The trip went very well. We had three women and four girls, ages 10 through 12. The co-leaders were Rhona Mahony and Tina Poplawski. Marci Reichelstein bravely packed for and supervised four girls: her own daughters Daniela and Julia and two of their friends, Sameera Mokkarala and Hannah Johnson. The girls' ages ranged from 10 to 12. They all turned out to be strong hikers. They were much faster than us adults!
Before the girls zoomed away from us at the trailhead, they made up trail names for each of us: Red Fire, Blue Fire, Spirit of the Dancing Sun, Mare of the Shadow Moon, Mother Owl, Bird Spirit, and She Who Loves Redwoods. Luckily, these didn't get used too much.
We had perfect weather: dry and sunny, 65 degree days, 40 degrees at night. The girls were excited--noisy and giggly!--and had fun. The adults enjoyed one another's company and watching the girls. We had good teamwork and caring for one another.
I was experimenting with some new clothing combinations. I was very pleased with my Campmor nylon long-sleeved shirt and my Sportif microfleece long-sleeved shirt. I wore my GoLite three-season parka in the evening and morning. In bed, I wore its detachable hood over my ski hat. I used the parka inside my sleeping quilt stuff sack as my pillow. Very comfortable! I was pleased with my GoLite sleeping quilt. I had the best night's sleep under it yet. I think it performs best at the low end of its temperature range. It is rated for 40 degrees F. Tina also made a lovely mattress of Douglas fir and pine needles under our groundsheet. It made a soft, warm surface. Thanks Tina! All in all, a comfortable night under our nylon tarp.
I was disappointed with the performance of the Esbit fuel tablets in our coffee-can stoves. It took three or four tablets over 30 minutes to heat roughly 1.5 quarts of water to a boil. When I got home, I checked the package. It says a tablet takes 8 minutes to boil a pint of water. I guess that 8 times 3 is 24. We also lost time in between tablets, because it took us a while each time to recognize that the old tablet was consumed. Most likely, I should regard this problem as "a feature, not a bug."
We brought up a fire kit and everyone got a chance on Sunday morning to try starting a fire with: primitive wooden hand drill, bow drill, steel and flint, steel wool and flashlight batteries. We succeeded with the bowdrill--Tina and I took turns cranking the bow--and cooked hot cocoa for breakfast in a small metal can stove.
We did see and collect edible plants for tea--Douglas fir, peppermint, and madrone bark. But everyone preferred hot cocoa and declined the native stuff.
The trail was gorgeous: lush redwood forest, including old-growth trees, many pretty waterfalls, a little chaparral at the top, a tan oak forest on the second day on the way back, very pretty creeks to eat lunch beside and play in....Tina interpreted bird calls for us. Marci applied her gardening expertise to identify wild plants on the trail. She also revealed to us her long-standing nickname: "C Cubed," standing for "cool, calm, and collected." We all benefited from her deep Zen unflappability.
If I do this route again, I'll benefit from my experience. For example, we had to backtrack a few tenths of a mile from our campsite to fetch water. Now I know where the last waterhole is! I'll also be able tell people now what to expect at the campsite: a chemical toilet, garbage cans, flat designated tent sites. They are luxury accomdations for people used to backcountry camping on federal lands.
It is only a 45 minute drive from my house on the Stanford campus to Big Basin Redwood Forest State Park Park HQ. The HQ is a neat old lodge, built in the 1930's by the CCC, with a big fire place, free hot drinks, displays about wildlife and the history of the watershed......There is also a gift shop and little grocery store. I didn't get to enjoy the roaring fire or stores myself, because I arrived late Saturday morning. Next time, I will fill my gas tank before I start driving to the park!
Thanks to everyone for terrific good spirits, sharing of skills and knowledge, and
wonderful company!
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Julia Reichelstein (age 10):
I had a great time on the camping trip!!! How you showed us how to make
fire with out matches was
very educational as well as fun. The hike there and
back was fun and exhausting. The way we had to get
water from the stream and put pills in it was so cool.
I loved the camping trip and I hope we can go again
soon.
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