A true classic adventure and magical place, Jared Sandeen also on Clear Creek.
As the holidays came to a head the
weather dried up and temperatures have cooled dramatically. Thus I set
out exploring access to a potentially interesting and probably terrible
stretch of water. As usual there was a lot of confusion over roads, as
all the USFS road numbers are missing and Sierra Pacific has gates
blocking USFS roads. It's like dropping a nuclear bomb, then declaring
the crater a non-smoking area. Trees are an incredible renewable
resource. Clear cutting in a mediterranean climate like California is
not the correct way to manage this resource, but it happens. Then they
close the area to public vehicles do to "environmental concerns". Oh
the irony.
Research led to vague mention of a historic trail, once suitable for
stock at the turn of the century. Then it fell under the classic
catch-22 of the Forest Service. It's not used because it's not
maintained, and it's not maintained because it's not used. It's still
there, and really not in that bad of shape oddly enough, thanks to some
people who cleared it in the '80s for an illegal pot grow. Strange that
in this case illegal use of public land has done more to improve access
than the people paid to do it. No doubt however that the USFS has done
plenty of paperwork on it.
Often my writing is critical, perhaps overly so. Personally I'm an
optimistic person, but tend to gravitate to reading critical writing,
because it makes me think. Perhaps it's a reaction to the theme song
for today's kayaking media;
Everything is Awesome from The Lego Movie.
So to finish on a positive note, the
New River Gear Bag
by Salamander Gear is very nice, especially for $26. It's well thought
out, has shoulder straps and a solid bottom but most importantly, an
integrated drybag for base layers that closes with velcro. It's a well
thought out gear bag at a hell of a price. I bought mine with my own
money and was surprised by the drybag as it's not mentioned in the
description.
Stars over Shasta
