1 year 11 days: day 1

In 2005, Rebecca and I did a kayak assisted trip down the headwaters of the Kern River.  Seven years later we decided to return, this time with our daughter Maggie.  As we passed folks along the way we noticed a variety of responses.  Some were enthusiastic, some were clearly not, most did not believe they were seeing a baby strapped to her mothers back in such a remote location.  I guess the question is why?  Why take a baby out on the trail for 11 days.  It is no easy task and there is a lot that can go wrong.  I figured I would take you along for the journey to see for yourself.  Maybe we will learn something along the way...

 Day 1:  Kernville to Lone Pine Lake

Like most of our adventures, this one started a little late.  We had work to get done at the brewery in the morning (go figure, it turns out that leaving your business for 11 days with no hope of communication is a big deal).  Of course there was the standard scrambling:

Me:  Do we have enough diapers?
Rebecca:  Yeah, I packed them.
Me:  Do we have enough TP and Coffee? (the only 2 things I really care about when in the wilderness)
Rebecca:  Yeah, I packed them.
Me:  How much Tequila do we have? (OK, so there are 3 things I really care about when in the wilderness)
Rebecca:  Two bottles.

We shuttled all of our stuff over to Marc's house to meet the van.  Our compatriots of camping Ann, Andrew, Dave, Allison and our intrepid shuttle driver Mike were all ready to go, and at the crack of 2:00 pm we hit the road.  I'm sure Mike wanted to lecture us on the enormous irresponsibility of our actions, but decided against it; an "I told you so" moment wouldn't have been good for anybody.

The Carl's Junior in Lone Pine would be our last stop in civilization for almost 2 weeks.  We had made a last minute adjustment to do the short hike into Lone Pine Lake up Whitney Portal and camp there instead of camping at the trail head.  This would give us a much needed head start on summitting the pass the following day.  It also meant that we did not have enough food, so we decided that a super-sized value meal was going to be a good break from the many mountain house meals that were to come.

At the trail-head we packed our substantial belongings and supplies; the plan was to get resupplied with a helicopter that would be bringing boats in on day 6, but the recent "George" fire has made that occurrence somewhat uncertain.  Since we were not going to be very adaptable in the case that the resupply fell through, Rebecca and I elected to take all of our food with us from the start.  The scale at the trail head pointed out the folly of our ways.  After enviously watching our crew's packs weigh in it was our turn.  My pack was in the vicinity of 65 lbs and Rebecca's pack (with passenger) was around 55 lbs.  Not the best start for folks better suited as kayakers.

Maggie checking out the damage

An unusual sight at Whitney Portal

 After a short period of laughing and pointing of fingers, we began the slow climb up to Lone Pine Lake, taking the obligatory photo op a the Wilderness Boundary.

From left to right: Maggie, Rebecca, Carl Jr and Eric

And the whole crew

We did get a few funny looks from passers by; some at Maggie and some at my greasy Carl's Jr. bag I was carrying.  Maybe they were just hungry.

The short hike to the lake was pleasant enough.  Since it was late in the day the weather was cool and the short jaunt with the heavy packs was enough to let us know that, while it might not be pleasant, we could probably get the weight over the pass one way or another.  Maggie seemed pretty content and we talked at each switchback (parents who hike with kids in a pack will understand this phenomenon).  The lake itself turned out to be a great campsite with a creek running nearby (the preferred water source).  And as we set up camp for the evening and enjoyed a hearty meal of bacon double cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches we got to bask in the anticipation of what would certainly be an amazing journey.  Of course Maggie (also known as "The Pi") was fairly zen about the whole thing, preferring to play with sand and sticks rather than get too worked up about it.

Twilight at Lone Pine Lake

Oh yeah, this happened to be June 3rd, which also happened to be Maggie's first birthday.

Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good...

I was starting to think that the combination of my camera and the Kaweah was bad luck for Andrew Mathews; it seemed like every time I pulled it out in this drainage something like this happened...

Andrew M in the wrong dimension of Triple Drop

 Then, this happened:

Yes!

Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days, and yes, sometimes you have both.

