It’d been 15 years since I’d been to Redwoods, we shouldn’t have left it that long… It’s such a fantastic setup with the communal deck, fire pit and camp kitchen, the kids were free to roam and the creek alongside camp such a welcome respite from the mid-afternoon heat each day.
We spent the first day in camp with a drive into Yosemite National Park to hike along the South Fork Merced River to Annie’s Pool. With the record snow this winter the Merced was a never-ending torrent of pure whitewater, when we eventually made it to the spot where tranquil Annie’s Pool is usually located it was nothing but waterfall. Such a ridiculous amount of water… We ate lunch by the side of the Merced, where I took a dip in the icy water to cool off (not for more than a few seconds, though!) while my wife requested that I don’t try to swim across the rapids. I didn’t.
We also spent a day a little closer to camp in the pools of the creek at picturesque Soquel. The boys ventured down the creek to try their hand at a spot of fishing – Randy was the only one successful – while the kids enjoyed the crystal clear pool next to the spot where we had lunch. Was a fun ride on the bikes to and from Soquel, we made sure to take advantage of the willing babysitters! Jerry did camp cooking proud with a scrumptious paella for dinner, the kids rewarding themselves with marshmallows and smores by the fire before bed.
On our last full day in camp Lisa and I rode to the Fresno Dome trailhead, a grueling 10.3 mile (16.6 kilometer) uphill climb with 2300 feet of elevation gain. There were a few signs along the way that teased us into thinking we were close to our destination when in fact we weren’t, it was a killer uphill but well worth the huge downhill back to camp. I caught up with the main troop – who drove to the trailhead – on foot on their hike to the peak of Fresno Dome, very proud of little hiker Lilia who shared the views of the western Sierra Nevada with us all at the summit. Such an awesome adventure for us all, we’ll make sure it’s not another 15 years before we return! Thanks so much for hosting us Randy and Gail!
Awesome get away.