The hot weather kept us inside and off the trails for the rest of the summer. Triple degree heat just isn’t good for Tucker or me. But in October, on one magical day when the weather looked to be under 80 degrees in the mountains, we headed northeast to Big Bear.
Big Bear was my birthday destination some twenty years ago, back when the 100 mile trip took only an hour and a half. But with traffic, over the years the mountain venture was just too tedious to take often. I had found my home in San Francisco, and if I was going to spend half a day on the road to get to the forest, I’d rather it be to end up among the redwoods.
But now with traffic patterns across the Southland being Pandemic-Light (something akin to “Tuesday-Light” traffic from the westside to the valley in Before Times), a jaunt to Big Bear truly was just a jaunt.
I chose Castle Rock and Bluff Lake for our hiking adventure. Castle Rock was rather popular, not only for the Stephen King reference but because the trailhead was right on the main road. However, one could start near Bluff Lake, up in the mountains, and reach the same peak of Castle Rock minus all the crowds.
And crowds there were indeed. Here the stewards of nature had blocked off roadside parking and the main parking lot, which just meant that people were walking a mile or more from up the road to get to the trailhead. Never underestimate the determination someone has to go for a walk when they’re told they can’t.
I found the back way to Bluff Lake, and Tucker and I took took some not-at-all-trafficked forest service roads up the mountain to reach what seemed like a camp, now abandoned from summer and from a global health crisis.
We parked (the only car in what I assumed was the lot for the trailhead), and while we saw a couple of people and dogs exiting the trailhead, there was no one else nearby.
The trail was a beautiful, socially distant, lack of human experience.
Big Bear was my birthday destination some twenty years ago, back when the 100 mile trip took only an hour and a half. But with traffic, over the years the mountain venture was just too tedious to take often. I had found my home in San Francisco, and if I was going to spend half a day on the road to get to the forest, I’d rather it be to end up among the redwoods.
But now with traffic patterns across the Southland being Pandemic-Light (something akin to “Tuesday-Light” traffic from the westside to the valley in Before Times), a jaunt to Big Bear truly was just a jaunt.
I chose Castle Rock and Bluff Lake for our hiking adventure. Castle Rock was rather popular, not only for the Stephen King reference but because the trailhead was right on the main road. However, one could start near Bluff Lake, up in the mountains, and reach the same peak of Castle Rock minus all the crowds.
And crowds there were indeed. Here the stewards of nature had blocked off roadside parking and the main parking lot, which just meant that people were walking a mile or more from up the road to get to the trailhead. Never underestimate the determination someone has to go for a walk when they’re told they can’t.
I found the back way to Bluff Lake, and Tucker and I took took some not-at-all-trafficked forest service roads up the mountain to reach what seemed like a camp, now abandoned from summer and from a global health crisis.
We parked (the only car in what I assumed was the lot for the trailhead), and while we saw a couple of people and dogs exiting the trailhead, there was no one else nearby.
The trail was a beautiful, socially distant, lack of human experience.
There was a sparkling lake,
Some woodland area to walk through,
A meadow,
Some autumn colors to enjoy,
And even a small house to check out.
We then found our way along forest roads to the trail that would take us to the back door entrance of Castle Rock.
There were some amazing rock formations which made me feel like we were on a set. (How did Mother Nature make these??)
And some stunning textures on the fallen trees.
Our travels took us along the trail that eventually started to drop in elevation. We were two miles into our walkabout, and I wasn’t quite sure how much further we should descend before ascending later would prove problematic—for Tucker or me. We saw Castle Rock, but the way there looked to be a few hundred feet downward and then a few hundred feet up again to reach the pinnacle.
I felt the view of Castle Rock was enough for what we came for: a walk in the mountains.
I felt the view of Castle Rock was enough for what we came for: a walk in the mountains.
So we sat for a spell, and enjoyed the lake, Castle Rock, and our strategic avoidance of other people.
Tucker got to gnaw on a branch.
And I got to enjoy the view—of both the lake and my boy.
When we had had our fill of relaxation and stillness in nature, we headed back the steep incline, taking a few breaks along the way, and then onward to Bluff Lake again.
This time we stopped for a photo op with a Champion Lodgepole Pine. While no giant redwood, it was impressive in its own right. There was no other tree quite so large, and the fact that it had escaped human’s destruction was a feat to be honored.
Southern California does offer a wide variety of nature to explore—as long as the freeways are clear and people don’t ruin it. Whether it’s the oceans or the mountains, thanks to people working from home, people moving away, and people just not going anywhere, we can be with nature in under two hours in any direction. And we plan to explore every direction possible.
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