I got out of town a couple weeks ago for the first time since shutdown, for a short camping trip with Anne, Amy, and Ginny. We took four cars and stayed in four tents. It felt great to get out of the fog and into the warm Sierra near Donner Lake. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

It took just over three hours for me to reach our destination, Alder Creek Campground, so I needed no stops on the way. Anne arrived at about the same time, and the other two were closely behind. We set up our tents in the shade and went for a short hike on a nearby trail. Pine trees, a small meadow, and wildflowers here and there. It was in the 80’s so we were content to spend the rest of the afternoon at our campsite, sketching. Anne and I split take-out Mediterranean food, while Amy and Ginny hydrated a bag of backpacking food. 

Wednesday, July 15

A pump house next to our site made noise all night, otherwise this is a terrific camping spot. After much debate, we settled on a hike at Donner Pass, and headed out in two cars, masks on, windows open. Google neglected to inform us that the final section of Donner Pass Highway was closed, so we started hiking three miles earlier than planned, heading up to through Donner Pass Canyon. We stopped for lunch near where we had planned to start. It was a great hike with a variety of trails, views of Donner Lake, and wildflowers.

We stopped for ice on our way back to camp. I skipped a shower, to minimize my chance of virus exposure, and cleaned up with wet wipes. (Though I was tempted when I saw how refreshed Amy and Anne were when they returned). We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our campsite, drawing pictures, chatting, eating dinner, and playing Pictionary. 

Thursday, July 16

After breakfast and packing, I took a short walk on the nearby trail and then headed home, arriving in time to shower before my afternoon painting class.