After a year in the United States of America,
bumbling my way through a Master's program (and totally avoiding to blog since I
was so lost in life) last month I finally embarked on an overnight backpacking
trip since it was the Labor day weekend and decided that it was time to
resume my blog. We decided to hike the Ophir creek trail in the Mt. rose
Wilderness area which was an 8 mile hike and we gained a total elevation of
about 4000 feet. Apart from a great program of study, the other reason I chose
to come to UNR was because I had hoped I would get plenty of opportunities to
indulge in my passion for hiking and trekking. Although I had done a few day
hikes in the past year, an overnight hike was something I had been hoping to do
in quite a long time. And thanks to L&E cohorts, it finally fell in place.
The L&E program at UNR apart from having a unique degree program that centers around everything ecocritical also has a great bunch of people who are active hikers. So last week, a couple of them decided to begin the Fall semester with a backpacking trip over the weekend. And another three of us eagerly joined in the plan. It was my first backpacking trip in the US and being the kind of person I am, I was slightly nervous as to how it would turn out given that the rest of my colleagues are from the States. But my apprehension was unfounded. It turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences I have had so far in the US. And our small group made the trip all the more exciting.
We set out around 9.30 on Sunday morning after divvying up our food supplies and exchanging some hiking gear like sleeping bags, bed rolls, even backpacks. Having done most of my hiking back in India, hiking with colleagues from the US was truly a learning experience. In terms of gear, I was left in awe of the kind of things they had decided to carry. For the first time on a hike, I felt we were so well prepared and exceptionally well organized. All thanks to meticulous planning by the two main organizers. After borrowing an insert and a sleeping pad from a colleague, I was more or less equipped to tackle the biting cold that awaited us at night. And since we had decided to forego the tents and sleep under the stars, the insert and the sleeping pad probably prevented me from freezing at night.
So we decided to take two vehicles: one car at the summit where we would eventually find ourselves on day 2. And then shuffled ourselves into the other car and drove down to Davis creek which is approximately at 6000 feet. Coated in sunscreen and donning our hats, bandanas, and sunglasses, we set out at around 10:30. Day 1 would see us climb 2000 feet. It was a steep climb in quite a few places since there were very few switchbacks and with the sun scorching down on us we needed quite a few pits stops to gulp down water. An hour or so into the hike we crested to a spot that gave us a panoramic view of Washoe lake. Each of us quickly found a quiet spot to take in the view. I was surprised with the easy comfort with which each of us quietly found a spot to take in the view and just sat there thinking our own sweet thoughts. Back in India, such kind of moments are rare during hikes. It’s a group activity where others don't usually prefer people enjoying their solitude. It's all about socializing, which I avoid as much as I can. So this comforting silence took me by surprise but I loved every moment of it. And then as if on cue all of us quietly made our way back to the trail and resumed our climb. It felt good to be so much in harmony with the group.
The colleague who had initially planned the hike had our first resting spot all figured out by the side of a spring. And it was just the stop we needed. Around 1, we were all ready for some food and we quickly came in sight of the campsite he had in mind. Lots of shade and a log to rest my back with the sound of running water at the back made for an ideal lunch spot. Our food organizer doled out tortillas, (roasted garlic and forty spices) hummus, red bell peppers, green beans, and cheese (courtesy another colleague). I hadn't expected lunch to taste this delicious. I had never had hummus in quite this way but fell in love with it at the first bite. After lunch and some really good conversation, we made our way to the stream where we refilled our bottles. One of the group members had a water pump which filtered the water and which was amazing. Another had a UV zapper (hadn't heard of it before), which basically kills the reproductive capacity of the bacteria in the water. Awesome!
With our water bottles well stocked, we resumed our climb, which became much steeper. However, on the we were introduced to a very interested trail game which kept us so occupied that we barely noticed the strenuous climb. Others will probably disagree. As for me, I don't know if it was only the game or also the fact that I have taken up running/jogging regularly that contributed to making the climb much easier. All of us enjoyed the game thoroughly and had some really interesting conversations while we were at it.
