Sunrise on Boulder Creek LakeAlthough the impetus behind us starting this website almost two decades ago was to record our cross country RV trips with our two young sons, it has sort of morphed into a repository of whatever happens when we leave our house for more than a couple of days - whether it be by car, motorcycle, boat, or, in this case, foot. It’s our way of remembering where we have been, a factor that will become ever more important as we age.

So, here it is, our first recording of a backpacking trip, although I was reminded that our site already contains our son’s 8-day backpacking trip through the White Mountains of New Hampshire back in 2009. While not being able to match the intensity and hilarity of his trip, I will attempt to memorialize two sexagerians hitting the trail for a 3-day trek into the Trinity Alps of Northern California.

However, we shouldn’t feel like too much like hot stuff, as we got the idea for this particular trip from our septuagenarian neighbors, who went for 9 days with heavier packs.

Hiking out from Boulder Creek LakesAs any reader of our website knows, we spent much of our time in Yosemite and the Eastern Sierra, so this would be something new for us, which was quite exciting. The Trinity Alps are part of the Klamath Mountain Range and are located about 50 miles northwest of Redding, California. With 517,000 acres, it’s the second largest wilderness area in California.

It had a much different feel than Yosemite - less crowded (but then again, everywhere is), and its granite peaks were much sharper compared to Yosemite’s more rounded domes. However, what they did have in common was an incredible sense of wildness and natural beauty.

A wilderness permit is required for all overnight trips into the Trinity Alps Wilderness, and a campfire permit is also required if you plan to have one. Both permits can be obtained by self registration at the Weaverville ranger station.

The trip we planned to take was the Canyon Creeks Trail with a side trip to Boulder Creek Lakes, probably the most popular hike in the Trinity Alps, which concerned us a bit, but hopefully mid-week wouldn’t be too bad. Unlike our neighbors, we planned to do it in 3 nights, which I felt was the perfect length of time out on the trail to get me back into backpacking, without pushing me over the top.

So, let’s hit the trail.