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| Hiking | 18.60 Miles |
2,824 AEG |
| | Hiking | 18.60 Miles | 5 Hrs | | 3.72 mph |
| 2,824 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Took my family on our first backpack camping trip to Reavis Ranch. We decided to use the Thanksgiving holiday to make the trek. I have two 9 y.o.s(boy and girl), a 13 y.o. and a 15 y.o, myself, my wife, and our welsh terrier. What a logistics production just getting a crew this size out of the house!
We had to take the north route to Reavis Ranch since from what I've read, the other trail-heads are inaccessible for our minivan. The road to the trailhead was not a problem, but my youngest son was pretty car sick by the time we arrived. We discovered this was not a good way for him to start the longest hike of his life. As with most novice backpackers, we WAY overpacked. Part of the problem was our uncertainty that there would be water available at the ranch. I had called the Forest service, and was told that all we could expect to find was shallonw green pools of water. So, needless to say, I was very happy when we arrived at Reavis and found a very clear, flowing creek. The hike there, while beautiful, was tough because of the weight in the packs.
We arrived at about 5:00 p.m. and quickly set up camp at one of the larger campsites. We had our pick as I don't think there was another camper in the entire Ranch area that night. We built us a nice fire, and had a great supper of pan-fried quesidillas and corn. Our kids ate like they hadn't eaten in a week! Lots of good exercise will do that for you.
As soon as it got dark, the visitors began to arrive - at least 5 skunks decided to join us for dinner. They are almost tame out there, because it was all we could do to shoo them away. We were so afraid our dog was going to pursue, but she is such a chicken, she ran and hid in the tent. We turned in that night, and my wife tells me that she saw their shadows all night right outside our tents. The next night a few more campers showed up, so the skunks had others to bother,and we only had to contend with two that night.
The next day, we had planned to hike around the area, but the kids wanted to just rest up, so I didn't press it. We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day and explored the Ranch and the hills around the ranch. It is a shamed how much litter backpackers have left around the camp sites. The worst was all of the toilet paper!
The third day, with clouds coming in, we ate breakfast, packed up and headed out. The packs were much lighter since we weren't carrying a 2-day supply of water, and I also redistributed more weight to my youthful teenagers since they had practically sprinted the trail on the way in. Although the trip out was very windy, it was a beautiful day, and a great adventure! I am already planning our next outing! |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
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