, a few miles back I see the rest of the crew carrying my tent. I grab some of their things and we continued hiking back. At about where I left my backpack CJ was getting tired, I grabbed the backpack we went on a little further and camped for the night. We decided to put everything into my tent and sleep in one tent. I kept tossing and turning because none of us brought an air matress and sleeping on hard dirt with a sun burn isn't a good feeling. Another long night.
Sunday
"Where is the hotel?"
We wake up, made some more dehydrated food, this time it was chicken and rice. We ate, packed and off we went again. We had around 4.5 miles to go. This time I wasn't getting separated. CJ was playing leader again and so we followed her. CJ was a trooper, she kept going and going, during the trip I've seen this kid fall on the ground more than a dozen times. She just gets up, says I'm ok and continues to walk like nothing happened. As she walks she sings songs and makes sure everyone is in line. After a few breaks here and there, we finally get back to our cars. Just in time because it is starting to rain. We get to the cars, this time i have the dog in my car so I can go home with her but first a much needed shower at the hotel!
"Where is the hotel?"
We wake up, made some more dehydrated food, this time it was chicken and rice. We ate, packed and off we went again. We had around 4.5 miles to go. This time I wasn't getting separated. CJ was playing leader again and so we followed her. CJ was a trooper, she kept going and going, during the trip I've seen this kid fall on the ground more than a dozen times. She just gets up, says I'm ok and continues to walk like nothing happened. As she walks she sings songs and makes sure everyone is in line. After a few breaks here and there, we finally get back to our cars. Just in time because it is starting to rain. We get to the cars, this time i have the dog in my car so I can go home with her but first a much needed shower at the hotel!
We start to drive to the hotel. I follow Steve. As we turn left to get onto the street, my car stalls. I cruise onto the side of the road and Steve drives on, not noticing. I try starting my car, it's not starting. I try again, no luck. I open the hood to see if I can shake it to get it started but still nothing. I look on my phone and of course no service whatsoever. Great, it's raining, i'm stuck on the side of the road and no service. Nothing left to do but to keep trying to start my car. What I think happened is the chip in my key is barely readable so I push the key with force and finally start my car. Thank god, but I have no idea what the hotel is called or where to go. I drive anyway, I stop at the nearest hotel to at least get some wifi. I ask them if Romar's are checked in, they say no. I use the wifi to try to contact them on facebook using the hotels wifi but they weren't on. I decided that I had to head home. So I facebooked my mom to let her know that I was heading home so she can tell that to my sister somehow. My mom didn't respond, I then facebooked my friend Dennis who was online to call my mom to let her know, my mom was working so no response. I didn't want my sister and Steve to worry so couldn't really go home because I didn't want them looking for me for 4 hours. But I drove toward home anyway, there is another hotel maybe they are there. I stop and ask the front desk if the Romar's were checked in, no dice. I drove on. After a few more hotels, hazah a room was found. I hope they were there and not looking for me. I knock on the door and my sister opens it. "I'm here and I'm ok, no need to worry" I tell her. She looks at me with a blank face, "I'm glad you found us, but I wasn't worried, I figured you just drove home." So I took my nice warm shower and drove home.
What a trip. People who know me well know very well how crazy my trips get. We end up getting lost all the time because of me not having a sense of direction. We go to unknown places just to explore, we have been through ice, rivers, and had to climb fences. But nothing prepared me for this trip. It was definitely an adventure with no guarantee of safety. I haven't been this tired, dirty, scared, and feeling helpless in a long time. Would I do it again? Hell yes! Now that I have somewhat of experience I'd definitely take friends and maybe hike a bit faster so we can get even further. Of course let them know to not lose the trail, bring lots of water, make sure you have a fitting backpack, and to expect the unexpected. This is what constitutes a true adventure. I do not know what I'm really made of unless I take on trips like this. These kinds of trips are definitely not for everyone. If you are ok with not taking a shower for 4 days, not brushing your teeth for a while, and are prepared to push yourself through some limits, then I invite you to come trekking with me next time! All in all, it was a very fun experience.
Click here to view all of the Sequoia Pictures
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