Lake Anna Adventure

Lake Anna

This quote sums up so much of my need for adventure. There is a belonging in the adventure to a wild place. The finding of the home that exists within myself. Labor day weekend this year a buddy of mine from Ashland and I headed down to the Trinity Alps to meet two of my cousins coming up from San Francisco. We arrived late Friday after work and hit the trail in the dark. On our drive down we drove through exceptionally thick smoke from forest fires. I was worried that we might be smoked out at the trailhead. But when we arrived we were heralded by the stars. We busted through a few miles and ended up in a beautiful valley with the stars twinkling overhead. The light in the morning was sublime, the smoke made an orange glow that was filtered through the old growth firs and cedars. Waking up to birdsong and the wetness of the dew on my sleeping bag was so comforting. After breakfast we continued up the valley on our way  to Lake Anna. We went off trail in our quest and worked our way up the valley and onto the ridge until we found the gorgeous deep blue of the cirque lake. Without delay we swam and basked on the rocks letting the tingling sensation of the cold fade away. We made camp overlooking the lake and headed up the knife like peaks to get a panoramic view. The smoke shrouding the land below was so surreal, we were in an island in the sky; Just above the smoke that was enveloping the land below. Our home for the next two nights was nestled under a beautiful old growth tree, that night we heard the call of the Great Horned Owl. The following day I had a yearning for an adventure, there are a vast number of peaks and lakes in a very small area. My cousin Chad and I decided to see how many we could visit in a day. We set out crossing the saddles between the mountains and hiking off trail carving straight-ish lines between our destinations. We summited mountains and swam in multiple beautiful lakes. It was a day of ultimate questing, with only a small day pack between us we covered many miles of up, down and back again. Returning to camp we figured that we made a 5 lake loop and covered about 8 miles. I missed this feeling of raw adventure: sleeping under the stars and moving lightly over the land. This trip brought me back home and helped me settle back into what it means to be at home in nature. I belong to the wild places, I thrive and find my power when I am deep in the wilderness of the world. Without this I wouldn’t be me and I would be utterly lost in the churning of our modern world. 

Deer Lake and Siligo Peak