We made it to our campsite at around 5 in the evening with plenty of daylight left. The campsite was next to the Upper Price Lake, which was brimming with algae and was completely green. Our drinking water had a greenish tinge to it. Since we were initially confused whether we had made it to the right spot we scouted around for a bit but ultimately decided that this was it. And it was great. We divided ourselves up into two groups with two of us responsible for making dinner while the other three busied themselves with preparing a spot for sleeping. And once again I was stumped by how well prepared everyone was. Our two main organizers had both brought along fuel canisters while one of them had what is called as a rocket sprocket which basically is placed above the fuel canister as a burner. She had a lovely pan used for outdoor purposes in which she had already packed some of our food. Good organization! I got out the instant rice and instant Indian food (Kashmiri spinach from Tasty Bites), which I had been carrying in my pack. And we quickly got down to making our dinner. The others did a very good job of spreading out pine needles all across the floor and then they placed the tarp that we had initially decided to place over us. Since there wasn't a good spot to pull the tarp up we decided to sleep under the open sky. After a leisurely dinner of rice and Kashmiri spinach, we arranged our sleeping gear and then were back to our stove to make some hot chocolate.
An interesting incident exposed me to the care and precaution that hikers here practice. As the hot chocolate was boiling some of it spilled over causing the burner to go out. However, the others hadn't realized that that was what caused the burner to go out and one immediately screamed, "Run!" even before thinking to question her reaction everyone of us scampered for cover. And then when we were well out of reach of the stove, we contemplated on what had happened and realized the true reason. However, the quickness with which everyone responded again left me speechless. I wish Indian hikers would take a leaf out their book and learn to be as careful.
The hot chocolate was amazing and we sat down to another amazing round of conversations and ghost stories, which left me spooked. Before we wrapped up we had to protect ourselves from potential bear attacks. Back home it's only monkeys that trouble hikers and their food, but here to my surprise there appear to be a whole load of animals that might give you a sleepless night including bears, cougars, and raccoons. At first I was a bit surprised at the amount of preparation the others did: we packed up all our food and everything else that had a smell including sunscreen, toothpaste, into a bear canister or two dry bags. Then as a group we moved about a 100 or so feet away from our camp. We placed the bear canister in the crook of a tree trunk and with the help of a rope hung the two bags on a branch. One of the group members later on told us in the morning that he had spotted a bear nosing round near our backpacks but decided not to wake us up since that might spook the bear. Good thinking!
Then we made our way back to camp and snuggled into our sleeping bags and called it a night. Thanks to the insert I had borrowed I was reasonably warm but I did make a mental note to start investing in some really good hiking gear. My $4 sleeping bag picked up from Dubai on a whim wasn't the best thing for the night when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees F. But I should say that Indians can be quite rugged and I survived the chill. The moon was slowly coming up and it lighted up the entire area. It was mesmerizing. I hadn't told anyone it was my birthday and didn't intend to tell them either. But it was the best birthday ever. I couldn't fall asleep but I wasn't restless. I just lay back gazing at the sky and watched one shooting star whiz by. And thanked whatever it was that brought me here at 8000 feet in the Sierra Nevada with such a great group. I usually have a very hard time interacting with people and three out of the four others in this group were people I barely knew. But I had felt so comfortable with them all through the hike that I just felt thankful for being where I was at that moment.
I woke up periodically to check for bears but didn't find any. However, I was scared out of my wits by the shadows caused by the moving branches since it was so windy. I don't think I got a whole lot of sleep but I did feel rested when we eventually got out of our sleeping bags at 7. It was a glorious morning. We packed up our sleeping gear and got down to making breakfast. For breakfast, there was oatmeal. I had never tasted oatmeal before in my life. And after this morning, I don't think I am ever going to taste it again. It's just not meant for my taste buds. So I didn't have much of a breakfast but I didn't want to eat anything else since I was feeling queasy. So around 8.30, we resumed our journey, which began with us jumping over a 4-5 foot gap across the creek. One of my colleagues was kind enough to give me a hand as I swung over the gap. And then we began the remaining ascent of 1600 ft. I think we ended up doing most of the steep climbing initially itself. It was again a bit strenuous though not as much as the previous day. We spotted a few birds of prey but couldn't ID them. I munched on a cliff bar when I felt that my stomach had settled a bit and was now growling for food.
