Thursday 25 Mar 21 High Peaks Trail
25 Mar 21
Woke up some time after midnight to a ruckus going on with the bike rack. I checked out my side window and saw the bike where I had parked it. Next time I heard the noise I looked out the back window to see the face of a very large racoon looking up at me. She or her was trying to get the lid off the storage bin and get some of the dogs food. I opened the window and shewed it off but after a few minutes it came back. I had gotten into the bin during the day and had not strapped the lid down. I finally got up, got dressed and went out and secured the lid. If it wasn't for animals maybe I could get some uninterrupted night's sleep. In hindsight I wish I would have gotten a photo. I think racoons are beautiful.
I finally went back to sleep and woke up at 7 to a cloudy and misty morning. After walking the dogs for their morning potty break I loaded the bike back on aRTy. It was too cold and wet to ride it to the trailhead. I made coffee and drank a couple of cups as I finished yesterday's blog entry. Then I secured everything and drove to the Bear Gulch Trailhead parking area. I backed into a parking spot and then made oats for breakfast. I used the skillet to make toast and had half a grapefruit. I made another cup of coffee which was quite weak since I used the same grounds.
As I was walking the dogs once more a car with two elderly ladies pulled up. The driver asked me if I would be leaving after I walked the dogs. I had to tell her that I was just getting ready to start my hike. I looked around and the entire parking lot was full. I put the dogs back in and made sure they had plenty of water for the day. I grabbed my daypack and checked the contents to make sure I had everything I would need for today's hike then I headed out. There were several options but I decided I would take the High Peaks Trail which is a little over a mile and a half but a pretty steep incline the entire way up. It was a mostly cloudy morning but that only added to the beauty of the place. At least it wasn't raining. I hiked to Scout Peak which is at 2600 feet elevation. I went past the peak for a quarter of a mile or so then got off trail and found a nice place to sit on a rock outcropping. I had another pack of the somewhat stale peanut butter crackers, some salt and pepper pistachios and raisins. As I was sitting there several condors soared by. What an amazing experience!
After a while I started back realizing the dogs would need out to potty. On the way down I turned south on the Rim trail which led to the Bear Gulch Reservoir. After the reservoir I took the Bear Gulch Cave Trail then the Moses Spring Trail back to the parking lot.
Back at the parking lot I took the dogs on a walk before securing everything. Then I drove back to the campground. I didn't have a campsite for the night so I parked by the restroom. I gathered up fresh clothes, towel and washcloth and took a nice shower. It was coin operated, $1.50 for 7 minutes. At first I wasn't sure the water would get more than lukewarm but after a bit it got fairly hot. I paid twice and enjoyed my long overdue shower. This was only my second actual shower since I left over 7 weeks ago.
Back in aRTy I made a ham and cheese sandwich with chips and an half avocado for dinner. After dinner I got back on the road headed towards Modesto California and drove until just before dark when I found a pull out to park for the night. I fed the dogs and gave Pete his nightly insulin shot. I watched a movie on Roku and after the movie I got in my sleeping bag and called it a night.