Black Canyon of the Colorado

 

Somewhere near the bright lights and chaos of sin city is place where time slows down; not really to a crawl, but more of a float.  If you have a little one, the Black Canyon of the Colorado is a must-do adventure for the whole family.  Even if you don't have a little one, this trip will inspire your inner child with slot canyons, hot springs, petroglyphs  and water so crystal clear that you sometimes think you are gliding in mid-air over the rocks and fish below. 

Maggie already loves the river

The adventure starts before you even get on the water with a trip to the base of the Hoover Dam.  Quite the feat of engineering, this massive human construct is impressive, even to those that are not a big fan of river blocking technology.  The extra cool thing is that this is a privileged view for those that make the river trip since this area is closed to the public due to homeland security paranoia.

The Captain of the ship is poised and ready

If you are looking for whitewater thrills, this is probably not the trip for you, but even a class V junky like myself will be thrilled in many different ways on this trip. First off, the crystal clear water and towering canyon walls provide an amazingly surreal experience; add to that the sauna cave that is only a couple of hundred yards from the put-in, and you are having a blast from your first stroke on the river, I promise.

Let's go this way dad!

Nothing like extreme babying

Side hikes are what the Black Canyon is all about; Boyscout and Arizona are the highlights, but there are dozens of great canyons worth exploring on this trip, and we have only scratched the surface ourselves.

Mom stops for a spa break

Or maybe the hot springs are what the Black Canyon is all about.  Especially in the first few miles, most canyons provide many great soaking options, which is why this trip is best done in the winter; fewer people, pleasant temps and the desire to prune in the hot springs make for a relaxing day.

This is definitely the spot!

Wait, no, definitely the camping is what the Black Canyon is all about.  Beach-side camping with side hikes and hot springs out of camp?  Sign me up!  Plus if you get one of those 17 foot Old Town canoes from the local outfitter, you can bring along plenty of firewood.

The route to Arizona hot springs

While there are many camping options, if you are mid-week in the winter time, Arizona hot springs will most likely not be crowded, or even occupied.  Still, if there are folks there there is plenty of space to spread out and plenty of time throughout the evening to hit up the springs for a quiet soak.

Maggie thinks she can draw better...

If the hot springs have not sapped you will to hike there is a nice 1.8 mile hike up to some petroglyphs; keep going up canyon until an obvious split (maybe 1.5 miles) then take the left split.  Look for some large boulders on the canyon floor just before you go into a significant canyon.  Pretty crazy stuff - Knights Templar?

When do we get to come back?!

All in all this is a great escape, even if just for one night.  I highly recommend renting a canoe and having the outfitter take care of you shuttle.  We used http://www.kayaklasvegas.com and found them to be excellent.  If the solitude is too much you can always follow up with a night in Vegas for a shower and a show.

The paddle out can be done by an experienced paddler in about 2 1/2 hours without much trouble.  The main thing with this trip is wind, so given the chance, time you trip with the forecast.  Also on the paddle out you stand a good chance of spotting big horn sheep and bald eagles, so keep your eyes up and soak in the view.  One night is a very doable trip and will still leave you with a great experience; but with that said, two nights would be better, and if you can swing more, plenty of adventure (and relaxation) awaits!

After a long, dry winter...

After a super wet year in 2011, the law of averages caught up with us in 2012. Snowpack in the Southern Sierra range anywhere from 30-50% of April 1 normals; no matter, we have the Kaweah, which thrives on low water. Here is a little vid of Hospital Rock, a great run on the Middle Fork of the Kaweah.

Highlights include an inverted run of Baby Niagra, depth probe of split falls and gnewt love (not the politician). Thanks to Andrew Pernicano for the video.
Enjoy!

A New Generation: Part III: Big Pine Lakes

By now, we had the High Sierra bug. After Cottonwood Lakes we were already looking forward to getting Maggie out on her first multi-day camping trip. We ended up getting a few days mid-week to sneak away and we decided to hit up the Big Pine Lakes area.

With another great 5-6 mile hike into the first couple of lakes and several lakes to venture to past those, this was a great place to spend a few days. You also get to pass an old cabin that used to be owned by Charleton Heston (now the USFS) and a very lush area of Aspen and flowers (that were in full bloom during our hike).