I was mostly quiet for most of the way but the others just companionably walked along and chatted. I just felt so comfortable. (I so don't want to jinx this). We made it back to the car at around 11 with much time to spare since we had initially planned to be back by 1. We had made good time. Shuffling back into the car, we made our way to the other car and collectively decided to have lunch at the Indian restaurant. Inside I was smiling with happiness. Could my birthday feel any better! Good Indian food was just the thing I wanted to round up the hike. Lunch was exceptionally good. We returned borrowed gear to their respective owners who had been so generous to lend it to us. Then we parted ways as we headed home to a relaxing bath and a restful nap hopefully where another pleasant surprise awaited me.
The L&E program at UNR apart from having a unique degree program that centers around everything ecocritical also has a great bunch of people who are active hikers. So last week, a couple of them decided to begin the Fall semester with a backpacking trip over the weekend. And another three of us eagerly joined in the plan. It was my first backpacking trip in the US and being the kind of person I am, I was slightly nervous as to how it would turn out given that the rest of my colleagues are from the States. But my apprehension was unfounded. It turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences I have had so far in the US. And our small group made the trip all the more exciting.
We set out around 9.30 on Sunday morning after divvying up our food supplies and exchanging some hiking gear like sleeping bags, bed rolls, even backpacks. Having done most of my hiking back in India, hiking with colleagues from the US was truly a learning experience. In terms of gear, I was left in awe of the kind of things they had decided to carry. For the first time on a hike, I felt we were so well prepared and exceptionally well organized. All thanks to meticulous planning by the two main organizers. After borrowing an insert and a sleeping pad from a colleague, I was more or less equipped to tackle the biting cold that awaited us at night. And since we had decided to forego the tents and sleep under the stars, the insert and the sleeping pad probably prevented me from freezing at night.
So we decided to take two vehicles: one car at the summit where we would eventually find ourselves on day 2. And then shuffled ourselves into the other car and drove down to Davis creek which is approximately at 6000 feet. Coated in sunscreen and donning our hats, bandanas, and sunglasses, we set out at around 10:30. Day 1 would see us climb 2000 feet. It was a steep climb in quite a few places since there were very few switchbacks and with the sun scorching down on us we needed quite a few pits stops to gulp down water. An hour or so into the hike we crested to a spot that gave us a panoramic view of Washoe lake. Each of us quickly found a quiet spot to take in the view. I was surprised with the easy comfort with which each of us quietly found a spot to take in the view and just sat there thinking our own sweet thoughts. Back in India, such kind of moments are rare during hikes. It’s a group activity where others don't usually prefer people enjoying their solitude. It's all about socializing, which I avoid as much as I can. So this comforting silence took me by surprise but I loved every moment of it. And then as if on cue all of us quietly made our way back to the trail and resumed our climb. It felt good to be so much in harmony with the group.
The colleague who had initially planned the hike had our first resting spot all figured out by the side of a spring. And it was just the stop we needed. Around 1, we were all ready for some food and we quickly came in sight of the campsite he had in mind. Lots of shade and a log to rest my back with the sound of running water at the back made for an ideal lunch spot. Our food organizer doled out tortillas, (roasted garlic and forty spices) hummus, red bell peppers, green beans, and cheese (courtesy another colleague). I hadn't expected lunch to taste this delicious. I had never had hummus in quite this way but fell in love with it at the first bite. After lunch and some really good conversation, we made our way to the stream where we refilled our bottles. One of the group members had a water pump which filtered the water and which was amazing. Another had a UV zapper (hadn't heard of it before), which basically kills the reproductive capacity of the bacteria in the water. Awesome!
With our water bottles well stocked, we resumed our climb, which became much steeper. However, on the we were introduced to a very interested trail game which kept us so occupied that we barely noticed the strenuous climb. Others will probably disagree. As for me, I don't know if it was only the game or also the fact that I have taken up running/jogging regularly that contributed to making the climb much easier. All of us enjoyed the game thoroughly and had some really interesting conversations while we were at it.
We made it to our campsite at around 5 in the evening with plenty of daylight left. The campsite was next to the Upper Price Lake, which was brimming with algae and was completely green. Our drinking water had a greenish tinge to it. Since we were initially confused whether we had made it to the right spot we scouted around for a bit but ultimately decided that this was it. And it was great. We divided ourselves up into two groups with two of us responsible for making dinner while the other three busied themselves with preparing a spot for sleeping. And once again I was stumped by how well prepared everyone was. Our two main organizers had both brought along fuel canisters while one of them had what is called as a rocket sprocket which basically is placed above the fuel canister as a burner. She had a lovely pan used for outdoor purposes in which she had already packed some of our food. Good organization! I got out the instant rice and instant Indian food (Kashmiri spinach from Tasty Bites), which I had been carrying in my pack. And we quickly got down to making our dinner. The others did a very good job of spreading out pine needles all across the floor and then they placed the tarp that we had initially decided to place over us. Since there wasn't a good spot to pull the tarp up we decided to sleep under the open sky. After a leisurely dinner of rice and Kashmiri spinach, we arranged our sleeping gear and then were back to our stove to make some hot chocolate.
