09/03/09
California Part 10
Day 12 - What a bittersweet night it is. As I brushed my teeth on a rock, I realized that tomorrow night I would be doing it in a hotel. At the same time, I realized that no bathroom could compare to the one in front of me. The full mood glistened off Thousand Island Lake, while illuminating the massive surrounding mountains and snowfields. It will be a while before I am able to enjoy that level of beauty and grandeur again.
Today was a very relaxing day. I awoke for breakfast and sunrise around 6am. Breakfast was Spam and hash browns with Tabasco Sauce. At about 9:30 most of the group went on a hike to some of the surrounding lakes. I stayed back to enjoy my last day in paradise, and allow my feet to heal. Another camper, Michelle, also chose to stay behind. We left at about 10 for a walk around the lake. I went in my sandals not wanting to put my boots on.
We worked our way up to a little snowfield. It was quite icy at this point of the year, but I managed to build a little snowman anyways. The two of us discussed all manners of life on the walk, everything from relationships to our favorite desserts. I think we spent the same amount of time on both topics. We stopped about 12 and ate lunch on a little rock outcropping while dangling our feet in the lake. After that we made our way back around the lake to camp. I decided it was bath time, so I stripped down to my boxers and into the 40-degree water I went. It took awhile to get up the guts to get all the way in, but I managed to eventually. It didn’t take near as long to get out.
From there I headed back to my tent and changed clothes. Then I laid around camp for a couple of hours reading until everyone got back from their hike. Tonight’s dinner was greatly appreciated, as I had been hungry since about 2pm. Happy hour started the festivities with pink lemonade, 151, crackers, and a sun dried tomato mix that was delicious. We followed that up with onion soup, and then a huge portion of pasta and smoked salmon. Dessert was believe it or not, cheesecake with blueberries. It was a great dinner for our final one.
Today was exactly what I needed. There was ample time for relaxation and reflection. Alas it is time to go back to a world involving electricity and automobiles. Though it offers many comforts, it creates an equal amount of trials and tribulations. The chance I’ve had to come together with a group of complete strangers and share ideas and experiences about the crazy world we call home, while enjoying some of the best of what our planet has to offer, has been a very privileged experience. Not really knowing what I was getting into, I couldn’t ask for a better result. If you don’t leave here re-energized and just amazed at what is possible when you put mind on accomplishing a task, then frankly something is amiss. There will be many sad goodbyes tomorrow as I bid adieu to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and a cherished group of people. At the same time, I leave here knowing that after traveling over 50 miles through the mountains in the last week in a half that the world I’m a part of is an amazing place. There are many people and things I have missed, and I will be very glad to reacquaint myself to them. Though I have some ideas, I do not know what exactly lies ahead of me in life. If the journey contains experiences as pleasing and powerful as this though, then I know it will be an amazing ride.
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