White Trinity Granite

I made one of my pilgrimages to the high country of the Trinity Alps Wilderness last week, in the quiet before the Labor Day weekend rush. It is always a gift to get a feel for the White Trinity Granite. In a thought provoking way, going high up on the massif of Thompson Peak was pretty symbolic with my new role in wild advocacy. On the solid granite of the Trinity one feels that they are on top of the Klamath Knot. All the intricate weaving of the river canyons and deep timber tumbling is visible for ever and even further with the view that the granite scrambler has from up high. It is necessary for me to admit, though, that the summit of Thompson Peak still eludes me. My morning attempt was sincere, but I am getting slower and slower, and I did not muster up the batteries for the long push. I won't be too hard on myself. Perhaps more than anything it is the lack of climbing days in this chapter of my life that had my legs burning and sluggish up high. I am sure that if I was getting out more I could keep up with my sporting ambitions a bit better. "Uh-huh, right," says my 45 year-old sarcastic sense of humor.

Regardless of the creak in my bones, I did get up there to the lake for a few nights camping, and for a few hikes a bit higher. The Grizzly Lake Basin on the north slope of Thompson Peak is breathtaking. The falls spilling out of there are world class, and seeing them should be on every backpackers to-do list. How encouraging it is to still get to discover amazing (even popular!) places that I have not seen before, there must still be a few more left out there in the not-so-limitless landscape for me to stumble up to, to stare upon, and to thank for the battery recharge they provide. Even if it is just briefly, it helps in the daily grind of the advocacy job I am surfing these days to have had some real time experience in the wild high country again. It helps to make sure that my heart and soul know, taste, and feel what this gig I am working is really all about.