July Cram Camping

I don't know what the heck we were thinking...

In July we had a few free weeks before we started babysitting out new grandson. So what should we do? HHHmmmmmmmm...Oh yeah, CAMPING! So we planned three weekly getaways.

Week One: Lake Alpine to Kings Canyon

We took Hailie on this one as it was partially planned by Jim's sister Cheri, husband John and grandson Ty. This was going to be our annual camp out with them and they are always lots of fun, so we were eager to get going. None of us had ever been to Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park-a two parks for one deal. Love those two-fers.

We went up a day early and camped out at Lake Alpine along HWY 4, just a few miles up from Cheri's house in Arnold. Beautiful campground, right on the lake in the High Sierras. The weather was warm and conducive to long strolls around those icy blue/silver mirror lakes. Spotted granite boulders, like gigantic gum drops, dot and border those mirrors and clusters of tall, black/green firs and pines dart straight up to the stars. Just beautiful.

It is a popular campground and there were plenty of campers eager for a tour of the TD...and they always seemed to show up at meal times. Jim was beginning to wonder if they were hoping to be fed, too.

The next day we joined Cheri at her house, they hopped into their RV and we had ourselves a little convoy. John said he knew a "short cut" (you can see where this is going) and a short FIVE hours later, we made it to the park entrance (he only got us lost once, but it did end up at a graveyard and that's another story). The ranger at the gate was a real hoot. As Jim handed her his National Senior Park Pass (yeah, he's that old), she smiled and said, "Oh, these are great. They expire when you do." Gotta love that.

Once in the gate, we headed to our destination, The Princess Campground Sequoia National Forest, situated midway between the two parks. A nice, quiet campground with large site. We were able to snag a double site and parked our TD in the shadow of Cheri's RV. We looked like Mutt and Jeff.

We set up camp: unhitched, rolled out the welcome mats, set out the lounge chairs and sat down with cool drinks to watch Cheri and John suffer through their long RV set up routine: unfurl the awning, roll out the carpet, level the RV and level the RV and level it again 'cause it just ain't working...well, you know.

We decided to spend the first full day at Sequoia NP, making use of the free shuttle bus tours and visiting General Sherman, the biggest tree on Earth.

Lots of photos were taken and a few hikes, one of which was Moro Rock. It was a giant granite monolith with an almost vertical rise of 750 feet up this rickety cat walk for a fabulous 360 degree view of the entire valley. At least that is what we were told. The 750 rise starts at an elevation of nearly 9 thousand feet, so Jim and I had to rely on the word of others.

John and Cheri, ever wise, waited on the park bench in the shade and I never made it past the first level, but Jim, Hailie and Ty (just turned 13) were game for the climb. Ty, a high altitude marathoner, took off running while Jim and Hailie followed at a more sedate pace. Three quarters of the way up, Hailie had had enough. She sat down and gasped, "Grandpa, I can't go any farther. I'll wait here for you". Relieved, Jim said, "Sounds good to me", and they headed down. Ty passed them on the way after he had reach the summit and took in the view. He had barely broken a sweat.

Damn those healthy kids.

By three, we were toast and decided to call it a day. Back to base camp, cool drinks, a leisurely pot luck, campfire tales and s'mores. Yeah.

Next day found us enroute to Kings Canyon to spend the day by the river. We had promised the kids some water time, originally at Hume Lake, but the lake was green and soupy-yuck, so the river it was to be.

It was at least an hour drive from our campsite, along narrow canyon walls and stunning scenery. Each hairpin turn teased us with promises of canyon views, only to show us another granite barrier. It was hide and seek.

Finally the walls opened and we found ourselves in a grand gallery very much a cross between Zion and Yosemite. Towering water and snow stained escarpments rose to dizzying heights, bordering and defining a narrow tree studded valley with a glistening river snaking down the middle. Lovely.

A stop at the ranger station was a must. The ranger guided us to the best swimming hole in the valley. At the end of the valley road, by the parking lot for day hikers, the river widens and slows. A long sandy shore leads to a shallow "paddling pool" and a deeper swimming hole with a huge bolder named "Muir Rock". A lovely spot.

We were early and had the place to ourselves...for a bit. Ty fly fished while Hailie splashed about in the shallows and rearranged a small stone dam. The old farts (that's us) lounged in the shade on driftwood logs along the bank until it was time for lunch.

The picnic goodies came out...and so did the crowds. Before we had a chance to take a second bite, we were surrounded by large, noisy families with their radios and beer and dogs. Ty's fishing hole became a boiling mass of teen age humanity and Hailie was nearly trampled by rampaging adults bent on out-doing each other in cannon balls. By the time the pit bulls and tattoos showed up, I was done. We packed up and headed back to camp.

Along the way back, we stopped for ice cream and hiked up to the one remaining running waterfall (a dry year, but we could see signs of many cascades). It was an easy stroll along a beautiful cascade tumbling amongst the boulders. We returned to the camp very happy indeed.

On our last morning, we packed up camp (hitched the trailer-that's it) and headed home. On the way, we stopped for an early morning hike to the Grant tree-second in size to General Sherman. In the same grove were the Lincoln, Oregon, Tennessee and California trees-giants all. Also in that grove was the first ranger station for the park and dated back to the 1870's. Cool stuff.

We made it home with a very happy, very dirty and very, very tired little girl. We dumped her in our tub for a bubble bath and had her presentable when mommy and daddy drove up.

A good trip, that. There is much more to tell, but it's 10:39 PM and that grandson of ours shows up around 7:45 AM, so that's it for now.

Tune in next time for part two: Yosemite to the Stanislaus National Forrest.

Camp On,

Sue and Jim

 

Sue - reading your stories always makes me feel like I am there watching from a secret spot and I always have a few laughs. Loved the image of the cannon balls.

 

Pat,

Yeah, those big, beefy guys with giggling guts and hairy backs...not a pretty sigh. Frightened the kinder, it did.

As Jim likes to say, "Oh, the things you see when you haven't a shotgun handy."

Strange man.


Sue