Did you ever dream about diving into a clear mountain lake on a hot day? Well our dreams came true on this trip.
It all started when Nick and I drove about 420 miles to reach the Shackleford Trailhead in The Marble Mountain Wilderness of the Klamath Mountains.
Driving through Scott Valley we saw this western kingbird on a fence.
Cooling our feet after a long drive.
Starting off the next morning.
The trail was crossed by many small streams.
The flower season comes late up here.
Nick spotted a couple ants carrying a grain of sawdust at a time from their tunnels, and dropping it over the edge. We noticed a division of labor between the smaller ants and the larger ants of the "nest".
This plant appeared to be a wild rose.
We passed several bogs covered with water lillies.
Tiger lilies
Our base camp destination - Cliff Lake.
Boiling water for another delicous Mountain House dinner.
We slept under the stars our first 2 nights. Don't worry, we moved the food cannister far away before bedding down.
The sun lingers on the peaks.
Looking down at Summit Lake as we climbed a trail up to join The Pacific Crest Trail at the top.
We saw the white marble of distant peaks and also a lightning fire smoldering away in the distance.
We hiked along the PCT until we came directly above our lake (Cliff Lake). You can see Mt. Shasta in the far distance. There were still a few patches of snow in the near mountains, but much less than usual, I believe.
Our lunch spot that looked hundreds of feet below to our campsite
There's our lake with an interesting chute from top to bottom. Several times, over the four days we were there, we could hear rocks rolling down the chute for no apparent reason other than gravity and erosion.
A Nick shot, naturally.
Our campsite the last two nights.
On day three, we rested around the lake, reading, swimming, and watching fish leap clear out of the water to grab damsel flies perched on grass.
We were joined by a friend, similar to my friend of last week.
This is the main street of Fort Jones. We were amused by the tuxedo rental sign, as a tuxedo seemed to be the last thing one would need out here in the sticks.
Fifteen miles closer to civilization is Yreka, a surprisingly cute town with a victorian flare. We filled up on fajitas at Lalo's down the street. A few hours later, we were back in Napa with stories to tell.
Cooling our feet after a long drive.
Starting off the next morning.
The trail was crossed by many small streams.
The flower season comes late up here.
Nick spotted a couple ants carrying a grain of sawdust at a time from their tunnels, and dropping it over the edge. We noticed a division of labor between the smaller ants and the larger ants of the "nest".
This plant appeared to be a wild rose.
We passed several bogs covered with water lillies.
Tiger lilies 
Our base camp destination - Cliff Lake.
Boiling water for another delicous Mountain House dinner.
We slept under the stars our first 2 nights. Don't worry, we moved the food cannister far away before bedding down.
The sun lingers on the peaks.
Looking down at Summit Lake as we climbed a trail up to join The Pacific Crest Trail at the top.
We saw the white marble of distant peaks and also a lightning fire smoldering away in the distance.
We hiked along the PCT until we came directly above our lake (Cliff Lake). You can see Mt. Shasta in the far distance. There were still a few patches of snow in the near mountains, but much less than usual, I believe.
Our lunch spot that looked hundreds of feet below to our campsite
There's our lake with an interesting chute from top to bottom. Several times, over the four days we were there, we could hear rocks rolling down the chute for no apparent reason other than gravity and erosion.
A Nick shot, naturally.
Our campsite the last two nights.
On day three, we rested around the lake, reading, swimming, and watching fish leap clear out of the water to grab damsel flies perched on grass.
We were joined by a friend, similar to my friend of last week.
This is the main street of Fort Jones. We were amused by the tuxedo rental sign, as a tuxedo seemed to be the last thing one would need out here in the sticks.
Fifteen miles closer to civilization is Yreka, a surprisingly cute town with a victorian flare. We filled up on fajitas at Lalo's down the street. A few hours later, we were back in Napa with stories to tell.
3 comments:
Great pictures, as usual. I look forward to these pictures every year!
Awesome pictures!! Great butterfly and lily shots. The landscape looks beautiful. I like Nick's "candid" expression in the reading shot. ;)
I think fate is telling you that you need to get a black and white dog.
I know I'm late to the game, but as usual, you have a way of finding these gems. I can't believe you have all these wonderful destinations practically in your backyard. The shot of the Marbles with Mt. Shasta looming in the background is beautiful. The idea of boulders rolling down the chute to the lake is neat, but kind of eerie. As always, your photos made me yearn for another outdoor trip.
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