Lost at Mono Cliffs

June 26, 2010




Lost at Mono Cliffs



It was day one of the trek. We had just finished our culinary treat of beef stew and baked potatoes, fire roasted as only they should be. Ahhh… the water’s dancing the boil in the balanced vessel that was precariously perched above the burners licking flames. We dug out the plastic cups from the bottom of my pack and concocted a beverage of heavenly potency. Just calling it coffee does it no justice. What is it that makes it taste so good out here? Maybe it’s the pure chemical free water that we filter out of the busy stream.



After finishing our drink, we decided to take a hike without our gargantuan packs on. We’ll just follow the stream. We don’t need to worry about direction. Follow it up and come right back. We headed out, hacking our way through the thick underbrush. Kim brought her GPS even though we wouldn’t need it. Over logs and avoiding the thorn bushes. We hiked for about an hour, deeper and deeper into the bush, always keeping the rushing water in sight. A sudden loss in elevation created a cascading waterfall. This was a great spot for a break so after a long drink and nutigrain bar, we decided to cross at the base of the falls and go back to our site. We clamored down the steep bank and chanced across a fallen log spanning the narrowed passage. This was our only way across without getting a good soaker. Three quick steps and pushing off with the fourth landed us in the muck on the other shore. Up the other side of the bank, and we were on our way. It was quite simple it seemed. Just follow the stream back to the site. We hiked and hiked with no trail to follow, just the rushing water leading us on our way. It was quite enjoyable but after a while we were looking forward to seeing familiar signs of our base camp, and the onset of dusk was beginning. The terrain looked a little odd, but we just thought that… well we’re on the other side of the stream and things… Continued next week



Jim Bondy

Author of: Friday on the Trail

A book about our backpacking adventures in Ontario Canada

http://jimbondy.webs.com

effexus3@yahoo.com