Closing the Gap: Passing the Lore Day 3, Pathfinding Our Way Back Through the Forest.

 

Blue Lake Road

 

 

Date: July 26, 2023

Place: Tahoe National Forest, California

Coordinates: 39.370125, -120.650705   

Length: 1 mile

Level: moderate 

Link to blogpost of Day 2.

The third day of my backpacking trip with my elder chika was a 'connect the dots' day. Having improvised a bit the day before, we ended up camping near Grouse Ridge Road, well above our parking place on Blue Lake Road. My plan was to simply walk down that slope, even though there was no trail there. I should emphasize that there is always a risk when choosing this kind of route, and this should never be done impulsively without considering all the information in hand, and willing to deal with all possible consequences. I consulted the topographic map printout that I had, or course, and the slope didn't look too steep for walking. The map however, doesn't show surface details and there's a lot of unknown possible obstacles when hiking cross-country.

Our hike as captured by my GPS

We slept well that night, and in the morning I let my chika break down camp and pack the tent while I filtered water and prepared everything else. I was done well before her, so while she was folding the tent I took my time meditating on a stump nearby. It was around 9:00 am when we eventually got going, and it took me a a few long minutes to figure out that my camera was on the wrong setting, so all my early morning photos didn't come out right. 

My plan was simple - I pointed us south and there we walked. We were still within the area of the forestry research and there was plenty of space between the trees and no problem walking.

The first walk was mildly uphill, so we couldn't see the slope that we needed to descend. I explained to my chika what were my considerations for choosing this route. In this place, my main concerns were a thick vegetation cover, or possibly a human-raised fence. I warned her that we might need to backtrack some, and that the possibility exist of failing altogether and having to return to Grouse Ridge Road.

My chika was looking for birds but she also photographs other wildlife. She wondered what would we do if we had to go back. In that case we would have walked Grouse Ridge Road all the way down to the paved road and then walk down it and up Blue Lake Road. That would have lengthen our hike by 6-7 miles.

The walking was fairly easy though, at least in the beginning. There were no real obstacles and we walked directly south. We started going downhill when I nearly stepped in a pile of fairly fresh feces. It wasn't coyote's, and certainly not human. Could that pile have been left there by a bear? I don't have the knowledge to tell and when I asked wildlife groups online the opinions were divided. The thought of a bear being so close to where we slept was thrilling and scary at the same time.

We left the research grounds and almost instantly the vegetation got thicker. Now we did have to meander around various obstacles such as bush clamps and fallen logs. None of then was of any significance though. Not only that, it quickly became obvious to me that I wasn't the first one to think about this shortcut. The signs were slight, but clear - other people have walked down that route before.

What was significant in slowing us down was Nature's displays. To be specific - the wildflowers. It didn't take long after entering the forest proper before I started seeing wildflowers. Naturally I stopped to appreciate and take photos.

Sierra Mariposa Lily, Calchortus minimus

We encountered quite a few damp areas were I believe was a snow patch until not long ago. The dampness retained in the soil supported numerous herbaceous plants, many of which were now blooming.

Three-leaved Lewisia, Lewisia triphylla

Thankfully we were not pressed for time at all. We could take this morning as leisurely as we wished. Given, of course, that no problems would pop up on our way.

Common Water plantain Buttercup, Ranunculus alismifolius

My chika got into the groove and was pointing out wildflowers for me, even the tiniest ones. She kept looking for birds all that time, but the birds (which we heard all around us) were very elusive.

Least-flowered Monkeyflower, Diplacus leptaleus

Going downhill wasn't in a smooth slope but more like in small steps, where we would descend ledges of soil and sometimes rocks. Most of the time we avoided the rocky areas, but the soil covered places could be deceptive. We had to watch our footing in places that were covered with pine needles, lest they covered a hole between hidden rocks.

Larkspur, Delphinium sp.

There were places where the vegetation did get thick. We pushed our way more than once through groves of young conifers and had to raise our feet high to step through mats of knee-high Manzanita mats.

Tree Nursery

But nearly all that walk was easy and without any troubles. The lack of challenge was almost disappointing. I'm not sure my chika will even remember this part of our trip.

Goosefoot Violet, Viola purpurea

The walk was so easy, in fact, that my fears of meeting a fence of some sort, a human-made barrier that would make us turn back, mounted in my mind. If this path is so easy, how come there's no real trail there? A trail there would make a clear and obvious hiking loop.

Skunky Monkeyflower, Diplacus mephiticus

We came across a place with a bit of surface water. It could have been the leftovers of a melted snow patch but the water was flowing, coming from somewhere underground and disappearing underground after a short distance of running above ground.

Surface Water

I could hear human-originated noise ahead. There was the noise carried over from I-80 but there was another, much louder noise that seemed industrial. I wondered what it might be. Perhaps we would soon find out.

Pussy Paws, Calyptridium umbellatum

The noise increased as we approached Blue Lake Road. The lizards didn't seem to be bothered by it, although, what could they do if they did?

Western Fence Lizard

At last! We reached Blue Lake Road and sat down for a short snack break. I almost couldn't believe how easy our cross-country off-trail hike was. Really, how come there's no cut-off trail there?

Blue Lake Road

We couldn't see the source of the noise. I knew there was another lake - Rucker Lake, nearby, that was a recreational site. I think I decided that the noise came from water jet skiers. Either way, it was time to get going. We coincided with Blue Lake Road a bit downhill from where we parked so we needed to walk up the road a bit. 

Ceanothus sp.

My chika kept on the lookout for that elusive hermit warbler that toyed with her on the beginning of our first day. She found a warbler all right, but not the one she sought.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Audobon variant

I remembered the features of that poor dirt road from having driven it two days ago. My chika was adamant that she didn't want to be the one driving us out of the forest and I didn't argue with her, although I think she could have used gaining that experience too.

Blue Lake Road

There were plenty of wildflowers to see even along the dirt road. Most of them I've seen already on the way down through the forest, but there were some others as well.

Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia sp.

There were birds, too. My chika kept looking out for the hermit warbler but kept fining the more common, well familiar birds.

Gold Finch

We found the car less than half a mile up Blue Lake Road. I wanted to change my shoes to sandals and to snack a bit more, so after she dropped her backpack in the car she went to wander around, looking for the hermit warbler. After half an hour of waiting I called her back. Once again she returned with tears in her eyes - she'd seen her bird of desire, and once again it played hide and seek with her. Her photos of that warbler that she took today were even worse than those she took on the first day, she said. She was sulking when she got in the car, but as we drove off her mood improved again. Eventually, this trip was worth her while, and not only for the birds. She admitted though, that backpacking wasn't her cup of tea, and she'd do it only if she had a really good reason for it, not for the passion of it. I shrugged. She belongs to the majority of humanity. In this sense, she's the normal one. On my end - I did pass the lore.If she ever wanted to go backpacking, she knows the basics now. She earned her BBa (Bachelors of Backpacking) diploma.

 

Thanks to members of the California Native Plants Society for their help in identifying plants!