I went to Downieville, CA in the Sierra Nevadas to visit Erik for a week of hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and relaxing. Pics are here.
Night 1: Arrival and Earthquake
I woke up in the middle of the night. I couldn’t figure out why since I was so tired. Turns out there had been an earthquake. The blue square is the epicenter. Downieville is 25 miles north-east as the crow flies from the epicenter.
Day 1: Mountain Biking & Erik’s B-Day Party
The weather was sunny and mild. We started in Downieville (2,900 ft) and rode First Divide (3,400 ft) and Third Divide Trails (4,440 ft) with Erik, Marian, and Lisa. We rode up a fire road to get to Third Divide. We rode (and walked) up Third Divide. We hauled ass down Third Divide – it was very steep. Took it pretty easy going down First Divide – it was very exposed. Incredible views on both trails. Erik (or as everyone up here calls him – Mongo) had his belated birthday party this evening. There was lots of food, cake, and beer (and other stuff). We watched Blazing Saddles in which Mongo is a character. I slept in the living room in a sleeping bag.
Day 2: Hiking
The weather was sunny and mild. I hiked up First Divide Trail (2,900 ft to 3,400 ft) and down the fire road. Great views, it’s a amazing how much more you notice when you walk than when you ride. Met up with a bum and his three large dogs at the end of the trail. I was very lucky not to have been bitten (they bit a rider a few days before). Erik and I had the Downieville house to ourselves that night. We had stir-fry chicken for dinner. It was nice to finally get a bed.
Day 3: Hiking and Touring the Area
The weather was sunny and mild. Erik and I drove around the mountains. We stepped foot on the Pacific Crest Trail, but that was literally all we did there. We hiked up to see Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes. The view was incredible with the Sierra Buttes in the background. We bushwhacked down to the lakes via some old mining railways. We ran into Henry who had just arrived to do some fishing. Packer Lake was our next stop. Walked around in some snow and saw a great waterfall. Our next stop was Frazier Falls – incredible view. We saw a marmot, mistook it for a beaver at first. Had to get online to know for sure. We wrapped it up checking out Erik’s dream property and eating at a neat little place called The Coyote. Erik and I had the Downieville house to ourselves that night.
Day 4: Mountain Biking and Trail Maintenance
The weather was sunny and mild. Drove up the fire road to Third Divide Trail. Rode (and walked) up Third Divide (3,500 to 4,440 ft) and the beginning of Butcher Ranch Trails. Cleaned up the trails with Erik and Henry up to the junction of Pauley Creek and Butcher Ranch Trails (5,200 ft). I was completely exhausted. Hauled ass down Pauley Creek and Third Divide Trails. I could barely manage the bike because I was so tired. Never-the-less, I went the fastest I’ve ever been on a mountain bike (with the exception of fire roads) down Third Divide. I rode stuff I would have never imagined in terms of steepness, rockiness, and exposure. It was great. Erik and I had the Downieville house to ourselves that night. I went to the local pizza place for dinner.
Day 5: Backpacking
The weather was sunny and mild, though there were scattered thunderstorms in the area. I started out at Second Divide Trail at 3,480 feet and went up to 4,440 feet over 5 miles. The best part of this hike was finding a pair of Smith Sliders and running across a sweet old mining cabin (remember Lincoln Logs?). At this point I was beginning to get used to the trees, the rivers, the waterfalls, and the mountains. I then went up Butcher Ranch Trail to the junction with Pauley Creek Trail. Butcher Ranch Trail started at 4,320 feet and Pauley Creek Trail ended at 5,900 feet. This part of the hike was about 3 miles. This shit was steep. The views were great as the trail moved along next to the creek most of the way. There were waterfalls everywhere. I was tired. The entire hike up took about 8 1/2 hours, including breaks. Other than seeing Erik up there doing some trail work, I didn’t run into another human being on the entire way up. I spent the night at the top of the trail on a bluff overlooking the river. There was still snow on the ground in spots. After setting up camp, I hiked up a quarter mile further until the trail was completely covered in snow. It was kind of creepy up there. This was my first time backpacking alone. Despite not sleeping well, all went well – no bears and no mountain lions. Meals consisted of GORP and Odwalla bars – very boring.
Day 6: Backpacking
That morning all was well. There were no critter tracks around the campground and all of my stuff was intact. The weather was sunny and mild, though there were scattered thunderstorms in the area. I started at 5,900 feet at the top of Pauley Creek Trail and ended up at back in Downieville at 2,900 feet. I walked down Pauley Creek, Boulder Ranch, Third Divide, and First Divide Trails. It took 6 hours to make it back. Breakfast and lunch consisted of GORP and Odwalla bars so my first stop once I made it back to town was the local pizza place – damn that pizza tasted good! Once back at the house, I cleaned up and lounged around until dinner which consisted of steak and chicken. We watched the storm clouds roll over the mountains and the sunset. It was quite a view. I slept like a champ that night.
Day 7: Rest
Everyone else, along with some out of town volunteers went back up the mountain to do some trail maintenance. I didn’t have anymore mountain climbing left in me so I hung around town. It turns out that Downieville used to be a whole level lower. There are catacombs underneath the city. The floors are covered with silt. It’s pretty creepy down there and it’s supposed to be haunted. I didn’t see anything weird, but it was awfully dark. I’d hate to be down there without a light. It was actually hot this day, though that may have been because I wasn’t in the trees at higher elevations like the prior days. At the end of the day everyone gathered in the park next to the river for some barbeque and horse shoes. Other than that, Downieville is a very slow place on a Saturday night…unless you’re in the Downieville House.
