September 20, 2024
Today I return to Steven’s trail. I’ve taken this hike once before earlier in the season. The round trip is just shy of 8 miles. The first half is all downhill. At the turnaround point we will stop alongside the American River and have lunch.
Today’s group is a total of Eight
Early on, the trail has wild blackberry bushes. I found a couple of ripe ones to snack on.
The first stream bed I cross is dry this late in the year. Earlier in the season, there was still some water in it.
One of the beautiful points of this hike is a rock out cropping offering great views of the valley below. It was a good spot for photos. Up the hill, high above in the opposite direction is the railroad going form Sacramento through Donner pass to Truckee. You can see the hillside base they have laid for the tracks. There is also a nearby waterfall, but it is also dry at this time of year.
Our trail continues mid slope with steep rocky faces on the left, and our first views of the river to the right .
As the trail parallels the river, the calming sound of water rises up the valley calling us to look at the beautiful views of the river's bend down below. On the opposite side of the trail is an old mine shaft from the gold rush days.
The river continues to provide us beautiful views as we continue down trail. One the things I value the most on my hikes is God's presence. I see His creation and know it is not just by chance! I see Him in things like the middle picture and the way the camera picks up His light shining on me. I am not alone.
Just before reaching the river, we pass by this beautiful little stream which is still flowing.
As we approach the rivers edge, we walk across some rocks which have been heavily eroded from the higher levels of river flow over the years.
I got my lunch cooking and then took a dip in the refreshingly cold river. A beautiful site for lunch.
After lunch, we turned around and began our uphill track in the full sun.
. One of our members forgot their backpack at home, so I carried her lunch and water. I was in a groove and trucking uphill at a fairly fast pace and realized I still had her water! I found this great little sitting spot in the shade to wait for the group to catch up.
As we continued up hill, the sun was beating down on us. The weather has turned back to hot, the past week has been much cooler, and as a result some did not bring enough water. I have my filter and bladder bags with me, so I gave up the water I had and hiked ahead to the next nearest water source. I filled up and hiked back to meet those that were hiking slower and in need of more water. It wasn't too far of a backtrack, and made me appreciate the extra stuff I carry on my hikes. I should have gotten a picture of the water. There wasn’t much and it was covered with mosquito larva, but it is no match for the filter I use.
One of the neat things on this hike is the vine-like branches growing from these trees. They are solid and have a dense hard wood feel to them.
Just ahead is the parking lot. We returned over an hour later than we anticipated, but all made it back safe. Thank Steve for organizing another great hiking day.