This area was a bit more traveled than Cottonwood lakes and we had more than a few interactions with curious hikers who found our party amusing. After a little poking around, we found a great little spot for our camp and settled in.

Every day with the little one is a learning experience for all of us. On our first car camping trip to Ladybug in Sequoia National Park, I set Maggie down on our bags while I took the tent down. A few second later I heard a little scream and turned around to find that she had rolled off the bags into a pile of leaves. I quickly brushed the leaves out of her mouth and made her promise not to tell her mother - now I am more creative when finding places to stick her while I have to do stuff...


Everyone seemed pretty happy with camp...


The next day we spent the morning checking out the area between the first two lakes - clearly an old mining area with lots of interesting artifacts as well as a cascade between the two lakes.


After a bit, we set off to check out the other lakes. We found a spot for camp at lake #5 and then set out adventuring for the day.


Along with amazing vistas, we saw the biggest tad pols I have ever seen in my life, their bodies were the size of ping pong balls!



After we had about enough, we headed back to camp for some leisure time.


It seems like you can't go wrong in the Eastern Sierra, but Big Pine was a big hit with us. Great camping and lots of little side adventures, many of which we were not able to get to. The next morning we loaded up and headed back to the car, very thankful that Maggie is happiest when she is out and about.



Of Course Sherman was very happy too...

A New Generation Part II: Cottonwood Lakes

After a successful camping trip into Manter Meadow, we decided that Maggie needed her first High Sierra Trip. Again, easy access was important since we were not sure how well she would handle altitude, but we had an added complication this time around. After we lost Copper and Lucy, the house seemed too quiet - yes, even with a newborn. So, after some discussion of whether it was a smart thing to do or not (and it probably wasn't), I decided to add another family member - Sherman.

A great option seemed to be Cottonwood Lakes, about a 5-6 mile hike in that is dog friendly. We knew that Maggie enjoyed hiking, but had no idea how Sherman would feel about the whole thing, much less 6 miles at around 10,000 ft. We couldn't have been more pleased about his hiking ability and behavior, his Marmot Poop eating and bed hogging behavior on the other hand needs some work...


Cottonwood Lakes are spectacular, especially when you have them all to yourselves as we did. While the bugs were bad in the trees, we were able to avoid them by camping on an exposed knoll.


I'm not sure we could have picked a better place for her introduction to the High Sierra - with a view of Langley out of our tent and the clear Sierra night sky it was perfect


For those who would contemplate bringing a newborn to this altitude, there are some issues. The low pressure caused the breast milk to come out like a jet, which resulted in some feeding issues. If you already have supplemented with bottle feeding that might be a better way to go. Of course, I'm not a doctor (well I am, but not the right kind), so talk to your physician to figure out what is best for you.

We were sad to go, we would have loved to have stayed up there longer; but it was time to go and we will certainly be back with Maggie next year.

A New Generation Part I: Manter Meadow

It has been a little while since we posted here. For those who know us, we welcomed Maggie Merced Giddens into the world on June 3rd. She came into the world happy, health and very alert. From the day we got her home it was evident that she was happy when she was on the move - I guess all that time in Rebecca's belly while adventuring seemed to carry through into her personality. So move is what we did...

After a little adjustment time (both for Maggie and Rebecca) we decided that everyone was ready for her first camping trip. We figured something manageable like Manter Meadow would be a good start. A pleasant 3-4 mile hike into a wonderful meadow in the middle of the Domeland Widerness. This seemed like a good place to start for a few reasons; first, it was a short hike so we could get out quickly if we needed, and second, there is a spring so that we didn't have to carry water along with all the extra baby stuff that now was added to our kit.



She loved the hike, looking all around at the great wide world - at least until she had enough and fell asleep. At camp she was a trooper, mostly sleeping and eating, but always up for some sort of adventure when those two things were not going on.


We met our friends Dave and Alison (and Charlie) later that afternoon and it was nice to share her first camping trip trip with them.


It wasn't the best night of sleep under the stars, but I have had worse. Certainly it was exciting to be out there with a new baby girl with a whole world full of adventures ahead of her...