The Road not Taken

I'm not getting philosophical or anything, today was really about the road not taken. It wasn't that we chose not to take a road, it chose for us not to take it! ;) This morning we packed our cooler, and headed out for the Spring Valley Scenic Drive where we were going to catch a series of ghost towns. The first two ghost "towns", Cleveland and Yelland, were actually ruins on working ranches, so we slowed but didn't stop. The third, Piermont, promised many ruins and was "just" off the road. "Just" turns out to be quite a subjective descriptor. We went as far as we could before turning around. Okay, perhaps we went a smidge further than we should have, but we stopped before the car got completely high centered! We did have to switch drivers because one of us was FREAKING out. Any guesses on who that was? ;) LOL. 

Having our adventure thwarted on our last day was a let down. Plus, it was 107 degrees, so any sort of hiking was out. We decided to drive east away from Baker and see what was just down the "other" road. Turns out that's Utah, and another secret entrance to the park. 

The road was MUCH better here, and took us through an ever changing landscape. 

There was remnants of a significant wildfire, washed out roads, and abandoned ranching. We saw lots of interesting birds, a few jackrabbits, and a ring-tailed cat that was stalking me. I ran faster than you think I can in Crocs at 107 degrees. But alas, or fortunately?, it was totally a log that looked like it had a face. And ears. And a tail.  Something that my BFF apparently knew the whole time. 😂

We did run this road all the way to the end, and enjoyed another car picnic, watching birds and plants, and enjoying the absolute stillness. 

This was a GREAT day, and one that wouldn't have happened without the initial disappointment and pivot of the morning. Some of the best adventures are the spontaneous ones!

We ended the day with a nice breeze, tolerable heat, and a delicious meal on our deck. 

This has been an amazing trip, and one that we wouldn't have taken had we not been in a pandemic. We chose Baker for the National Park, and it's total lack of people; we have seen less people than a normal day at Fresh Foods, and have had more adventures than we even planned! We have been inspired by the adaptivity of life, and the resilience of the human spirit. This has been a hard season for all, and this little trip to the desert was just what we needed. 

Tomorrow, homeward bound!

#findyourpark

This is our park. ☺️ Although if you’re a National Park fan, I think you would agree that the park you’re at is your park. In several days we can gush about Zion, or Arches, or a number of other fabulous parks, but today this is the one. 

I was INCREDIBLY worried about the hike we did today. I’m not great at elevation. Yesterday, just driving through the park I felt nauseous and dizzy, had an immediate headache, and started sobbing over mineral rights (don’t ask). Several years ago at the summit of Haleakala I had to be helped back to the car, such was the fog I was in. My BFF traveler is still haunted by a turn-back hiking trip in Yosemite, so our fears were warranted! 

The hike to the bristlecone is not actually that far. It’s about 3 miles in all, but it starts at 10,000 feet and gains another 600’ (so says the ranger). In addition about half the trail consists of loose rock sized from pea gravel to footballs. We took it really slow-more of a stroll than a hike, used our inhalers and boost oxygen, and WE MADE IT!! 

Bristlecone pines are some of the oldest living things on Earth. They thrive under harsh conditions at high altitudes, and are slow growing. Slow growing as in their needles can live to be 40 years old! Using an increment borer (which I've unbelievably used before!) to take cross samples, they have been able to approximately date these trees, whose origins date back to BC times. We saw one that was "born" in 100 BC, and another from 1230 BC. Can you even imagine? I say approximate because what they know now about these pines is that part of their adaptivity is that they may not produce a growth ring in years where the conditions are especially harsh.   

Another part of their adaptivity is that they can keep growing on one side or section even if part of the rest of the tree has actually died.  This guy is at least 3200 years old, and still growing! To quote Jeff Goldblum in one of my favorite movies, "Life will find a way." 😉

In a time where the world seems like it's falling apart, in like 17 different ways, this was a little slice of heaven. These pines have been in the same exact place for 3000 years, so it's not like they have "seen" it all, and yet they somehow instill the peace of the long-view. These trees "think" in terms of millenniums, not days, or months, or even decades.  It was awesome to stand in the presence of these ancient pines.

I'm quite sure we will not pass this way again, but we will not leave here unchanged.  💟

And back to reality, it turns out 10,500 feet is about where I cap out. Nauseous and dizzy I stumbled back down the mountain under the watchful eye of mom. 

My great-grandparents were hikers and patrons of the park system. They hiked trails on several continents, and loops around Portland, or loops around our house on 85th. :)  I don't remember a time when my great-grandfather wasn't moving. His granddaughter, in her 70th year just strolled around the bristlecone pines at 10,000 feet like it was no big deal.  He would be so proud. ❤️ This love our parks, this love of the wild places and the spirit to discover them, this is our legacy.

What you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, 

but what is woven into the lives of others. ~Pericles