It was absolutely beautiful. It was our first time there, and the snow blanketed everything, dissolving any separation of structure and nature. It erased any boundaries of the trails or roads. The weather was wonderful. It was snowing and it felt just like winter. So silent, so peaceful...
We hiked around on a trail, which was beautiful. There were trees with fluttering, golden leaves clinging onto the branches, and wonderfully green pines. We hiked about and adventured, finding things like a large toppled tree or small shelters.
After getting off the trail, we wandered around, looking at the river or some cabins, and walking around on the road.
After hiking, we returned to our campsite and set up. We put up a tarp to block the wind (not sure how effective it was), set up our tents, and managed to start a fire. We cooked up some flat bread (see my recipe post), some hot dogs, and soup. It was great. Unfortunately, the fire had a little too much smoke.
Well, night came and we got into our tents as the fire flickered.
Robby says he felt incredibly tired and it was wonderful once he got in his sleeping bags. Me, on the other hand... My feet were cold throughout the night (I had two 40 degree bags double layered, on top of all the clothes I had on). Bryan was using Thomas's zero degree bag that he let us borrow, and we switched at one point. Much better.
We awoke early, and the sunrise was absolutely breathtaking. We went to the river and watched the glittering of the water as it flowed, and the crystalline shimmer of the snow.
We drove to a dam structure and hiked on a precarious trail. It was a wonderful hike and the weather was great. There was so much clean, pure snow everywhere, yet the sun was out and the sky was blue.
There was one spot by a sort of cliff or slope where we just stopped and sat, staring out into a valley full of hemlock trees. They were radiant and green.
The snow shimmered in the sunlight like fragments of glass as they fell, slowly as feathers, off of the limbs of the trees. The leaves were so luminescent and wonderfully colorful, and the red trunks glowed with a nostalgic blush.
If anything could capture the words "Winter Wonderland," that spot was it. We sat there for a long time.
Well, we later drove to the area above to get a view of a gorge. We were walking, and when Robby caught first sight of the gorge, he began whooping in joy and running. So we ran as well.
It was beautiful, and the perfect punctuation to the trip.
This post only covered some highlights of the trip, and I'm actually surprised, looking back, at how much more there was. This trip was a wonderful one, and a great relief from the stress of school in an urban area. The entire feel of the trip was so magical, and I look forward to camping in the winter again.
P.S., check out the draft of the Camping Show that Robby was working on. It's low quality, but it really captures the feel of the trip perfectly.
-Andrew
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