to the Trinitys and beyond!
So there I was!
In the car, at the trailhead, sleepy and nervous. Sometimes I think, similar to a “kick me” sign, I should have a disclaimer on my back that says “sleepy and nervous”.
Why so nervous, Cassidy?
Well, it was simply my first overnight backpacking trip since the year before. It takes a minute for my old nerves to steel up and remember that “oh wait no I actually love this”. Before the love, comes the anxiety. What if something goes terribly wrong? A mountain lion? A tarantula wasp? A brain-eating amoeba? Or worse, I packed all the wrong snacks?! FORGOT THE SOUR GUMMY WORMS?!
The secret sauce to a happy marriage? Making sure to always taking a wilderness sign selfie ;)
Spoiler alert: none of those things happened. But we did end up running into Tommy’s worst nightmare... Moo-re on that later.
The Trinity Alps are located in beautiful, rugged northern California and are on the traditional homelands of the Shasta Indian Nation. The Trinity Alps Wilderness is made up of 518,000 acres making it the second largest wilderness area in the state. It was designated as such in 1984 under the California Wilderness Act. This year was quite the poppin’ time for states to have their own wilderness acts, which were also passed in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Washington, Vermont, and Oregon. You can read all about the impact of the Oregon Wilderness Act in this excellent Oregon Wild blog post by Sami Godlove, our Central Oregon Field Coordinator.
OKAY I’ll address the wolf in the room. Yes, these miles were hiked outside of Oregon in my Oregon Wild: Wild Miles challenge. But you know what? State lines are made up. We’re all on stolen land and Oregon was originally founded as a whites-only state. And a fun fact: many eastern Oregon counties have tried to pass ballot measures to join the state of Idaho. There have been board meetings where I have had to ask: iif Klamath County joined Idaho, would I still get to be an Oregon Wild board member? All of this to say: we should really focus on our watersheds instead.
Spotted: a happy wild lil Oregonian in her happy wild lil Oregon Wild jacket (but outside of her Oregon home-range. whoops)
“It’s crazy we’re still in the same watershed as our house,” Tommy emphasized as we crested the ridge after a stunning hike up the Middle Boulder Trail. Crazy, indeed. Our home was sitting over 100 miles northeast of where we were, and yet if a raindrop fell in either spot, it would eventually make its way to the Klamath River and on the grand journey to its final resting spot of the Pacific Ocean.
On Saturday, we hiked up around 2500 feet of elevation gain over 7.6 miles. It was gradual gradient with an ever-changing landscape that kept you guessing what was coming next. We started in a burned area, made our way through the martian-like rocky terrain, and ended at Lower Boulder Lake where the haunting call of a Great Horned Owl echoed throughout the night.
But that wasn’t the only thing calling throughout the night. Enter: Tommy’s worst nightmare. Cows!
Looking at this picture, I can almost hear the mooooooos in the background. Which seriously sounded like screams at one point?? spoooooky!
While a designated wilderness will have many protections in place, it doesn't always mean it is pristine in that protection. Grazing rights are allowed in certain wilderness areas where leases were in place before the official “wilderness” designation. Why leases are honored and not indigineous treaty rights in the United States is beyond me. I find it extremely ironic the Forest Service’s website for the Trinity Alps Wilderness ends with “Leave No Trace” principles. Girl, come get your cows and give them that 411.
Cows are to hydrologists what house cats are to ornithologists. They are Sauron with four legs. Menaces without morals. They reek havoc and destruction and care not for their actions! But to be fair, they don’t know any better. Let me be clear: I’m not blaming the cows (or the cats), but I am blaming their managers.
To not get too into the weeds (or in this case, the grasslands and stream vegetation), cows can disrupt an ecosystem pretty quickly. Without proper structural protections, cows easily erode streambanks, damage soil and water health, and overgraze the landscape. All in all, this can lead to dramatic declines in biodiversity of an area. And on a selfish note, their shit stinks. I’m just out there trying to get some fresh mountain air!!
Special and sacred places like this can’t afford any more threats to their preservation. And yet, here we are. With cows and with an administration that also thinks their shit don’t stink.
The current administration is trying to rescind one of the single most important pieces of conservation legislation that has ever been passed in our country. The Roadless Rule protects nearly 58 million acres of forest. Of habitat. Of our public lands. It protects the Trinity Alps and other wilderness areas like it from ever having the threat of a road disrupt its wildlife and wildness.
Tommy and I recently read “Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet” by Ben Goldfarb. Ben IS Gold. His writings have created Beaver Believers and Roadless Rebels alike. Crossings is a deep exploration on the history of roads and what their dramatic, but oft-not-thought-of, impact has been on our landscapes. And when we get down to it, if a road is placed somewhere, it changes that land on a fundamental level. It creates islands of separation. Habitats in isolation. They’re honestly not too different from a certain wall going up between two countries.
Anyway, you should read Crossings. You can buy a physical book here or an audiobook here. I can’t guarantee this book will solve all of your problems and queries but I can guarantee that you will not look at your car the same way again.
And if you’re like, woah woah Cassidy no I need to know what we can do RIGHT NOW to protect Roadless Rule. Then YES, YAY, THAt’s the SPIRIT! Check out another exceptionally-written piece by Sami on how to write an effective comment while the public comment period is open (closes September 21!!).
Despite the feverish dreams of cow bells, we woke up ready to rock and decided to have our oatmeal breakfast at the car. We hiked (all downhill!) three miles and relished in some instant coffee with graham crackers as a classy appetizer. Feeling refreshed, we decided to take the long way home by adding an eight mile hike to top off the weekend. The company (shoutout to my bff Tommy), the views, and the gummy worms made it a welcome addition to our itinerary.
At this point, I was full gremlin mode. Something about having everything I need on my back is simultaneously the most freeing thing and also what makes me insanely messy. I think I added a total of seven stains to various clothing items. It was time to take off the grimy clothes and jump in to something refreshing— a high alpine lake. MY FAVORITE!
Can you believe I almost didn’t enjoy this heavenly swim?? We almost walked right past it to the car?? Life pro tip: always take the detour for a dip!
All in all, those 18 miles over the weekend transported us to what felt like a completely different place and elongated our short, precious non-working time. Our cups were filled, our hearts reinvigorated, and our legs sore. Also I’m still hungry. And I apologize to everyone who had to hear about that every fifteen minutes at frisbee. ILY
That’s all for now!
Xoxoxoxo, gremlin girl
PS- I just kept writing in this one. Consider it an opportunity to rewire our considerably diminished attention spans.
PPS- Not sure how long the next one will be. But we’ll find out together.
PPPS- THANK YOU!
