A Room With A View
Back when I was way younger and didn't have Mike, My kids and I would go backpacking at least twice a month. I loved it! Then life got hectic, I had a back surgery and gained some weight and it kind of went to the back burner. Last year I was hell bent on starting back up again so I talked Mike into backpacking with me into the Caribou Wilderness Area in Northern California. I love this area for the beauty and the terrain won't break me off!
We rolled in midday on a Sunday. I had already been to Lake Eleanor the year before as a day hike but had seen some awesome places that would make amazing campsites. This little oasis is only about 3.5 miles in from the Caribou Lake Trailhead. The trails in the Caribous are all pretty easy and very, very scenic.
We parked at the trailhead and headed in. Thank God the mosquitoes weren't really out yet. Mike will disagree with me on this because they were totally swarming him. I told him he needed to take more B vitamins. That's the trick people! I know it sounds crazy but mosquitoes hate B vitamins. We finally arrived at our destination, dropped our packs and looked for a campsite. We ended up going on the northwest end of the lake. We had a spot that opened up on the shore of the lake. We had the most beautiful view from our tent.
Days consisted of day hikes, lounging in the hammocks and general silliness by two of my favorite hiking partners.
There are a number of lakes and ponds that aren't even on maps. We hiked to a plateau above Jewel Lake. It was completely amazing. There were lakes up there that were completely inundated with lily pads with beautiful flowers. The lakes on the top would be an awesome destination for a backpacking trip.
We day hiked to Triangle Lake. I have been to Triangle before. It's not one of my favorites. It is so vast that the wind picks up and it can be brutal.
We did some sunrise, sunset and night shots. The colors were amazing!
The only downfall to the area is the lack of cell service. Usually this wouldn't be an issue for me. However, upon our return to the trailhead we realized the battery in the car fob was dead. We could get into the car with the key but couldn't get the car to turn on. Thank god I had a battery that worked in my intravolometer for my camera. We have since wised up and put an extra battery in the glove box of the car for such emergencies in the future!
We stayed there for a total of four days. I would have loved staying there longer but food was running low and we had other commitments that we had to deal with.
DIRECTIONS:
Drive 9 miles north of Westwood on Highway 44, turn southwest on Road A21 and go 4.5 miles. Turn west on Silver Lake Road and drive 6 miles. Turn right at Forest Road 10. Drive 1 mile to the Caribou Lake Trailhead.
There is no permit required to enjoy this area.
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