Saturday, December 17, 2011

Summer memories ~ Rekindled Flame

We always try to go camping at least once during the summer. Some years we go only once, and some years we don't go at all. After taking that first trip this year, our love affair with camping was rekindled. We once again were in love with the crisp mountain fresh air, the clear sky, mountain fauna, wildflowers, fishing, campfires, and relaxing. People that like camping will say that it is relaxing, and I suppose in a way it is. But I actually think I do more while camping than while not. I hike hillsides to fetch wood for the fire, then chop it, and carry it back to camp. I go fishing, cook and clean. I am constantly busy when camping, but it's an enjoyable busy. This year's camping trips motivated Brian to seek out some additional axes to add to our camping gear. And to make us a wood carrier. The first picture is of both of those items. The others are of our second camping trip of the year at Deer Creek.





















The drive into the nearest town of Chester, CA takes about 30 minutes. The highway splits the Pacific Crest Trail, something that always catches our attention. We finally stopped, parked, and walked the trail a ways. Up to this point Brian and I had only fantasized about a back packing trip. We'd read stories of people who have hiked part, or all of, the PCT. I'm always so touched by people who have the courage for such a feat. In between the parking lot and the trail was a box of goodies left by a "trail angel". For some reason just seeing what's in the picture below brought tears to my eyes. There is something magical about back packing and trail angels, and apparently a desire to experience this magic myself. This whole experience led to a discussion between Brian and I about planning a back packing trip for our upcoming vacation in September. Even though it wasn't the trip we planned, we did go back packing. I'll share that trip in another post.



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