True Nature – 5 days in Hoover Wilderness

Day 5 – 7/8

We were not messing around on the final day. Only a few miles to go, and there was talk the previous night of getting burgers in Twain Harte once we finished out trip. A burger sounded amazing (I think to everyone) after 4 days of trail food. It was like hiking with a carrot on a stick in front of me; except the carrot was a hamburger. We left camp early and we were able to get back to the cars well before noon and hit the road in time for lunch.

Cause for reflection

As much as I enjoyed this trip, getting back to civilization (I think for most people) feels really good. You can get a shower (a real shower not in a lake), good food that hasn’t been dried or vacuum sealed, and it’s just where all the other people are. There is definitely something therapeutic about going on a multi-day journey, and it’s not for everyone. But if you enjoy the outdoors and camping, I realize now that you have to do those things periodically. Whatever your version of a backpacking trip is (model railroads, knitting, scrapbooking) you need to do those things every once in a while. Maybe that’s obvious to some people, but I definitely lose sight of that when getting caught up in life’s responsibilities and other things that take priority. Either way, each time I go on a backpacking trip, there is one thing I am always reminded to do: appreciate how good the modern person (especially American) has it.

Anyway, that concludes this evening’s broadcast. If you managed to make it all the way here, thank you for reading. From here I’ll be venturing farther along in the Sierras. First stop: Calaveras Big Trees State Park.