Not As Hardy As We Thought (by Julie)

Thursday there was rain and hail and thunderstorms. More inclement weather was predicted, but who cares about that? It was the 3rd Annual Lewis and Clark Memorial Day Weekend Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park Camping Trip, and we were excited and ready for some outdoor fun.

Friday we left Orange County at 2:30, made it to Visalia in time to eat at Chipotle, our new favorite dinner spot and by 9:30 arrived at our favorite secret free campground in Sequoia National Forest. Although its not so secret, since there are always plenty of other campers there. This year it seemed less crowded, and we were able to find an actual campsite, hidden back behind two motorhomes, with just enough room in between for us to get our car through. We've been camping so often, we have our routine down: lay down the tarp, set up the tent, put down 2 blankets, 3 sleeping pads (2 for Jennie), 3 sleeping bags (2 for me), pillows, books, headlamps, and we're ready to go to bed.

After 11 or so hours of sleep (one of the reasons I love camping), we woke up and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes that Jennie made. Tasty!

As we were finishing up, it started to snow a little bit, but we weren't alarmed, we're hardy! Since I didn't really bring any clothing for 30 degree temperatures, I thought I'd just wear my fleece pajama pants underneath my zip-off hiking pants, and 3 fleece jackets! What a great idea! We decided to drive to Hume Lake, so Jennie, who is training for a marathon, could run 12 miles by running around the lake four times. I walked around it, but only once. Then I sat next to it and read a novel, until she finished. What a great vacation I was having!

After a picnic lunch and some french vanilla capuccinos, we drove down to the bottom of Kings Canyon for a hike. By then it was raining, so we decided it was the perfect time for a nap in the car. (I guess the 11 hours of sleep we got just wasn't enough!) We woke up, refreshed and energized for a hike, so I threw on my yellow raincoat and started up the trail!

I soon discovered to my dismay that I was wearing too much clothing, and an inappropriate amount of fleece at that (still wearing the aforementioned fleece pants and three fleece jackets, in addition to the rubber raincoat). Pretty soon I was wearing one fleece jacket and had two fleece jackets tied around my waist, and with my camera around my neck, I was defintely looking a little bit bigger than normal.

Our hike to a "overlook" was somewhat ruined by the fact that as we climbed up the mountain, we ascended into a blanket of fog, thus rendering any overlook an overlook of nothing.

To make matters worse, on the way back down the mountain, hastening from switchback to switchback, I somehow managed to twist my ankle. So then I was limping from switchback to switchback. That did not stop me from contemplating the beauty of nature however, since I am hardy!

Looking forward to our dinner of hot dogs roasted over an open fire, the anticipation was somewhat lessened as we discussed our dinner options of cooking in the rain. We settled on making quesadillas on our camping stove, and then eventually going out for pizza! This is what I love about National Parks - you are never far from civilization and amenities!

The next morning we woke up, all warm and toasty in our tent, and waited for the rain to stop. But it never stopped, and when hunger finally stirred us from our sleeping bags, we discovered not rain but snow!

"Oh no!" we said.

So much for pancakes, we ate a breakfast of fig newtons and peaches while standing under the opened back hatch of the car and contemplated a day of hiking through the snow and/or rain with one of us injured and coming back to no campfire that night or hot chocolate the next morning and possibly being snowed into our campground, which, by the way, has no paved roads, or roads at all for that matter.

So we packed up and came home. I guess we're not as hardy as we thought.