Dallas is a big time outdoorsy gal. She rock climbs, backpacks, and runs triathlons in her spare time. Basically if you can go outside and do it for the price of a wilderness permit...she's there!
So a couple of years ago when she suggested that we ought to take our Girl Scouts backpacking, I was thrilled! She suggested we go and do a recon at a great set of lakes she found in the Sierras just past Arnold. We didn't have a lot of time so the plan was to drive up early Saturday morning and hike in to the first lake, then Sunday we would complete the loop with a quick stop at the second lake on the way out. Easy peasy...right?
The day started out clear and beautiful, we drove up to the Wilderness Permit station and hopped out of the car ready to get our permit and get going! We walk in and Dallas says "We need a permit for Death by Mosquito Lake!" (the name of this lake has been changed to protect the innocent!)
Woman Behind the Desk: You know there's snow up there?
Me: Eeepppp Snow??
Dallas (in her most decisive and forceful Kiwi accent...did I mention she's from New Zealand?): Oh it'll be fine!
Woman Behind the Desk: No. You are going to lose the trail in the snow.
Me: Eeeeepp lose the trial?
Dallas: Oh it'll be fine!
Woman Behind the Desk: You do have a map and compass don't you?
Dallas: Of course we do! It'll be fine!
At this point I felt a little better because I knew for a fact that I had a compass in my backpack, Dallas and I had been looking at the map earlier on the trip, and Dallas had recently completed a Wilderness Map and Compass Course...what could possibly go wrong?
So we get to the trailhead get out of the car and are immediately enveloped in a black cloud of mosquitoes. It was July in the Sierras but it was also the wettest year in recent history. There was indeed a fair amount of snow still melting into boggy mosquito filled misery...uh I mean beautiful green grassy meadows...
Dallas: Do you have the mosquito repellent?
Me: Uhh...no..
So we put on our rain gear (which just causes the mosquitos to get pissed off and bite you on your hands and any exposed locations they can find) and headed out. Sure enough, ten minutes up the way we lost the trail in the snow. Now I have to admit that I trust Dallas. So when she said, "don't worry we'll find the trail again up ahead." I believed her. We continued on for another 45 minutes or so with no sign of anything resembling a trail...
Dallas: Let's check the map.
Me: Sounds good. Here's the Compass.
Dallas: Oh I left the map in the car...
Fortunately, she had a book with 2 chicken scratchings on it that vaguely resembled a map.
Dallas: So we just need to follow this river to the next tributary and that will lead us to the lake.
Keep in mind this was the wettest year in recent history. Water was POURING down the sides of the mountains in record amounts...so we found "the next tributary" and started following it up this steep hill. At this point with no sign of a trail and no place flat to camp, my penchant for altitude sickness kicked in (yes indeed I am the only human in history who who has ever thrown up from altitude sickness in Yosemite Valley!) Dallas takes one look at my green and miserable face and says "I'll go up to the top of this hill and try to figure out where we are." About 30 minutes later she comes back with Good News and Bad News.
The Good News: I found a great flat place for us to camp.
The Bad News: I have no idea where we are or how to get to the lake.
So she picks up my pack (Dallas you are a goddess!) and I haul my sorry carcass up the hill.
The next morning we get up and I'm feeling much better and we take a little stroll up to the top of the plateau we are on.
Dallas (in her oddly optimistic about the outdoors sort of way): The Girls would love this. See there is this wonderful flat spot we could have a great group site here!
Me: Uhhh we don't know where we are...we don't know where the trail is...we'll never find this place ever again...not to mention I'm pretty sure the our Scouts will need us to look like we know where we're going on their first major backpacking trip...but that could just be me.
Me: Well I guess we could at least try and find the lake we started out to find.
Long pause....
Me: But I'd sort of like to go somewhere where there are less mosquitoes.
Dallas: Thank God you sad that!! Let's get out of here!
Now Dallas claims we were never lost because, although we didn't know where we were, we did know that following the river would bring us back to someplace we knew. Me, I'm still pondering the definition of lost. But I do have to give Dallas her props! Aside from an excessive quantity of mosquito bites on our wrists and ankles...it was indeed fine!
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