Camping, Rafting the Rivers, and Hiking in the Trinity Alps Wilderness (9)
9:04 PM by , under Camping, Rafting, Trinity Wilderness
My brother-in-law, Bret, is to thank for most of the great time I had camping along the Trinity River. He used to work around there so he had some connections and, of course, knew all of the nice spots to go.
Day One: The Swimming Hole
My sister, Sami, and I drove to Trinity together and arrived to find Elly, Bret, and some of their friends having a fun time at a beach off of a branch of the river. Bret and other brought river kayaks and were practicing rolls. Some of the small children even got to try the kayaks.
Bret looking like a seasoned veteran
Deveney, Jim, and one of the many little ones
We camped the first two nights at Deveney's family's place right along the Trinity River. The following day we were comped a big raft to go down the river in by some friends of Bret. We put it atop Elly and Bret's van/home/raft trailer, took it to be launched.
The raft was bigger than the van!
So much fun!
Once again, Bret's expertise made this experience so great! He knew the names of all the rapids, had a keen eye for wildlife, explained to us about the gold mining that still goes on, pointed out places where the old highway used to run, and much more. He kept us antsy about when the infamous "Hell Hole" would come about, and actually kept it a bit of a secret until we had completed it. It was probably the most exhilerating thing I have done since climbing Mt Fuji last year.
Dev' and Jim took a kayak down the river
The most dangerous rapid we hit, known as "Hell Hole"
An eel
Day 3: The Amazing Hike
Bret led us on a beautiful, unforgettable trip up towards the peaks of the alps. The hike started in the trees, and eventually the ecosystem changed to more of a rocky terrain. Our goal was to go up for five miles, where were were to find a nice swimming hole. Do you think we made it?
Elly crossing a creek
A view of the alps from one of the slopes we hiked along
Goal accomplished!
We finally arrived at a breathtakingly beautiful pool of chilly water where we rested, ate the lunches we packed, and went for swims.
I spent the most time in the water
Look how clear that water is!
Very, very clear water
Let me out!
Lounging legs
Like iguanas on a heat-rock
Sisters and I on the way back down
That night we camped by the first swimming hole I mentioned
Although the trip was somewhat short, we did a lot, and I had so much fun. I highly recommend you all get out and enjoy California's spectacular Trinity River and its surroundings. Oh ya, that night we saw a beautiful bald eagle as we sat around the fire-pit at dusk.
