ED, CAROLYN, AND JEFF
DAVIS
We
got up early the next morning and enjoyed a big breakfast with Ed and
Carolyn. Afterwards we suffered through
my least-favorite part of these trips – packing up for the flight home. We got everything ready for the airport by
mid-morning. That left us with a few
hours to kill. Carolyn was interested in
doing a short hike, so we decided to get a closer look at Jeff Davis Peak. Jeff Davis is a volcanic plug on the ridge east
of The Nipple. Jeff Davis Peak got its name
because many of the early settlers in this area were sympathizers with the
Confederacy during the Civil War.
There
is no official trail, but there is a beaten path from a gap along Blue Lakes
Road. We parked there and headed up through meadows of wildflowers and
scattered trees. We gained a spur ridge,
and followed it towards the main ridge leading to the peak. The wind was really howling along here, and
we were glad it was a short hike. The
stretch along the ridge crest was brutal, but we gritted our teeth and pressed
on. We enjoyed views of Markleeville
Peak, before reaching the Saddle below Jeff Davis. From here, that giant rock towers
overhead. Apparently
there is a difficult scramble route (class IV or low class V) to the summit,
but that is beyond my skill level.
Attempting to climb it would have been quite dangerous in that
wind. I was content with simply walking
to the very base of the rock.
We
headed back quickly, eager to get out of the wind. We returned to the trailer in time for a late
lunch. Afterwards, Christy and I bid
farewell and drove straight back to San Francisco. We stopped at a Mexican place near the
airport for dinner, before returning the rental car and taking the train to the
terminal. We were upgraded to first
place for the flight home, but I still couldn’t sleep. Free wine helped a bit, but it was still a
rough morning. It was a relief getting
back to the house and crawling into bed.
Back to California
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!