An interesting incident exposed me to the care and precaution that hikers here practice. As the hot chocolate was boiling some of it spilled over causing the burner to go out. However, the others hadn't realized that that was what caused the burner to go out and one immediately screamed, "Run!" even before thinking to question her reaction everyone of us scampered for cover. And then when we were well out of reach of the stove, we contemplated on what had happened and realized the true reason. However, the quickness with which everyone responded again left me speechless. I wish Indian hikers would take a leaf out their book and learn to be as careful.
The hot chocolate was amazing and we sat down to another amazing round of conversations and ghost stories, which left me spooked. Before we wrapped up we had to protect ourselves from potential bear attacks. Back home it's only monkeys that trouble hikers and their food, but here to my surprise there appear to be a whole load of animals that might give you a sleepless night including bears, cougars, and raccoons. At first I was a bit surprised at the amount of preparation the others did: we packed up all our food and everything else that had a smell including sunscreen, toothpaste, into a bear canister or two dry bags. Then as a group we moved about a 100 or so feet away from our camp. We placed the bear canister in the crook of a tree trunk and with the help of a rope hung the two bags on a branch. One of the group members later on told us in the morning that he had spotted a bear nosing round near our backpacks but decided not to wake us up since that might spook the bear. Good thinking!
Then we made our way back to camp and snuggled into our sleeping bags and called it a night. Thanks to the insert I had borrowed I was reasonably warm but I did make a mental note to start investing in some really good hiking gear. My $4 sleeping bag picked up from Dubai on a whim wasn't the best thing for the night when the temperature dropped below 40 degrees F. But I should say that Indians can be quite rugged and I survived the chill. The moon was slowly coming up and it lighted up the entire area. It was mesmerizing. I hadn't told anyone it was my birthday and didn't intend to tell them either. But it was the best birthday ever. I couldn't fall asleep but I wasn't restless. I just lay back gazing at the sky and watched one shooting star whiz by. And thanked whatever it was that brought me here at 8000 feet in the Sierra Nevada with such a great group. I usually have a very hard time interacting with people and three out of the four others in this group were people I barely knew. But I had felt so comfortable with them all through the hike that I just felt thankful for being where I was at that moment.
I woke up periodically to check for bears but didn't find any. However, I was scared out of my wits by the shadows caused by the moving branches since it was so windy. I don't think I got a whole lot of sleep but I did feel rested when we eventually got out of our sleeping bags at 7. It was a glorious morning. We packed up our sleeping gear and got down to making breakfast. For breakfast, there was oatmeal. I had never tasted oatmeal before in my life. And after this morning, I don't think I am ever going to taste it again. It's just not meant for my taste buds. So I didn't have much of a breakfast but I didn't want to eat anything else since I was feeling queasy. So around 8.30, we resumed our journey, which began with us jumping over a 4-5 foot gap across the creek. One of my colleagues was kind enough to give me a hand as I swung over the gap. And then we began the remaining ascent of 1600 ft. I think we ended up doing most of the steep climbing initially itself. It was again a bit strenuous though not as much as the previous day. We spotted a few birds of prey but couldn't ID them. I munched on a cliff bar when I felt that my stomach had settled a bit and was now growling for food.
I was mostly quiet for most of the way but the others just companionably walked along and chatted. I just felt so comfortable. (I so don't want to jinx this). We made it back to the car at around 11 with much time to spare since we had initially planned to be back by 1. We had made good time. Shuffling back into the car, we made our way to the other car and collectively decided to have lunch at the Indian restaurant. Inside I was smiling with happiness. Could my birthday feel any better! Good Indian food was just the thing I wanted to round up the hike. Lunch was exceptionally good. We returned borrowed gear to their respective owners who had been so generous to lend it to us. Then we parted ways as we headed home to a relaxing bath and a restful nap hopefully where another pleasant surprise awaited me.
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